Changing gauge cluster light bulbs - How To

I meant to say if mine looked like that I wouldn’t have posted this thread.

Ok. So what exactly is your point? That I need to see it while car is running? Make sure it’s grounded correctly?

I think that you should make a "bench" test, out of the car and bypassing the dimmer, with a battery or a battery charger.
Barracuda cluster.jpg
This way, you'll get the max power the bulbs can give.
If you get the same illumination than me with my '68 Valiant cluster, you'll be sure that your problem comes from a bad grounding or a defficient dimmer.