Here is the American Autowire...
Here is the American Autowire #500624 harness that goes to the back of the Auto Meter gauges. This will tie all of the gauge wiring into just a few easy to connect points.
Most stock dashboards in older cars leave some instrumentation to be desired. Granted, there are exceptions out there, but even then, some of the older optional gauge packages consisted of a dash or "knee-knocker" tach, and what good are dummy lights if they don't work?
You don't have to cut up your stock dash to have peace of mind. Covan's Classic Automotive Specialties has teamed up with American Autowire and Auto Meter to bring you an updated direct replacement gauge panel with gauges and wiring, which are easily installed at home. Covan's Classics offers the panels in many different finishes, like brushed aluminum and carbon fiber, as well as multiple Auto Meter gauge packages to create a plethora of choices for most Chevy musclecars.
In this story, we have a '71 Camaro getting the carbon fiber panel and matching gauges. I will walk you through most of the wiring from the gauges to the inside of the firewall. Wiring is not my forte, which may be the case for many of you out there. For those who share my pain, American Autowire has done an excellent job of making the wiring job as much of a "bolt-in" as possible.
You will need basic wiring tools, the directions, and a phone if you need to call for tech support, like I did. This car doesn't have a motor or tranny yet, so we will follow up with the gauge sending unit hookup later. What might be tricky is the lack of room around the stock headlight switch, so plan accordingly; you may have to loosen it up to get the panel in there with the wiring hooked up. The #CA11808 harness has provisions for all the other stock parts that this harness replaces-like the cigarette lighter and heater controls.
In summary, this may take a few hours, and for the electrically challenged, like myself, you'll want to set aside a Saturday or a couple of nights. Not to worry because all of this is shipped to you in a very easy-to-use package. Read on and stay tuned.
 This is the second part of...  This is the second part of the new retrofit American Autowire harness #CA11808; this will allow the harness from the gauge cluster to plug right into the otherwise stock-appearing harness. |  Picking up the job from here...  Picking up the job from here in this '71 Camaro where the dash was mocked up, I just took out the four screws that held the new Covan's Classic Carbon Fiber six-gauge panel in place and removed it from the dash. For the stock gauge panel you will need to unhook all the wiring that goes to the printed circuit and undo the speedo cable. |  Here we are behind the firewall...  Here we are behind the firewall just above the gas pedal and you find this bulkhead that is easily removed by loosening the center-mounting bolt and by unplugging the bulkhead. Pull out all the wiring that is associated with this part of the stock harness. |
 On the workbench we can start...  On the workbench we can start assembling everything for the gauge wiring. On the left is how the Auto Meter gauges are shipped, in the dash harness bag you will find these like right-angle connectors that need to be installed on the back of the gauges so the connectors on the harness will plug right into them. Of the small gauges, only the voltmeter gets two of these connectors, the rest get three. |  Once you get that taken care...  Once you get that taken care of, install the lights for the gauges. Connect the black ground wire to the center post and on the other side of the white power wire is a connector that plugs right into the new harness. |  Lucky for me the kind people...  Lucky for me the kind people at American Autowire label all the wires for their kits. |