Wait a minute....

Physically, the 1980 cluster and, say, a 1984 cluster are the same, correct? The cluster shell that all the gauges mount to is the same. Only the circuit film is different.

So technically, couldn't you just swap in a tach from a later truck and hard-wire it in?

I can understand if you'd want to keep it appearing as-stock, but otherwise....

Just got me thinking.

 

so just the circuit paper and the tachometer itself. i don't need to get the entire cluster?

 

Correct, so long as you have gauges and not idiot lights.

 

haha, i don't need the idiot lights. i don't really even need the tach, just think it would be cool and want just a plain stock tach cause i honestly think it would look better then the blank one. plus mine has gauges not lights

 

A full cluster is the easiest way to go. After 25-30 years, those printed curcuits can be rather brittle and break much easier than one would think.
But yeah, a person can just swap in the tach, and either wire it seperately or add the correct color printed curcuit.

 

anyone know where i can buy the tach and the circuit paper other than a junk yard?

 

Circuit board:
LMC Truck Parts - Page 34

Gauges:
LMC Truck Parts - Page 37

 

yeah, junk yard here i came lol

 

Hmmm, I didn't realize coloring the needles with an orange sharpie meant they'd show up black at night. But flourescent will keep them orange.

Where could I get the orange? I'd prefer something small and easy like nailpolish type with the brush.

 

Model Kit Paint.

Testors makes a variety of colors.

They also make marker pens.

 

These days, it wouldn't surprise me to find florocent orange nail polish available at wally world. Actually, it would surprise me more that I was inside the wally world to begin with.......

 

My sharpied needles show up just fine at night.

 

It depends on the color of the sharpie, and the color of the light you are using.

As Example, Red Paint, with green light, the red paint will not show and look black. This is because the red paint absorbs all colors except Red and will reflect only red light. Red paint with red light will show up well. Red paint with white light will show up well, because white light has red light in it. Green light has no red light in it, Red paint absorbs green light, therfore it makes the red paint look black.

Fluorecent colors give off energy from any light source, including light sources our eyes cannot see. This is how Blacklight paintings work, and how white paper can glow under a blacklight. Blacklights are in reality ultraviolet light, a light we cannot see.

Fluorecent Red still absorbs the green light, however the fluorecense glows from the energy absorbed. Why fluorecent colors can be seen with any light source and color.

Now thinking about this, if you could get blacklight 194/168 type bulbs, then with the fluorecent needles, and the white letters, that should in theory make the gauges glow and pop out at you simular but not quite like a neon sign, or blacklight painting. Not sure if they make any blacklights in that size but seeing it in my minds eye, it would be really cool if they did.

 

Did someone mention UV 194's

194 black light bulbs at TheFind - Search, discover and compare prices

Here ya go

 

Cool, thanks!

I wonder what's up with the $1,000,000 price tags, though.....