Currently the gauge cluster in my 76 has the warning lights for the alt and oil. I want to switch to one with all gauges. Does anyone know if I can just replace the PC board and cluster housing with the ones correct for gauges, add gauges and plug in my existing wiring harness? Im going to get all new gauges and sending units, except for the fuel sender. I'm wondering if the existing harness will be able to operate the gauges instead of just turning on a light. I think the PC board does all the work as far as that goes but want to be sure before ordering the parts. Anyone who has some Intel on this situation please let me know.
Thank you.

 

I just read a writeup on that very topic the other day on the oldfordcrewcab electrical forum. Here's the link.
partial gauge to full gauge swap (patchwork) - Old Ford Crew Cab Community

 

The simple answer is no, you can't just swap the instrument cluster. The main wiring harness is specific to either lights or gauges, the alternator wiring harness is also specific, you will need to change both and they will need to be year specific also. That's one area Ford liked to mess around with. The harnesses changed year to year and sometimes within the year Ford made changes.
The ammeter Ford used is a shunt style, not a direct reading type. There is a shunt in the alternator harness that measures the load and then the ammeter translates this into a reading.
The plug in the main harness that plugs into the cluster is also different and doesn't interchange. The warning light version has 14 spaces for terminals, the gauge version has 18 spaces.

 

Ok. I dont think I want to get into changing wiring harnesses. Right now I'm in the process of taking everything out so that I can take the dash out and paint it. While the dash is out I'm going to rework the rats nest of wiring that one of the previous owners put together and install my new radio as well as some other behind the dash dodads. What Ill probably do is get all the lights and gauges working correctly (they're not right now) then run an aftermarket mechanical gauge for the oil and aftermarket ammeter. If anyone has any other suggestions I'm wide open. I really wanted a full gauge dash cluster but sometimes it just don't go the way you want. Also if anyone has a good spot they know of to mount a 2 piece aftermarket gauge cluster in an A/C truck I would appreciate those suggestions as well.

 

 

To be honest, unless you're going for a restoration, Ford gauges aren't worth the trouble, in particular the ammeter.
Even when new, the ammeter rarely worked correctly. It was so bad that Ford actually issued several TSBs (technical service bulletins) on the subject. Even a cheap aftermarket gauge is better than the stock ammeter.

 

Same instrument cluster and printed circuit board with optional oil & amp gauges:

1976/79 F100/350; 1976/91 Econoline; 1978/79 Bronco.

The instrument cluster backs used on 1975/79 F100/350; 1975/80 Econoline; 1978/79 Bronco were made from a composition material that can TURN TO DUST before your very eyes!

1981: FoMoCo came out with hard plastic cluster backs for Econolines. These were also the "service part replacements" for the POS cluster backs.

Some of the original 1975/80 cluster backs were replaced with these hard plastic cluster backs, but some were not.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E1PZ-10848-A .. Hard Plastic Cluster Back-Use with Oil/Amp GAUGES / Obsolete ~ Some are available NOS

1981/91 Econoline. Retrofit: 1975/79 F100/350; 1975/80 Econoline; 1978/79 Bronco.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E1PZ-10848-B .. Hard Plastic Cluster Back-Use with Oil/Amp WARNING LAMPS / Obsolete ~ Some are available NOS

1981/86 Econoline. Retrofit: 1975/79 F100/350; 1975/80 Econoline; 1978/79 Bronco.

 

So Bill if I'm understanding what you're saying they replaced the two different clusters and boards with a "universal" one that would do the job of either depending only on wether gauges or lamps were present? And the wiring harness for the lamps would operate the PC board for gauges?

 

No, that's not what he's saying. What he's saying is the same instrument cluster and printed circuit board with oil & amp gauges are used on the "1976/79 F100/350; 1976/91 Econoline; 1978/79 Bronco", 73-75 used different pc boards.
The warning light pc board is different.

 

Just wishful thinking. It's no biggie. I'm just going to restore the lamp cluster and hook up some mechanical gauges. I was just hoping that I was reading something o knew I wasnt.

 

Does anyone know where I can get replacement tinted widows for the warning lights in the cluster?

 

Does anybody whow where to find this link that no longer works?

 

You can swap idiot light to gauge cluster but you need to know a few things;
1. the year of the existing harness in the truck( because you need to know with 100% certainty, the pinouts/functions of the existing cluster connector wires
2. the year of the gauge cluster/circuit board you want to use; because you need to know with 100% certainty, the pinouts/functions of the new gauge cluster connector
3. a 18 pin connector for a gauge cluster because idiot light and gauge cluster connectors are different
4. oil pressure sending unit
5. an ammeter that has been converted to a voltmeter( Rocketman does this conversion)
6. wiring diagram from your year truck
7. wiring diagram from the gauge cluster you want to install

Basically you are unpinning your existing idiot light cluster connector and re-pinning it as a gauge cluster connector.
You will need to run two new wires for the Rocket man voltmeter conversion (12v+ and a ground into the correct gauge cluster locations because your existing harness does not have these two wires.
Most important is you need to rewire the existing ammeter idiot warning light wires into the new seatbelt warning light location on your gauge cluster.
You cannot abandon the old ammeter idiot warning light wires(because you now have a voltmeter)- your charging system needs these to work properly.

sound more complex than what it really is...
Tbruz


Try this link .https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...onnectors.html

 

I’ve been reading this thread and others like it for knowledge. I now have a question. I picked up a 79 F350 4x4, regular cab, 400 auto, dual tanks that I’m restoring. It came with the idiot lights and would prefer the full gauge instrument cluster. 30 years ago I had a 78 F250 4x4, regular cab, 351 auto, dual tanks. It had the full gauge instrument cluster. Life got in the way and to keep this short, I gave the truck away to my co-worker/buddy who was storing it for me. Work closed and we haven’t seen each other until recently. It ends up that he parted out my old truck and still has quite a few parts from it, including the instrument cluster and wiring harness. My question is this, will switching the instrument cluster and under dash harness that was with it from the 78 work in my 79? Will I need the engine compartment harness as well? That I don’t know if he has or not.

 

I’ve come up with another somewhat related question. I was on YouTube yesterday watching a couple videos related to this topic. Two people had there instrument clusters taken apart to change gauges. While it was apart, they both cleaned the face of the speedometer while it was apart. Both had the black background with white lettering. Now neither one mentioned what they used to clean it, but both of them made it worse. It was like whatever they used ate the lettering and smeared all over the black. It wasn’t terrible, but both gauges now had a white fog over them. Has anybody experienced this, heard of it, or had better success then these two people had?