I have cheap access to a gauge cluster from a 1988 F-150, it is the same as my '87 gauge cluster save that it has a higher speedometer and a tach on it (hence wanting to exchange). My question is will this cluster from the '88 transfer over to my '87 F-150, and if so how do you do it?

Thanks again, you guys are great!

 

It may swap directly, but some of them have an "Inferred Mileage / Extended Useful Life" module on them that your truck may not be wired for. Get a Haynes manual (PN 36058) and do some research.

 

you might get lucky. I did! swaped a 86 cluster with trip meter and tach into my 83 its cluster was graying and had no tach. and tach even seems to be pretty close even though the 86 was a 302 and the 83 is a strait 6. funny the wiring for the tach was there but it wasnt in the cluster. only real modification was electrical tape over the "PRNDL" the 86 was auto and the 83 is standard.
goodluck!

 

The '80-86 cluster & dash wiring are very different from '87-91s'. You can remove the PRNDL from the cluster and put in the blank from your original '83 if you want it to look cleaner. The dash wiring is set up for the engine you have, which is why the tach works right.