Classic Instruments BelEra II Gauge Cluster - Chrome Bezel

Article Featuted in Chevy Classics Annual 2010

If your style leans more to the restomod as opposed to the 10-point restoration, then your ride is probably a mix of classic style with modern touches. Things like disc brakes, overdrive transmission, coilover suspension, big wheels with sticky rubber and a healthy engine are probably strapped to your ride. So how can you complement all those modern touches on your dash?

A killer set of gauges would be a good start. What if you could also get some needles that just weren't there before like tachometer, oil pressure, and voltage so you won't need that three-gauge set hanging from the dash? Its starting to sound too good to be true, but in actuality you can have all of this in a bolt-in cluster thanks to Classic Instruments' BelEra II Dual Layer set-up. This new cluster features all the gauges you would want in a restomod ride lit up by LED lighting.

The instruments are marine-quality and Air-Core type that are dampened to minimize most of the erratic movements the pointer might be subjected to from road vibration or a big ol' nasty cam. Basically, you get high-grade electronic units like those found in luxury and modern muscle cars.

The BelEra II comes in either black, white, tan, or gray, with a new glass lens. It's wired for ease of installation, and fits directly into the stock '55/'56 chrome bezel. You also get oil and temp sensors, along with a pulse signal generator to convert the cable driven speedo to an electronic unit (it will work with electronic transmissions as well). For the fuel gauge, Classic made that even easier by making the new gauge work with the stock 0-30 ohm sending unit so there is no need to drop the tank. The BelEra II also works with just about any ignition system out there from standard points, HEI, and even magnetos. The instruments are tested and certified for accuracy and quality before being boxed up for shipment. The install is pretty straightforward, requiring minimal tools and basic wiring knowledge. If you can read a simple schematic and crimp on some terminals, you can do it in an afternoon.

Here is the stock cluster. Nice? Yes. Awe-inspiring? No. By the end of the day, that will all change and there will be something worth staring at.
Here is the stock cluster. Nice? Yes. Awe-inspiring? No. By the end of the day, that will
Like we stated before, the BelEra II comes with everything you need for the job, except the tools and a few butt connectors. There will be no need to run to the parts store for a fitting, as all the specific stuff is included like sending units, speed pulse generator, and crimp-on terminals. The unit comes in either black, white, tan, or gray behind a new glass (not plastic) lens.
Like we stated before, the BelEra II comes with everything you need for the job, except th
To get the stock cluster out of the car, you don't really need to remove the steering wheel but you will get more room if you do. Also, the column needs to drop down to allow the cluster to come out. Remove the lower chrome piece to access the steering column hardware with a 1/2-inch socket.
To get the stock cluster out of the car, you don't really need to remove the steering whee

Now remove the two Phillips screws in the upper crown of the bezel.
With that, you should be able to tilt the cluster out so you can unplug all the bulbs, speedo cable, and wiring.
With that, you should be able to tilt the cluster out so you can unplug all the bulbs, spe
With the stock cluster assembly on a clean surface, remove all the flat tip screws around the perimeter. Now you can take all the stock cluster stuff out of the bezel.
With the stock cluster assembly on a clean surface, remove all the flat tip screws around

Only the bezel will be reused so you can put the stock stuff in the swap meet pile.
Classic provides a small section of two-sided tape that needs to be trimmed and placed in four locations on the bezel. This will prevent the new lens from rattling when the new instrument cluster is installed.
Classic provides a small section of two-sided tape that needs to be trimmed and placed in
The new glass is cut to the perfect size so just carefully place it inside the bezel. It's a good idea to make sure the glass is clean and free from fingerprints before moving on to the next step.
The new glass is cut to the perfect size so just carefully place it inside the bezel. It's

Place the cluster into the bezel...
...and secure with the new screws provided. Now you can leave this on the bench and move over to the car.
...and secure with the new screws provided. Now you can leave this on the bench and move o
Unthread the speedometer cable from the transmission and snake it out of the car as you will no longer need it.
Unthread the speedometer cable from the transmission and snake it out of the car as you wi

