Tried to remove it to fix the backlighting the otherday and just as I feared, the cluster housing is deteriorated and crumbling. Been thru this with a 77 F100, it's made if the same ****ty plastic as my 77 Comet.
Post a want ad in the Wanted section and watch as the offers come in at affordable rates. Seriously, there are probably a dozen members here with clusters they'd sell you.
And as for the "affordable offers" ? There are many here that think their used parts are gold plated.
Crumbling Gauge Cluster U might have a point on the fabing a sheetmetal panel and fitting aftermarket gauges. The likelyhood of acquiring a VG condition 35+ year old gauge cluster is remote. Doing the aftermarket thing will require a lot more work and money. I wud make that a last resort, unless I was extensively modifying the car.
:16suspect I may just do an aftermarket speedo, afterall, that's the only operable thing in the panel now. Ain't got no A/C, P/S, P/B, radio, heat, defrost. Nothing but a stickshift and a steering wheel.
link to a gauge setup http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Ford...r_Truck_Parts_Accessories?hash=item1e5a24c020
Thats my auction. I'm not sure what year cars they came out of...they were extras that came with my car ('70). Both have D0DF-10848 molded into the back of the housing. The black one has D0DF-10C956 PED-1 on the circuit board. So 1970 cluster maybe?