Metric 79-89 Ford cluster

[kishy]

While it is true that a) I do not have the car yet and b) I do not yet know if I'll keep it once I have it, I'm throwing out a request for a Canadian (KM/H) cluster for my upcoming '85 Country Squire. Reasoning being that it's very easily one of those "you should have asked last week, I just threw one out" items.

I am not super concerned about it having the right configuration of warning lights (e.g. later year with a CEL would be acceptable). If I have to re-pin the connector, so be it. I'm not 100% sure the cluster is a direct swap all the way from 79-89 so if you have any input on that I'll appreciate it. I would like it to be from a 6-digit-odometer year hopefully, which I believe is 84+ for Canadian clusters.

I'm located in Windsor, Ontario and have a Detroit shipping address as well if the seller happens to be in the US. Will pay by PayPal.

Thanks folks

[VicCrownVic]

A couple of years ago I saw a Canadian box CV cluster at PG on 8 mile. I also saw a Canadian whale panther recently (don't remember which yard). So keep your eyes peeled since Canadian cars do pop up around Detroit JYs. It will be a VERY long shot but, you never know, another one could pop up.

[kishy]

A couple of years ago I saw a Canadian box CV cluster at PG on 8 mile. I also saw a Canadian whale panther recently (don't remember which yard). So keep your eyes peeled since Canadian cars do pop up around Detroit JYs. It will be a VERY long shot but, you never know, another one could pop up.

I see the occasional Canadian car over there, but not common, for sure.

Annoyingly, the local yard near me that went under HAD the cluster I needed, in a dash removed from a car sitting in the back seat of a Chevy Astro. It had been stripped from a derby car. But it's all been crushed now.

[Kodachrome Wolf]

I've seen some on eBay, but occasionally they're from the dude wanting mad money for NOS clusters. Occasionally reasonable ones pop up, though.

[DerekTheGreat]

Seems everyone on eBay wants mad money for their stuff.

Trying to find a Fender for my Mark VII and some dude wanted $180 for one with no trim or the fender liner, didn't even include shipping. Meanwhile I've got a rust free one with trim that I can't even sell locally for $40. I simply removed the ad and up in the rafters it went.

[Tiggie]

http://m.ebay.com/itm/1979-FORD-NOS-LTD-500-kl-h-mph-SPEEDOMETER-ASSEMBLY-D9AZ-17255-G-NIB-EC1B-/332314776657?epid=1511224716&hash=item4d5f811451%3Ag%3ANIgAAOSwkaZZc5CY&_trkparms=pageci%253A86b83295-6f1e-11e7-8ae2-74dbd1807125%257Cparentrq%253A6c0b240515d0a9e468073957fffaed51%257Ciid%253A1

The cool 79-81 version. Got the places for the optional lights at the bottom; does your wagon have low fuel/check oil lights?

[kishy]

http://m.ebay.com/itm/1979-FORD-NOS-...%257Ciid%253A1

The cool 79-81 version. Got the places for the optional lights at the bottom; does your wagon have low fuel/check oil lights?

Good find...more than I want to pay but I might try for it anyway.

I know it has the check oil light, not 100% sure on the low fuel, but even if it doesn't I could rip apart a junkyard MPH cluster and hack something together.

Unfortunately I'll still need to track down a metric odometer, not sure if maybe a 6-digit US odometer can be used. I haven't taken apart a pre-90 cluster to see how the odometer is driven. 90+ it's driven by an electric motor.

[Kodachrome Wolf]

Pre-'90 ones are mechanically driven and are combined with the speedometer. I have no idea how hard it would be to disassemble that to swap in a 6-digit setup.

[kishy]

Canadian clusters 84-up are 6 digits. Since a km is shorter than a mile, you accrue km faster, so obviously someone realized a metric odometer with only 5 digits is of marginal usefulness.

American clusters...I have no idea when it switched, but I think I've seen 90-91 with 5 digit still so maybe that idea is out.

My concern is I could buy this, rebuild my existing cluster with it to make it a kmh cluster, but I'm still going to need a metric odometer. This leaves me in a similar spot to where I am now, I'll basically need a whole cluster to take apart for the odometer, and find myself wondering why I didn't hold out for a whole cluster to begin with.

[Kodachrome Wolf]

American clusters did not receive a 6 digit odometer until 1993. Folks with a '90-'91 LTD or '90-'92 GMQ can use a '93-'94 GMQ 6-digit odometer if they wanted to drop the 5 digit one. I have a 6 digit one in my police speedometer.

The earlier '79-'87 ones were 5 digit ones, however, I have seen '79-'87 Grand Marquis clusters that did not have a trip odometer. Those had a 5 digit odometer with the tenths position visible, so technically a 6 digit odometer could be fitted in one of those assuming the fitment was the same and the tenths position would be dropped. The trip odometer fitted ones do not display the tenths position.

[kishy]

The earlier '79-'87 ones were 5 digit ones, however, I have seen '79-'87 Grand Marquis clusters that did not have a trip odometer. Those had a 5 digit odometer with the tenths position visible, so technically a 6 digit odometer could be fitted in one of those assuming the fitment was the same and the tenths position would be dropped. The trip odometer fitted ones do not display the tenths position.

Aha! I knew I'd seen a "6 digit" American box cluster. The last digit just isn't usable for my purposes.

Unfortunately, I don't think there's any way to mish-mash the parts together so I can use an American "6 digit odometer" (that I can get my hands on easily, vs the Canadian one - look at a map of my location to see why) to complete a Canadian cluster.

[sly]

it's actually as easy as knocking the rod that the numbers sit on out and re-installing it all. The 5-digit setups are wider per number and the 6-digit are thinner. All together, they are the same length.

[kishy]

it's actually as easy as knocking the rod that the numbers sit on out and re-installing it all. The 5-digit setups are wider per number and the 6-digit are thinner. All together, they are the same length.

That's handy to know. So my existing MPH odometer assembly can be rebuilt with the new numbers and it'll spin at the correct rate for whatever speedometer is installed?
(e.g. MPH speedo, odo will count in miles, KMH speedo, odo will count in km)

Buuuuuut. I just looked at the ebay item again and I'm a dummy. The odometer is included. I was looking at the hole for the PRND1 and thinking the odometer went there. Whoops.

[GM_Guy]

I've got a civillian 1989 crown vic cluster. I bought it at Coreys a few years ago. Usual ear broken off the column clamp. w/Trip odometer. PM for further details if interested, keeping in mind where I got it which'll give you a ballpark price if you know the place.

Alex.

[kishy]

I've got a civillian 1989 crown vic cluster. I bought it at Coreys a few years ago. Usual ear broken off the column clamp. w/Trip odometer. PM for further details if interested, keeping in mind where I got it which'll give you a ballpark price if you know the place.

Alex.

Well, after concluding that the odometer business would not be an issue (because I'm oblivious to things I can clearly see right in front of me), I did bid on the ebay listing. It's very pricey though by my standards given that I'm used to $20 instrument clusters locally. If literally anyone else wants it, I will lose, because I'm just not going to pay that much for it. It's already too much lol.

I'm not familiar with Corey's, with the plethora of American junkyards in closer proximity to me than Canadian ones I've never spent much time in the ones on this side other than one which has closed up shop.

I'll shoot you a PM if I lose the auction, it had 4 days and change left on it.