Dakota Digital dash

[fulsizjeep]

I am wondering if anyone here has installed the Dakota Digital VHX-73J-WAG instrument panel. How was the directions and installation experience? We are looking at this for my wife's 77 Wag.

[HowardT64]

Id love to have a full digital dash...but that is WAY out of my price range.

[RamJetFSJ]

I don’t have experience with it, but have been looking at it for a future upgrade. Bjs off-road also sells a version of that with more stock appearing graphics (same guts though).

https://www.bjsoffroad.com/Dakota-Digit ... _2207.html

Lucky (from Hotrod Garage) just did a short YouTube video on installing that gauge cluster in a wag. You might be able to gleam some install info from it.

https://youtu.be/mAbx73HfW5E

[letank]

I don’t have experience with it, but have been looking at it for a future upgrade. Bjs off-road also sells a version of that with more stock appearing graphics (same guts though).

https://www.bjsoffroad.com/Dakota-Digit ... _2207.html

Lucky (from Hotrod Garage) just did a short YouTube video on installing that gauge cluster in a wag. You might be able to gleam some install info from it.

https://youtu.be/mAbx73HfW5E

thank you for posting, too much glare on this cluster... as I can see on that video... I observed the same on the 86 and later, it is terrible you can see the transmission lever and the blinker stalk, the 85 and older are not great, but better than the other choices, it is amazing that when the redesign was done that these annoying shortcomings were not addressed
and yes you need to lower the steering column... otherwise the cluster and the steering column will get scratches

[dodgerammit]

thank you for posting, too much glare on this cluster... as I can see on that video... I observed the same on the 86 and later, it is terrible you can see the transmission lever and the blinker stalk, the 85 and older are not great, but better than the other choices, it is amazing that when the redesign was done that these annoying shortcomings were not addressed
and yes you need to lower the steering column... otherwise the cluster and the steering column will get scratches

Glare? As in from the lens faces? You reuse the original lenses. If there is glare, it was there the whole time.

[weeegoneeer]

Actually - I wouldn't reuse the original lenses - you can use them if you want but it looked really weird & pushed the gauges too far back & the glare was really weird. Give it a shot to see, but I pulled mine.

ALSO - put together a step-by-step guide to pulling the instrument cluster here: http://www.forums.ifsja.org/showthread.php?t=182503

[ArchitectJS]

Where do you get replacement lenses? Or, is this a generic lens? Mine are loose and fallen down and previously re-stuck with some sloppy adhesive...

[MReese Wagoneer]

So on this Dakota install, can you set the mileage so you dont have to start at 0 ??

[RamJetFSJ]

Yes, you can preset the odometer one time within the first 100 miles after install.

[CosmicRhino]

Installing the sensors, wiring, and CPU was easy. Instructions were clear. There was plenty of space above the steering column inside the dash to mount the brain.

Only the temp gauge worked for me. None of my other gauges worked. Either I was too dumb to figure out how to configure it (followed the directions through 5 times, still had inaccurate gauges), or something else went wrong. Gave up after hours and hours of troubleshooting. Prior to installing the dakota gauges, all my gauges worked. I had already previously replaced every nut bolt wire and wiring harness in my Jeep, everything was fully restored and I wanted to upgrade to digital gauges.

Hopefully some day I meet someone that knows how to troubleshoot them because at this point it was just a waste of money for me :/

[fulsizjeep]

Thanks for the feedback everyone! We pulled the trigger and it should be here this week.

[itselliott]

https://scontent-ort2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/ ... e=5FBB9D60

Mine................super easy to install

[ArchitectJS]

To repeat a question- Are we able to get replacement lenses?

[fulsizjeep]

To repeat a question- Are we able to get replacement lenses?

I am not sure. I'm inclined to say no but you might contact BJs Offroad about it. Or even Dakota Digital.

There is a FSJ business that has been reconditioning instrument clusters. They might be able to help.
https://jeeprecyclers.com/product-categ ... e-cluster/

[ArchitectJS]

I did the Sniper / Hyperspark combon, and i think Dakota has a plug-and-play for all the gauges. Price is hefty.

Would love to get new lenses. PO was sloppy with his adhesive on a previous fix attempt.

[fulsizjeep]

I did the Sniper / Hyperspark combon, and i think Dakota has a plug-and-play for all the gauges. Price is hefty.

Would love to get new lenses. PO was sloppy with his adhesive on a previous fix attempt.

Hi - I found out that Jeep Recyclers has them laser cut from flat, clear Lexan sheets that sell for $25 each.

[wimsurf]

I'm thinking to have custom cut glass cut, nice and clear.

[weeegoneeer]

Just want to post in here again that I didn't think it worth it to put the lenses back on with a dakota cluster - lenses had really weird reflections and sat too far back. The overlay on the cluster itself is super clear and hard. Recommend trying it first without sourcing new lenses first and see what you think.

[pacific541]

Thanks for the feedback everyone! We pulled the trigger and it should be here this week.

So how does it look and function? would you do it again? I am thinking about the dash for my 1989 wag

thanks,

Jeremy

[bdrainy]

I'm curious about how it you like also, as I've been considering this for my 87 GW.

There is one thing that bugs me with them though (if the pictures online are accurate) and that is the temp gauge sweep. They put the mid point as 180 even though our stock thermostat is 195 and "normal" operating temp is 210. It's probably just me, but that would bug me to see the temp gauge towards the top of the sweep all the time...and for $750 I don't want anything to bug me.