Anyone sent their gauge cluster to get restored?

[zackw]

I'm fed up of fiddling with my instrument cluster. I replaced my fuel sending unit, now the regulator is out. Replaced speedo cable and the needle starts squealing (bad plastic bushing) and so on...

I'm seeing a few sites that offer cluster restorations with varying prices but they're all old sites with no way to check reviews. Anyone used one of these services? It's a tempting idea to send my cluster out just once and get it back with everything in working order and looking nice for the foreseeable future.

My car is a 70 Swinger with the horizontal speedo which limits options somewhat

 

[Darter6]

I've used Red Line Gauge Works for over 20 years now.Very happy with them.They do stock and modify work. Shannon Hudson is the owner.21 years ago he did my 71 Duster with a carbon fiber look background for the speedo to match Autometer gauges we were using at the time.

 

[zackw]

Thanks. What is Red Line's turnaround like? After further research I was thinking of giving Shannon a call today. It's between that and John Manush/2K Inc, but I've read some mixed reviews about the guy on here.

 

[Darter6]

You will find he is really booked and may want 90 days. But you never know, it's best to give him a call as you have stated.There are several other companies out there but he is the only guy I've used, so they are all I know.

 

[RedFish]

I'll admit that I haven't seen it all. I've never seen a speedometer with a plastic bushing in it. Forces applied by the cable is what wears/kills speedometers. When replacing the cable, the square input port should be thoroughly cleaned and cable should be routed into it as straight as possible. That could be all it needs.
Failed mechanical voltage limiter can be replaced with modern solid state regulator from RTE. Any gauge service company would do that. You could do that too.
You said "looking nice" so I'll assume you are referring to the plastic bezel.
Restoring instruments is totally different from restoring bezels. Gauge service companies that do offer bezel restore actually farm that work out to a company that does that kind of service. That's where the extended turn around time comes from. Your ready to go instruments would lay there waiting for the restored bezel to be returned.
I don't know for a fact that Red Line doesn't have equipment to do vacuum metalizing chrome on plastics, does detail painting, everything in house... Maybe they do.
The more common "method to the madness" is or was to send speedometer or whatever instruments need repair to that type business and send the bezel to that type business. Put it all back together at home. Probably the faster and least expensive route. The downside is the limited number of plastics restore services there are today. Fifteen years ago there were at least ten scattered across the country. New reproduction parts, arm rest bases, inst' bezels, etc.. from China, along with EPA regulations put most of them out of business.
I know of one, I wont name here, that does vintage toy restorations and can do instrument bezels and other car parts but.. They wont allow the average joe to send anything auto related to them. They are under contract with one or more of those gauge service companies.
Good luck with it either way you go.

 

[zackw]

RedFish... thanks for the insight. I was told it was a bad bushing and ran with it!! Shows how much I really know...

I think you are right, no point sending the gauge and bezels to one place only to have the work split up. I believe GCAR in Washington state does rechroming, bezel restoration etc, even today? That's what I'm thinking of going with right now. Here is the link: Home

As for "looking nice," I spoke to Redline and they do restore the gauge faces, lens and cluster body, but altogether the package sure isn't cheap. They told me the speedo needs to be rebuilt if it's making noise, are you still thinking it's the cable? I ask this because installed a new cable with care, but it still bounces and squeals very loudly.

In the end, I am sure I could replace the voltage regulator and service the gauges myself. In this case, since my Dart is my daily driver, I'd really like to have the instrumentation operating as accurately as possible. I think by the time I was able to source all the right parts and rebuild the circuit boards and possibly recalibrate gauges, Redline would be finished with my gauges and probably have done a better job, covered by warranty... and I just want the car back on the road ASAP... plenty of other work to do while I wait.

If anyone is curious the price they quoted was about $1k to rebuild all the gauges, paint the needles and clearcoat the faces, polish the lens, replace the guts of the ammeter gauge with a voltmeter, and rebuild the speedo. Seems high to me but you have to reach deep in your pocket to get good work imo. Maybe I can ask Shannon for a FABO discount?? Lol

 

[RedFish]

When a speedometer is new the fitment is so tight that no amount of cable pressure would cause erratic or noisy operation initially. Pressure from cable causes wear and subsequent issues. In some cases relieving cable pressure can get proper operation for a few more years. I can't know how much wear is in yours.
Speedometer restore alone will go 200 and up. There are some tiny naval bronze bushing in them. Inventories of good used parts are surely depleted today. If they don't have machinery to make those parts they have them made, probably in lots/runs of 100 pieces. I shutter to think what that costs.
Not much to the thermal gauges (fuel and temp'). The heat is their enemy so a full tank of fuel and how it responds every time the switch is cycled is shortening the life of the fuel gauge. I would expect it to need renew. On the other hand, your temp gauge may need no more than bench test calibration check, screen cleaning, and needle paint.
If you do buy into the amp gauge to volt gauge conversion, you will have some rewiring to do on your end, in the car, because they are totally different in how they connect to a circuit. I suppose Red Line/whoever would provide guidance in that.