Ok need some help with my new cluster please?

Author Topic: Ok need some help with my new cluster please?  (Read 3525 times)

Offline bb71challenger

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Re: Ok need some help with my new cluster please?
« Reply #15 on: December 23, 2008 - 06:50:34 PM »
What you got back looks correct to me. I would rather the voltage gauge be secured with the strap and speed nuts but if thats the only way to secure it then oh well. No one is ever going to see the back of it anyway. I dont mind the numbers on the volt gauge, the only way you would be able to use the gauge with the same face as the amp gauge is if they sent you some sort of decipher note for the lines to tell what the voltage would be. I think it looks good. The red on the gauges you had before is definitely someones bright idea sometime in the past. No telling what some guy might do with lots of time on his hands and a buzz on. At one time I wanted to modify my 'Cuda rallye cluster so that the lightbar used blacklights lol. What a crazy idea.
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Offline quapman

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Re: Ok need some help with my new cluster please?
« Reply #16 on: December 23, 2008 - 07:10:23 PM »
The high numbers on the tach look a little pale, but it might be from the camera flash. They should be flourescent orange. Most of the repro gauge face decal suppliers get this WRONG and make them too red or dark orange. (ie: PCG's are good quality, but bad colors.)  I checked your guys' website and their pic looks a bit pale, too, but these are silk-screened, yes? If so, this is much higher quality than a decal. The Auto Instruments example from thedodgeboys is WAY too dark red.

The red on the Oil and Temp in the before pics are way wrong. Interesting, but wrong...LOL.

I really like the idea of a Volt meter and that one looks nice from the front, but it reads backwards (High nubers should be on the right!) and that globbed up solder mess on the back is a little scary. It looks like both terminals are shorted together. My guess is that they retrofitted a gauge that would normally be installed 180 from what's in your cluster. Its "normal" orientation would be UP, thereby reversing the normal positions of the numbers.

$895 is a lotta hard earned dead presidents.

Steve
« Last Edit: December 23, 2008 - 07:21:47 PM by quapman »
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Offline thedodgeboys

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Re: Ok need some help with my new cluster please?
« Reply #17 on: December 23, 2008 - 09:19:17 PM »
The redline is a little light to me also, as if they duplicated the faded out ones.

Yes silk-screened, quapman

The voltmeter is ok forward backwards is no big deal as long as it moves to show life.

If someone did the red on the gauge, they sure did a neat job it looks factory not freehand.
Barry thinks Chrysler used different vendors and that may be the difference in colors on the tach not sure about the temperature and oil gauges.
Its a  :pullinghair: I guess the deal is that’s what I had so that’s what I expected to get back, I think  the red is correct for my car and the history as I know of its existence for the last 20 years.
Besides, it’s gone now…

Its frustrating to not get what you think you are paying for like shipping for $25.00 and the sticker on the reused box says $12.00 and no tracking number.

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Offline thedodgeboys

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Re: Ok need some help with my new cluster please?
« Reply #18 on: December 23, 2008 - 09:29:52 PM »
Send it to me I'll even pay for the shipping... :icon16:

Tom :naughty:

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Offline bb71challenger

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Re: Ok need some help with my new cluster please?
« Reply #19 on: December 23, 2008 - 11:13:25 PM »
Uh unless I was on the moon for a while there have never been gauges painted like that. Someone had a big line of meth way back in the 80's and had a long night to kill lol. I would be willing to bet good money,(is there any other kind?) that someone modified those gauges.
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Offline MEK-Dangerfield

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Re: Ok need some help with my new cluster please?
« Reply #20 on: December 24, 2008 - 04:26:24 AM »
Your restored gauges look fine to me. The only small beef I have is with the voltmeter. I think the 8 and 18 should be switched. In other words, gauge needles moving to the left are usually a bad thing. It's like the gauge was built backward.    :2cents:


  Mike

Mike

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Offline RusTy/SE

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Re: Ok need some help with my new cluster please?
« Reply #21 on: December 24, 2008 - 08:10:39 AM »
These are my originals. Have you asked Instrument Specialties about the differences?
« Last Edit: December 24, 2008 - 08:18:04 AM by onefornow »
Russ
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Restoration thread: http://www.cuda-challenger.com/cc/index.php?topic=27173.0
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Offline Moparal

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Re: Ok need some help with my new cluster please?
« Reply #22 on: December 24, 2008 - 09:13:59 AM »
Looks like if you opt for the volt meter, it is not removeable if it ever goes bad?  Or maybe you would have to melt the solder to get it off the back first then remove n replace?  They must have a reason for doing the volt meter this way.

Offline thedodgeboys

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Re: Ok need some help with my new cluster please?
« Reply #23 on: December 24, 2008 - 09:29:25 AM »
Its actually epoxy to hold it in place I guess its not a bolt in style after its moded I would have used a pop rivet or something not so ugly.
I am going to open it up and have a look see inside later today.
It will be fine I just was shocked it didn’t match what I sent in. As far as the face is concerned I am sure the part will work out great.

