About The Author

squirrelfrom terry.jpg
courier11sec
Active Member of the Maverick Comet Club Message Board.
courier11sec's Gallery

^ TOP

Step 1

So first off, get ready to pull your instrument cluster.
For this you will need:
A phillips screwdriver, a 9/16 deep socket and ratchet, a 9/16 open end wrench, a really flexible arm (preferably very skinny) a moderate amount of patience, a buddy(optional) and at least 3 of the beverage of your choice (required). Set the parking brake and chock both sides of one wheel.
Ready?
To remove the cluster first remove the two phillips screws that are straight up and centered in the top of the two round gauge openings. Next, where the steering column meets the bottom of the dash there is a plastic trim piece between the bottom of the column and the package tray. (older cars only maybe? I'll bet there is something similar in the later cars.) Remove the two vertical 9/16 nuts from either side of the column and remove the trim piece or at least push it aside out of the way. (I have a toggle switch in each side of mine so I just moved it a bit. There are two more 9/16 nuts on the studs. loosen them several turns, but you don't need to remove them. This allows you to pull the column down a bit to get the instrument cluster out easier. You can do it without lowering the column, but it's A LOT easier to drop it a bit.
Now for the hard part.
Reach up into the dash to the back of the speedometer and disconnect the cable. This is what is referred to in the professional automotive world as a huge pain in the ass. (wrist, hand, finger, etc...) The trick to undoing the clip is to give it a squeeze on the plastic part right where the end is crimped onto the cable, pull straight back a bit and then put your hand on the other side of the panel that's right in the way there and pull it the rest of the way out.

Now get your buddy to help you get out from under the dash, drink one of your beverages, and go get an aspirin for your back.

Once you recover, pull the top edge of the instrument cluster away from the dash and sort of roll it forward a bit. There are two little tabs made of spring steel screwed to the bottom of the cluster. That horrible, "something breaking" sound you hear is from them. It's okay. Now you should be able to reach the back to disconnect the plug from the back. It's kind of a pain to get out. The tabs are on the top and bottom of the plug. There is one bulb going into the cluster that comes out of the dash harness give it a quarter turn and remove it. Automatic folks, drop her in to low. Three on the tree folks put it in whatever gear is straight down. (Never can get those dang things figured out!) Now pull down a bit on the column and wrestle the cluster forward and out to the right. Shouldn't be too difficult if you're careful.

^ TOP

The Kit

Here's what you get in the kit from ebay, along with some instructions.
Have the second of your beverages.

Completely disassemble and clean the instrument cluster. You'll need a 1/4 and a 5/16 nut driver or socket and ratchet..
This is quite easy. Don't lose anything.

^ TOP

Fuel Gauge

I did the fuel gauge first since it's the easiest. trim the decal enough so it fits on the face of the gauge. keep in mind all you can see when it's assembled is the lines and the lettering so don't worry about getting too fancy. Just make sure you get it lined up perfectly straight with the existing lettering. The glue on these decals is pretty good stuff and you only get one try. (No pressure) Be VERY careful of the needle on this gauge. I whacked mine a bit and had to screw with it for a bit to get it sitting right again.

Something else I did while I had it apart was pick up a can of the brightest fluorescent orange paint I could find and a can of clear coat. I painted the entire inside of the chamber where the bulbs live with several coats of orange and a few of clear. Don't paint anything you can see when it's assembled, just the "room" the lights poke into (we'll call it the light chamber from now on) and the backs of the gauge plates. (the fluorescent paint I got was flat)I didn't take any pictures in case it didn't work out, but it worked incredibly well and now I wish I had. Also my camera seems unable to get a good picture of the lights in operation in the dark, so I don't have one to post. Any really bright color should work for this so if you're tired of the same old green illumination as everyone else with an old ford, pick a color and go for it. Just make sure it's nice and glossy when you're done or you'll have no illumination and you'll be really bummed out (like I was before I went and got the clear coat!)

^ TOP

Speedometer

The instructions say to paint the faces of both gauges white. I'm not sure it's absolutely critical, but I did it anyway. To get the needle off the speedometer, hold onto the metal wheel on the back of the gauge and gently twist the needle as you pull. Make sure you stick something between the gauge plate and the odometer wheel so you don't paint it. As far as the high beam indicator goes, I couldn't think of a good way to mask it, so I just did several very light coats of paint and immediately after each one cleaned the little red window off with a flattened q- tip. I know, I know, but it worked. Now go put another coat of clear on the inside of the light chamber if you decided to do the illumination trick. When trimming the decals to fit take your time and try to leave as much of the decal as possible intact. For the left panel, the instructions say to cut a large ring out of the overlay to avoid having to cut out each individual indicator hole. Well I thought about it and the finish would be completely different in the area missing than the rest, not to mention if you don't get the now two piece decal perfectly centered it will look like your kids pre school art project. What I did instead was trim the decal so it fit on the plate when installed properly by cutting out the two black rectangles in the center of the decal that correspond to the tabs on the little button that goes in the middle. Then I took the backing off the decal and "installed" the button into the decal. I then took that and popped the button into the plate without letting the decal touch the plate just yet. Working from the center out, I smoothed the decal into place being careful not to let any bubbles happen. Then once it was on there I cut out all the holes from the back with a single edged razor blade. Make sure whatever you use is unreasonably sharp so there's no chance of tearing the overlay and don't cut any of your fingers off, you haven't done the speedometer yet.

Sort of the same routine with the speedometer except there is a blacked out rectangle on the overlay where the odometer will be. cut it out. Now I don't think the folks that made this kit know about the high beam indicator at the top of the speedometer. There's no mention of it on their instruction sheet, and the picture they have of an installed set has it covered. I cut a tiny rectangle out just above the number 60, but if you want, I'm sure you can figure out a better way to do it.

Well, now change all the bulbs for the 2825 w5w units and all you need to do is put it back together...
You remember how everything went right?