Instrument Cluster Removal

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CaptRon

CaptRon

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I'm trying to pull the instrument panel on my 66 Dart. I can only see 2 screws on the far left side .Something on the right side seems to be holding it in.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Also, I'm planning to replace all bulbs with LEDs. Almost every bulb is out including the flasher indicator bulbs. Anyone have a source for some super bright LEDs
Thank you in advance!
 
Speedometer cable, multi-wire plug-ins, cigarette lighter wire, headlamp switch, and wiper switch knob need to be removed (along with all the screws) to remove the cluster.

LED bulbs: you don't want 'em super-bright, that's dangerous, and bulb quality matters a lot. See posts № 41 and 42 in this thread.
 
slantsixdan said:
Speedometer cable, multi-wire plug-ins, cigarette lighter wire, headlamp switch, and wiper switch knob need to be removed (along with all the screws) to remove the cluster.

LED bulbs: you don't want 'em super-bright, that's dangerous, and bulb quality matters a lot. See posts № 41 and 42 in this thread.
Click to expand...
So is there more than the two screws on the left side?
 
If there is a companion bezel on the right side, there may be additional screws hidden behind there. I've seen this before but forget what vehicle it was. Another 66 Dart owner should chime in here eventually. Good luck with it.
 
CaptRon said:
I'm trying to pull the instrument panel on my 66 Dart. I can only see 2 screws on the far left side .Something on the right side seems to be holding it in.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Also, I'm planning to replace all bulbs with LEDs. Almost every bulb is out including the flasher indicator bulbs. Anyone have a source for some super bright LEDs
Thank you in advance!
Click to expand...
what SSdan said..

here is a pic of the hidden screws (got to remove the heater/radio bezel to see them
DSCF4178.JPG


here is a picture of the back side of a radio delete plate. remove nuts(or remove radio if you have it) and then remove cigarette lighter housing, take knobs off of heater controls and you will see those screws
DSCF4190.JPG
 
Thx! None of my gauges are working other than the speedo which is off a lot. When it shows 30 mph I'm actually going 55 mph. Any idea what to look for to get the gauges working? Fuel gauge could be sending unit but I wanted to inspect the instruments while fixing the lights before dropping the tank.
 
CaptRon said:
Thx! None of my gauges are working other than the speedo which is off a lot. When it shows 30 mph I'm actually going 55 mph. Any idea what to look for to get the gauges working? Fuel gauge could be sending unit but I wanted to inspect the instruments while fixing the lights before dropping the tank.
Click to expand...


disconnect the battery before doing any cluster work... stuff fries really quick if you don't do that (makes magic smoke happen)
on the back of the cluster there is a unit that controls the temp and gas gauge sending 5volts to them . check and see if it's sending 5 volts to the gauges.
it near the center of the board and looks like a small metal can with 3 legs that plug into the circuit board.

like this
66 instrument cluster.jpg
IVR.png
 
Some other pointers and tips:

• Good idea to put in this updated instrument cluster voltage controller. Plugs right in.

• Don't expect anything on the cluster to work if it's not mounted in place. Everything grounds via contact with the metal dashboard, so if it's pulled and you hook it up most stuff won't work and you can get weird current paths making things do stuff that isn't supposed to happen.

• The ammeter is a trouble point worth paying attention and money to. A good ammeter-to-voltmeter conversion can be done very cleanly without looking hacked. I strongly UNrecommend the hack-job "fix" proposed by the clowns at MAD Electrical; you can do much better. How much it costs depends on whether you do the work yourself or have it done for you. Redline Gauge (website perpetually in development; call them on the phone) and Williamson's Instruments can both do a stealth conversion of stock ammeter to voltmeter for "it must've come that way from the factory!" appearance as seen in the '62 Plymouth here (look closely at the instrument panel; the Alternator gauge now has a scale from 8 to 18 volts rather than the original D at the left and C at the right -- and the oil pressure gauge is another never-offered-by-Chrysler item done by one of the gauge specialty houses).

For less money (but more work) I've also seen people successfully buy a Sunpro voltmeter, tear it apart, and mount the old ammeter face over it with excellent, clean results; see here and here.

