Has anyone used one of the aftermarket GPS speedometers sort of like this? As much as I'd like to get the digital dash working on the Vette, it's also directly tied to the ECU which I'd just as soon get rid of.
Obviously the GPS speedo won't work without a good signal, but the car won't be driven that far, and it's very rare that I don't have GPS for my phone. Do these cheap gauges have anywhere close to the GPS recpetion that most phones have?
In the end I'm looking for a fairly basic gauge layout: Speedo, possibly tach(though I really don't need one), coolant temp, oil pressure, voltmeter, and fuel...and I can always make a fuel gauge from a second voltmeter.
I have not used one, Pete, but I have been following others that have and they generally report that they like them. Downtown big cities with high-rises tend to interfere, and tunnels, etc, of course, but otherwise, people like them. I am getting to where I need dash stuff for the Locost. I need a tach, speedo, charging light, temp gauge and I think that's about it. In Lotus Seven tradition, the gas tank doesn't have a sender, although I am also foregoing the gas dip stick. I have an oil pressure idiot light already. It's like this:
I'm fairly certain I won't miss it if it goes off.
Pete Gossett said:
Has anyone used one of the aftermarket GPS speedometers sort of like this? As much as I'd like to get the digital dash working on the Vette, it's also directly tied to the ECU which I'd just as soon get rid of.
Obviously the GPS speedo won't work without a good signal, but the car won't be driven that far, and it's very rare that I don't have GPS for my phone. Do these cheap gauges have anywhere close to the GPS recpetion that most phones have?
No personal experience, but I recently worked on a '69 Camaro that someone else built, and apparently was too lazy to engineer anything better than "half-assed", which is why it was brought to us to un-berk. Anyway. Amongst its shoddily-installed components was a GPS type speedometer. I will admit that it never needed more than about five-ten seconds to find a signal after you started the car, which is way better than my Garmin will do. It has taken up to five minutes to find a signal.
I still think running two wires from the VSS to an electronic speedo would be more robust.
In reply to Knurled. :
You bring up an interesting option that is not considered - what would be involve in connecting the stock 700r4 speed sensor in the Vette to some generic/aftermarket speedometer, and getting it calibrated correctly? The whole reason I asked about a GPS unit is im completely unaware of other options.
In reply to Pete Gossett :
A couple wires and reading the instruction booklet on how to calibrate it.
Although being a 700-R4, it should take a cable just fine. I think it's pretty much an international standard that speedometer cables are 1000rpm at 60mph/100km/h.
The Dakota Digital speedos will calibrate to anything. I had one on the Esprit (RIP) and it was fantastic. I picked up a signal off the wheel sensor going to the speedo, but it will literally key off of any signal, and calibrating was: Push the button. Drive exactly one mile. Push the button. Done.
In reply to Knurled. :
I'm 99% sure the Vette uses an electronic speed sensor, though it still sounds like calibration would be pretty straightforward. Then again, a GPS unit still sounds slightly easier.
This definitely gives me a couple options to explore, regardless.
Stampie
UltraDork
11/11/17 4:34 p.m.
Why not download Ulysse speedometer app for your phone. It's free and you'd at least get to test or a GPS system before you buy.
wspohn
Dork
11/11/17 4:55 p.m.
Yup - when I transplanted a GM V6 into my 1956 Jamaican bodied MGA, I ordered up a custom GPS speedo from Speedhut. Works great and has lots of fatures I don't even use.
I good friend of mine showed me his GPS speedometer, conveniently installed in a LS2 swapped FD RX-7. They are an elegant solution to determining your speed.
In reply to Stampie :
I've used my phone before, but there isn't really a good place to put it. I'd also like something more permanent, and quite frankly longer-lasting than my phone. Also, I have difficulty seeing my phone screen in certain lighting, so I'd rather have an analog gauge and tie it into the stock headlight switch & cluster dimmer.
Next question: I was offered a cable-driven aftermarket speedometer for free. Is there a way to drive it off a GPS signal for $50 or less? I'm finding solutions out there, but they're $200+.
Pete Gossett said:
Next question: I was offered a cable-driven aftermarket speedometer for free. Is there a way to drive it off a GPS signal for $50 or less? I'm finding solutions out there, but they're $200+.
If you scrounge for used components and do all the work yourself, maybe. Off the shelf, no. You'd need a system that will read the GPS speed and spin a motor at the correct RPM to simulate a transmission output and drive the mechanical speedometer. Rube Goldberg would smile 
In reply to GameboyRMH :
That sort of what I thought. In that case I'll just spend $50-$80 for a GPS speedo and be done.
