Speedo help

[COLOR="DarkGreen"The patient is my '72 Duster: I cant remember if the speedo was working, but I seem to think it was. but, its definitely not now. I looked up the best I could and saw the cable end is OUT of the speedo gauge-thinking I only needed to plug it back! didnt happen. I again did my best to plug it in, but as anyone who has fought these cables under the dash knows, its NOT EASY. Anyway, I cannot feel a click like when the clip slides over the ring/groove on the gauge housing. But, my next idea is to pull the instrument panel and try to see why the cable will not insert. Can I hook up the cable with the instrument panel pulled out slightly?
ANY AND ALL IDEAS will be appreciated! PS: I didnt feel the end of the cable, so I guess its possible its broken, should I check this first? How?

George in Tallahassee[/COLOR]