Help With Digital Dash????

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GOLDSMOBILETORO

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Alright, I have a beatiful 1990 Toronado base model in the rare light auburn/dark auburn color combo. It is a base model toronado and a column shift,split bench, digital dash car. When i bought this car for a rediculously cheap 500 dollars it needed a little work, which i have now put alotta work into it. I have a new fuel filter,air filter,spark plugs and wires,alternator,battery,ignition,windshield,tires,hood,rearview mirror,alpine cd player,crager starwire rims with tri bar knock off's, etc. with new headliner,brake lines,fuel pump,water pump,headlights,and trunk lock emblem coming soon to complete my car.
Now I am wondering,since my digital dash has failed,if i can put a regular analog dash in it.will it simply plug in and be ready or will i need to make some modifications. i would prefer to got with analog over digital becuase ive heard bad things about the digital clusters, thought they look alot better:cool:.does anyone have any ideas or knowledge of this i really need some help.......
 
The digital clusters have not been the problem. The digital cluster is the same one from 1986-1989, but they updated functionality in 1990. It is the analog clusters that have failed a lot for this generation of Toronado. I would get the digital fixed or find another digital cluster. If you read the threads here, it has been the analog cluster people have been trying to get repaired, it is the analog you see on Ebay for sale. It is the analog you see on websites where they repair them.

The digital clusters were rare after 1989. All the Toronados except bench seat models came with analog clusters.

Your 1990 is rare because they changed a lot of parts and the engine over for 1991 and 1992. Your Toronado is between the last downsized one 1989 and the upgrades 1991.


Your car is not a base Toronado. The base Toronado had bucket seats. You have a rare option package. I know because I own a 1992 Toronado that has a bench seat. Goldsmobile who posts here has a 1991 or 1992 with a bench seat too. The option package that I have on mine is ISB. I think it went by the same name in 1990.

I have seen 1990-1992 Toronados that had bucket seats and no passenger power seat.

The only difference between your car and a Trofeo is:

the VIC option, the suspension, the bucket seats, the other power adjustments for the headrests and the recline and side bolsters. These cars came loaded for the most part.

You can get other opinions here as well.
 
no mines not a trofeo just a base toronado with a bench n the digital dash but i cant afford to have the dash fixed because they charge so much. i've seen a few of the non digital dash's at a local junkyard and i'm wondering if that will work on my digital dash car....
 
The analog gauges will work. I will tell you that. I say to you again your Toronado is not a base car. Please reread my earlier post. Your car is rare not a base model at all. I would personally get the digital gauges fixed or find another cluster elsewhere. It is your decision.
 
so do they plug in to the same plug ins or will i have to do some wire splicing...also are all the wires the same color? i would prefer to keep the digital gauges too expensive to repair maybe down the road and i havnt found any working digital clusters in the salvage yard yet :( but i need some gauges at the moment lol. thanks for the info and i had my vin ran and it is a toronado brougham not trofeo....there's also no trofeo badges except on the front upper grill and trunk lock which i took off a trofeo from the junk yard lol
 
The cluster is plug in. I know. I had a earlier Toronado that I bought used and the cluster was analog. It worked. I pulled it out and put a digital cluster in as that is what it was supposed to have and it worked fine.

I hope you can get digital gauges down the road. Try car-part.com and Matt who has a Toronado and Trofeo site where he sells parts. He goes by Matt Quality Services on this site. There is also Ebay too.

As you see it is not as base Toronado as you kept saying.

Let us know how you come out.
 
I Think I understand what Goldsmobiletoro is saying. I have always thought of the 1990-1992 Toronados as being 2 models, the base (also known as the Brougham), and the Trofeo. So I understand when he says its a base car, but it has the optional bench seat, digital dash, etc.
 
il let you guys know.... and yeah toronado1991 got it. i just look at it as the base or brougham and the trofeo...i thought mine was just a base but idk...?:confused:
 
I understand what you guys are saying, but no he does not have a base car. When you say base car most people think striped no options a basic car. It is all in the terminology. The bench seat models are quite rare. I know. I have had three. I am on the third one. The only option my current Toronado does not have is the upgraded stereo. I have everything else.