• Might as well service the speedometer and cable (see here).
 
Thanks for the tips. A couple of questions. First the instrument cluster controller. I went to the link and they list two versions. I'm may have overlooked it but I didn't see the 1966 Dodge Dart as applicable for either version of the controller. Any idea which if either works for my car?
also what kind of ballpark price can I expect to pay if I have the voltmeter conversion done for me?
Do you think that cleaning up the speedo cable and lubing it would get my speedo back to reading properly or would I need to replace the gear at the trans or have the speedo it's self rebuilt?
 
The IVR-4 is correct for your '66 Dart.

Don't know what current (hah!) prices are for the voltmeter conversion; check with the two outfits linked above.

Your speedometer reads incorrectly almost certainly because you have the wrong speedo drive pinion for the car's rear axle ratio and tire size. If you'll lettuce know what size tires you have and what rear axle ratio, we can tell you what drive pinion you need. To figure out the car's rear axle ratio, see here. You very well may still need to have the speedo head rebuilt (it's over half a century old), and will surely need to lubricate the speedo head and cable in any event.
 
Thanks, I'm SHOCKED (lol) that you know all of this stuff!!

slantsixdan said:
The IVR-4 is correct for your '66 Dart.

Don't know what current (hah!) prices are for the voltmeter conversion; check with the two outfits linked above.

Your speedometer reads incorrectly almost certainly because you have the wrong speedo drive pinion for the car's rear axle ratio and tire size. If you'll lettuce know what size tires you have and what rear axle ratio, we can tell you what drive pinion you need. To figure out the car's rear axle ratio, see here. You very well may still need to have the speedo head rebuilt (it's over half a century old), and will surely need to lubricate the speedo head and cable in any event.
Click to expand...
 
Ok, how to you remove the cigarette lighter housing ? I assume that and the nuts on the radio is hold that bezel in place?


66Dvert said:
what SSdan said..

here is a pic of the hidden screws (got to remove the heater/radio bezel to see them
View attachment 1715161202

here is a picture of the back side of a radio delete plate. remove nuts(or remove radio if you have it) and then remove cigarette lighter housing, take knobs off of heater controls and you will see those screws
View attachment 1715161203
Click to expand...
 
CaptRon said:
nevermind, I figured it out nevermind, I figured it out.
Click to expand...

yes it holds on the bezel along with the radio nuts.
pain in the butt to get older rusty ones off isn't it. I wax my threads when I put the lighter back on. I want to make a snap in plug with 2 usb ports to take the place of the cigarette lighter when I get time.
 
What a cluster! ;-) I think someone did some custom wiring. Well I thought. Looking at another pick on here I see that spade lug evidently does go in under the voltage controller? Now the red wire butt spliced in seemed to go nowhere unless I pulled it loose from something because I found it connected to nothing. See next pic.

IMG_20180408_152153.jpg


condensor and spliced wire.jpg

condensor and spliced wire.jpg
 
I may see the reason for that wire. The circuit strip that goes to that terminal is broken and the wire for that circuit is cut at the wiring harness. See pics.
broken circuit.jpg
Broke wire harness.jpg
 
So I took a fine wire wheel with my dremel and gently buffed that broken circuit.
Has anyone ever had any luck at soldering that back together? If I do where am I supposed to tie that broken black wire back into? Also the pin for that wire is a bit loose. If I can successfully solder the strip I guess I could put a dab of solder at the base of that particular pin?
cleaned broken circuit.jpg
 
CaptRon said:
So I took a fine wire wheel with my dremel and gently buffed that broken circuit.
Has anyone ever had any luck at soldering that back together? If I do where am I supposed to tie that broken black wire back into? Also the pin for that wire is a bit loose. If I can successfully solder the strip I guess I could put a dab of solder at the base of that particular pin? View attachment 1715162757
Click to expand...
you can try to bridge that gap but those traces are really thin. I'd go with a jumper wire from one end to another of that trace and solder it to the pin and pad. there is a bit more "meat" of copper there.
 