The pulse signal generator will thread right on to the trans, a TH400 in our case. Snug it down, but don't get all macho. Just tighten it.
The pulse signal generator will thread right on to the trans, a TH400 in our case. Snug it
Now plug in the three-wire harness and route it up to the back of the dash.
Make sure to route the harness away from the heat of the exhaust. We ran it along the frame and secured it to the brake line.
Make sure to route the harness away from the heat of the exhaust. We ran it along the fram

For the oil pressure, we picked it up right where we had our aftermarket gauge hooked up, just above the oil filter.
For the oil pressure, we picked it up right where we had our aftermarket gauge hooked up,
We pulled the line and the aftermarket adapter so this sensor and fittings could go in. The sensor could be threaded in without the extra fittings but it was way too close to the exhaust so we used the provided fittings to position it away from the header. Do not use any type of thread sealant as that will screw up the ground and the functionality of the gauge. The fittings are a pipe thread so they will seal themselves when tight.
We pulled the line and the aftermarket adapter so this sensor and fittings could go in. Th
Here is a shot from behind the transmission to give you an idea how the fittings provided more clearance on a 502 big-block. For the wire, we used the factory wire that used to run to the idiot light sensor near the number 1 cylinder. That sensor was removed and the hole sealed with a plug. We would have put the new sensor there, but there just wasn't enough room.
Here is a shot from behind the transmission to give you an idea how the fittings provided

The new temp sensor will go right where the factory idiot light sensor is-get ready for a little mess. Coolant will come rushing out of the hole when the sensor comes out of the head, swap them out quickly to minimize the mess. Again, don't use any thread sealant.
The new temp sensor will go right where the factory idiot light sensor is-get ready for a
The new sensor takes a ring terminal as opposed to a slip-on like the original so we crimped on a ring terminal end to the factory wire.
The new sensor takes a ring terminal as opposed to a slip-on like the original so we crimp
The new cluster has two harnesses that need to be hooked up to the wiring in the car. The first one is called the speed/tach harness shown here. We put a few small tags on each wire so we didn't have to keep looking back at the schematic.
The new cluster has two harnesses that need to be hooked up to the wiring in the car. The

There are some wires that won't be used for this application so those were grouped together and eventually pulled from the harness plug.
There are some wires that won't be used for this application so those were grouped togethe
The wires that go to the main harness will need to be terminated with the provided terminals and snapped into the harness plug. These take a specific type of terminal pliers, so you might need to buy or borrow a set before tackling the job.
The wires that go to the main harness will need to be terminated with the provided termina
You might have a hard time getting the terminals to snap into the plug.

A small set of tweezers will help push the terminal all the way in until you hear a click.
The last thing that needs to be dealt with as far as wiring goes is the function/set up button. One end will be hooked to a ground and the other end to the brown wire of the speed/tach harness. The button needs to be installed in an easily accessible location. We drilled a small hole under the dash to the right of the steering column and put the button there. We could still reach it while driving but it's out of plain view. This button will be used to put the gauge cluster into set up mode to calibrate the tach and the speedo, but more on this in a second.
The last thing that needs to be dealt with as far as wiring goes is the function/set up bu
The BelEra II assembly can now be taken to the car and wire harnesses...

...and chassis grounds hooked up.
Since the cluster is in the stock bezel reinstallation will be a snap. Put in the two upper screws...
Since the cluster is in the stock bezel reinstallation will be a snap. Put in the two uppe
...slide the column back up, and reinstall the lower trim piece and you are ready to set up the tach and speedo gauges.
...slide the column back up, and reinstall the lower trim piece and you are ready to set u

Because the gauges can work with so many different styles of inputs, you will need to tell the cluster what you have. To do this you push and hold the button, start the car, release the button, and cycle through each parameter by tapping the button, which is clearly explained in the instructions. Basically, you need to tell the tach that the motor is an 8-cylinder and calibrate the speedo in one of two fashions: 1. Drive a marked mile, or, 2. Use an external GPS unit that shows current speed. We chose option two. After set up was finished, the gauges worked flawlessly.
Because the gauges can work with so many different styles of inputs, you will need to tell
The needles sweep smoothly, the fuel gauge was spot on, and the LED lighting really let them shine at night. Now we can sell the extra gauges we had hanging from the dash and enjoy the BelEra II.
The needles sweep smoothly, the fuel gauge was spot on, and the LED lighting really let th