The cars we have are equipped like the Toronado Broughams of the 1979-1985 era. That was top of the line in the day. The Trofeo came along and added the sport package and became top of the line. They sold more Trofeos in the last few years too. That is why you see more of them. I know if I had a Trofeo, I would change the cluster to digital. The 1988-1989 Trofeos had digital clusters because that is what all Toronados had.

The 1990 was more unique because it was sharing parts with the previous generation and yet was using parts from the final generation.

These cars are truly special. I hope one day they will start to offer parts for them in the collector car market.

You finish up your car and get it running great and looking great.
 
well said they really are great cars both in function and style and you don't see many around I can't wait to cruise around in it this summer and turn some heads...ahhh i see what you're saying now, i have the brougham
 
Yes, I agree that it is all in the terminology. Base car does not neccessarily mean "stripped". The "base car" is the way every single car is equipped, across the board. Therefore the base car in our case has power windows, locks, air conditioning, cruise control, tilt steering wheel,visual message center, etc.
 
In a nutshell, the poster has a base model (brougham) with some very nice, and very rare options that make it worth more than a typical base model (and perhaps more than a trofeo..depending on the buyer)... correct?
 
You guys got it! They are great cars and rare. They do share some parts with the 1990-1993 Buick Riviera too. It is sad how people did not realize how far ahead these cars were at the time. Take care of that car and get it running. The only things I wished my car had are wood trim and cup holders. They are nice vehicles. They have more features than Eldorado and Riviera had at the time too. All were E-Bodies.
 
I am of the opinion that, in todays market, these cars are not worth very much. Even with a 100% mint interior in a car that runs and drives excellent, you would be lucky to see $2500 in most markets. People just dont know about them, and are more inclined to buy a fairly common mustang, camaro, or the likes.

However, I think as time progresses, the value of these cars will increase. There will be more of them demolished as they make trips to the salavge yard, and fewer and fewer people will be willing to spend the money to fix them. The key to seeing that increase is spending the money to keep your toronado in good condition NOW. These cars have potential to become pseudo-classics one day. Hemmings did a great edition of their "sleepers" article in March of 2006 that labeled the 1988-1992 Trofeo a great collector car to put in your garage for $2000-$4000. $4000 seems to be pushing it, as I have seen low mile, mint condition trofeo's struggle to get past $3500.

A common misconception is that these cars are junk because the technology just didnt work, and failed at a high rate. I am finding that the technology that was there works AWESOME, and does not fail any more frequently than most things... case in point, the VIC display. It works great and you can easily find used, working units for under $150... thats less than a radio replacement for my simple ass cadillac. The issues I experience are more mechanical and computer, sensor, and wiring related. Things that can be easily fixed by any mechanic with a good knowledge of the common Buick 3800 motor. Other issues like the common water leaks are also easily fixed with literally no money invested.
 
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alot of people don't even know what they are because no other car looks like a toronado.similiar style to the riviera but looks alot cooler. also, you don't see many around so they are very overlooked but in time they;ll finally get some due respect because they are an all around great car and the epitome of style and luxury ...just imagine if they were rear wheel drive that would be sweet
 
GOLDSMOBILETORO said:
alot of people don't even know what they are because no other car looks like a toronado.similiar style to the riviera but looks alot cooler. also, you don't see many around so they are very overlooked but in time they;ll finally get some due respect because they are an all around great car and the epitome of style and luxury ...just imagine if they were rear wheel drive that would be sweet
Click to expand...

When the Toronado was introduced in 1966 it's claim to fame (besides it's styling) was that it was the first modern front wheel drive American car since the Cord 810 stopped production in 1937. Today the vast majority of cars are front wheel drive, but from the 1940's to the mid 1970's all American cars (except for the Toronado and in 1967 the Cadillac Eldorado) were rear wheel drive. You can think of it as the Toronado started a revolution.
 
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