I will call they guy next week I dont want to get him all worked up on Christmas.
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Offline 706pkVert

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Re: Ok need some help with my new cluster please?
« Reply #24 on: December 24, 2008 - 11:30:19 AM »
Hi Scott,

You can ask us any questions you like, you're not going to get me worked up. 1st off, every box that size I ship out has been running $20-30, why yours was $12 beats me, in any case, I will refund you the difference on the shipping costs.

2nd, the colors on your cluster when it arrived to me were totally wrong. Someone at some point touched up the redline and the oil & temp dials with a marker in that bright red color. Your cluster was restored using our factory exact process, the orange line is 100% correct. Additionally, our ink formulas are one and the same used by Chrysler.  (When photographed, the orange line will look pale, this is the case every time I photo them as well.)

The volt meter conversion was an extra cost option you requested. Normally we also re-face the badge to read "Volts" but you did not want this done and in turn we reduced the cost even further for you. The conversion uses a high quality VDO brand core and because this is a modification of the original cluster, there are limitiations as far as mounting goes. Spacing is crucial and we have found that using a high quality epoxy, we can install these cores to the required specs perfectly. If anyone has other ideas we are certainly receptive but saying and doing are two different things.

Because of the location of the amp gauge in the cluster and the original needle orientation, we are forced to mount the volt core upside down, there is no reverse reading volt core I am aware of as an alternative and as a result the scale reads 18-8 from left to right. I have never had any complaints about this.

I warranty all the clusters we work on and I'd ask that you just install and admire. You can be confident your cluster is totally correct to OE standards less the volt conversion and even that we used factory fonts for the numerals. All mechanical work is top notch and backed by warranty.

Feel free to call anytime if you have other questions.

Sincerely,
Michael L. Mancini
Owner
Instrument Specialties

Offline Katfish

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Re: Ok need some help with my new cluster please?
« Reply #25 on: December 24, 2008 - 12:44:33 PM »
I think it looks great, i'd put it in and enjoy.  Those red markings on the other gauges is definitely not factory.

I'd like to get my cluster redone, but it's hard to pay almost $1k for a car that's only worth $15k.

Offline thedodgeboys

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Re: Ok need some help with my new cluster please?
« Reply #26 on: December 24, 2008 - 01:30:23 PM »
2nd, the colors on your cluster when it arrived to me were totally wrong. Someone at some point touched up the redline and the oil & temp dials with a marker in that bright red color. Your cluster was restored using our factory exact process, the orange line is 100% correct. Additionally, our ink formulas are one and the same used by Chrysler.  (When photographed, the orange line will look pale, this is the case every time I photo them as well.)      That may very well be I have checked with a lot of people and they all agree that it’s not factory so I must be wrong about the oil and temp there is some question a bout the tach however but from what I have learned from others in the field of knowledge we will never know.

The volt meter conversion was an extra cost option you requested. Normally we also re-face the badge to read "Volts" but you did not want this done and in turn we reduced the cost even further for you. The conversion uses a high quality VDO brand core and because this is a modification of the original cluster, there are limitiations as far as mounting goes. Spacing is crucial and we have found that using a high quality epoxy, we can install these cores to the required specs perfectly. If anyone has other ideas we are certainly receptive but saying and doing are two different things. I am happy with the Volt face I thought it would be unchanged as we discussed on the phone meaning no numbers or added marking as well as the label above the gauge but I can live with that, the scale doesn’t bother me. I was worried about the epoxy looking stuff but on the back but like you said that’s the way it is and no one will see it.

Because of the location of the amp gauge in the cluster and the original needle orientation, we are forced to mount the volt core upside down, there is no reverse reading volt core I am aware of as an alternative and as a result the scale reads 18-8 from left to right. I have never had any complaints about this. I have none as well I didn’t think anything of it reading right to left I was surprised it had numbers at all. And thanks for matching the font that’s a nice touch.

I warranty all the clusters we work on and I'd ask that you just install and admire. You can be confident your cluster is totally correct to OE standards less the volt conversion and even that we used factory fonts for the numerals. All mechanical work is top notch and backed by warranty. I will test it out over the weekend and get back to you good or bad info.
On a side note maybe a little written information would be helpful inside the box about the modifications or changes made to the cluster, Just a thought like how to wire the new volt gauge, bypassing the old amp wiring tach or clock adjustments if necessary.



Thanks for your input and concern it shows you care about what you do.      :2thumbs:
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Offline quapman

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Re: Ok need some help with my new cluster please?
« Reply #27 on: December 24, 2008 - 01:42:47 PM »
Epoxy......ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Disregard previous comment about scary appearance. I DO like the idea of a voltmeter instead of the main power running through the cluster.

We'll be waiting anxiously for the results after the installation.

Merry Festivus!

Steve
My name is Steve and I'm addicted to Challengers...