66Dvert said:
you can try to bridge that gap but those traces are really thin. I'd go with a jumper wire from one end to another of that trace and solder it to the pin and pad. there is a bit more "meat" of copper there.
Click to expand...
Any idea where that black wire runs to? It feeds that pin that the broken trace is connected to. The bulb on that is the high beam indicator and it also connects to the voltage controller.
Broke wire harness.jpg
 
66Dvert said:
check and see if it's sending 5 volts to the gauges.
Click to expand...
If you check the voltage coming out of an original IVR, you will NOT get 5 volts. The voltage will go up, then off, then up then off. That is how it works, just gets hot and shuts off, then comes back on. primitive but functional.
 
Mopar Tim said:
If you check the voltage coming out of an original IVR, you will NOT get 5 volts. The voltage will go up, then off, then up then off. That is how it works, just gets hot and shuts off, then comes back on. primitive but functional.
Click to expand...
hmm my digital does that and never makes 5v reading, but my analog meter is a bit faster and hits 5 v to 0v pulsing. one of the reasons I like analog meters a bit better for classic work.
 
The red wire at end pin feeds the high beam indicator bulb. The black wire did feed 12 volts to the inst' voltage regulator. The 2 do share a chassis ground at that screw. The little narrow spot in the copper trace serves as a fusible link. We have seen that burned open on other boards. Some fault caused it. A failed regulator? A sender wire touching ground somewhere? Who knows?
If this was mine.. I wouldn't bother to patch the board or the loose pin. A solid state regulator package with 3 wire leads could be mounted elsewhere. Attach the black wire to the aftermarket replacement regulators 12 volt wire ( typically red ) with male and female spade terminals.
Use a ring terminal with toothed washer and 10-32 hex nut ( like on the amp gauge ) to attach the regulators 5 volt wire ( typically yellow ) on top of the OEM speedy nut at either temp gauge or fuel gauge. The copper trace that goes to both of these gauges conducts the 5 volts to both. Look at your pic. If you know the center is 12 volts and the right is ground, the left is 5 volts. Follow that trace to both temp and fuel gauge. And of course the regulators ground wire ( typically black ) goes to ground. You could use 3 ring terminals and force #6 sheet metal screws down into those original slots but... why risk cracking the board if you can make better connections elsewhere. Some inst' panels don't even have printed circuit boards. Instead every wire is attached where it goes. A bit of both works too.
 
Last edited:
RedFish said:
The red wire at end pin feeds the high beam indicator bulb. The black wire did feed 12 volts to the inst' voltage regulator. The 2 do share a chassis ground at that screw. The little narrow spot in the copper trace serves as a fusible link. We have seen that burned open on other boards. Some fault caused it. A failed regulator? A sender wire touching ground somewhere? Who knows?
If this was mine.. I wouldn't bother to patch the board or the loose pin. A solid state regulator package with 3 wire leads could be mounted elsewhere. Attach the black wire to the aftermarket replacement regulators 12 volt wire ( typically red ) with male and female spade terminals.
Use a ring terminal with toothed washer and 10-32 hex nut ( like on the amp gauge ) to attach the regulators 5 volt wire ( typically yellow ) on top of the OEM speedy nut at either temp gauge or fuel gauge. The copper trace that goes to both of these gauges conducts the 5 volts to both. Look at your pic. If you know the center is 12 volts and the right is ground, the left is 5 volts. Follow that trace to both temp and fuel gauge. And of course the regulators ground wire ( typically black ) goes to ground. You could use 3 ring terminals and force #6 sheet metal screws down into those original slots but... why risk cracking the board if you can make better connections elsewhere. Some inst' panels don't even have printed circuit boards. Instead every wire is attached where it goes. A bit of both works too.
Click to expand...

Ok, I thought the black wire would have been a ground. Guess not. So if you look at the attached schematic I've traced that line in green. It goes to one leg of the flasher solenoid then it just shows it running off of the page. I can only imagine why the copper trace fried. There are loose/bare wires under that dash barely tied together and a single piece of tape over them. Oh boy, I get to test my soldering skills. I understand the reasoning behind not patching the board but I'd really like to bring that back to clean.
I'm guessing I can start at the flasher solenoid and should find where things need to tie together?
66DartA schematic with green trace.jpg
 
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