Digital Dash Swap?

[geoph1986]

I got to keep all my toes!!!!

Modern medicine is great! I had my surgery today, and a few pins and screws later, I'm all put back together (just like the million dollar man, except I didn't spend a lot of money). And the greatest part is that I got to keep all my digits attached to me! I was prepared to lose the one, but I was able to keep it. I still won't be working much on the cluster until I can do so with a clear head. I now have be given Endocet (it's like Percocet), which I will start taking tonight, once my leg becomes less numb (it's frozen from the knee down). I don't know what this would have cost me in the USA, but here in Canada, it was free of charge.

My backlight bulbs have been shipped, and when they come in, I will be fitting them into the housing. I have a friend coming by later tonight (to watch over me, while the wife is at work), and maybe I can get him to cut the new cluster face plexi. It's all marked out, so he just has to cut along the lines.

 

[NICE59FORDF100]

Glad to hear you can keep all your digits! Still waiting on dremel to come in mail so it looks like all of us are in escrow at the moment. But I promise to make some progress soon!

 

[NICE59FORDF100]

ok, finally gutted the explorer cluster with my dremel bits, a cordless drill, and pliers lol. Anyway, got it test fitted and looking to see where i want to place the display assembly...
Posted via Mobile Device

 

[Glen4X4]

Cant wait to see some finished results. Something that would like nice in a first gen would be to retrofit an electronic blend door system with an EATC.

 

[geoph1986]

Excellent, another person has taken the plunge! Post some pics of your progress for us. Yesterday was the first day since the unpleasantness, that I didn't feel like a strung out junkie, and because of that I was able to cut my new cluster face. Today I plan to remount everything. My back lighting should be here any day and once I have everything assembled, I will start on the wiring. The blue tint mod will probably be done last along with the tinting of the front of the cluster. For those who are doing the blue tint mod, you have to print your new display templates with a laser printer. An inkjet won't print properly on transparent sheets, and even if it did, the colors would run as soon as there was a bit of humidity. If this whole thing works, then I'm going to try to change the backlight color of everything else from green to blue. I also had another thought (I've had a lot of time to think lately), I'm loosing my shift indicator by doing this mod, and I've always liked floor shifters. I saw the one thread on here using a B&M shifter, but I wonder how hard it would be to take a floor shifter out of an Aerostar or a BII, and use it. What are some thoughts on this?

 

[NICE59FORDF100]

lol thats so funny you say that, cause i have an aerostar shifter sitting in my garage at this very moment for that very reason! Some trimming would be required if you look at the shifter. Ill get a pic up tonight when i get home so you can see
Posted via Mobile Device

 

[damarble]

I'm not familiar with the Aerostar shifter, but I think I read somewhere that the shift pattern is different? If it's the same it should be pretty easy, just a matter of making new linkages.

When I was younger I had an AMC Eagle, those where available with both floor and column shift during the same years, although the floor shifter was by far the most common since it was cheaper. Actually that shifter might work for you, it's pretty small and the same as found in Cherokees of the period.

 

[cybergasm]

FWIW the Aerostar shifter would work. But the cable is different at the trans end since i think it mounts upsidedown compared to the Explorer Mounting.

and the AMC eagle Floor shifter is a Ford Piece so you could probably find that same shifter in Mustang's Pinto's Etc also.

 

[geoph1986]

The reason I would swap out the shifter, is because I'm loosing my shift indicator by swapping in the digi-cluster. I have no idea what the differences are in how the shifter & linkage attach in an Explorer, Mustang, Aerostar, Pintos, AMC, etc. I also don't know which shifters "pull" and which ones "push" the trans out of park. If swapping shifters is going to be a real pain, I will live without the indicator. The only floor shifter swap I could find was this one:
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=231126

cybergasm,
What do you mean "it mounts upside down"? Do you know of a thread on an Aerostar shifter swap?

 

[NICE59FORDF100]

ok update. Tested the cluster with a fire battery and even with the basic 12v and grounds, it seems to work perfectly. While i didnt test any gauges, they all seemed to light up correctly. Interesting note: the coolant and battery icons kept blinking at me. All the message center functions seemed to work and the switch button works. Still dont know what the speed button does. And the cluster has 138000 miles on it. Here in a little bit ill upload some photos
Posted via Mobile Device

 

[NICE59FORDF100]

sorry for the image quality of the cluster. Since I couldn't find my digi camera, and all I had was my phone AND i didn't have the illumination bulbs hooked up, but here yea go :

and the floor shifter:

 

[damarble]

Interesting note: the coolant and battery icons kept blinking at me.

I'm going to guess those gauges only receive 12v in the event of a problem and blink as a warning? Under normal operation they will be unlit?

 

[NICE59FORDF100]

I assume under normal circumstances they would be lit fully and will flash if A) the readings are exceeding normal limits or B) lost connection with the device they are supposed to be reading I.E. when I tested the unit and they were not receiving a signal.

 

[MrQ]

The speed function could change the speed readout from MPH to KmPH.

 

[NICE59FORDF100]

mrq, thats what the em button does
Posted via Mobile Device

 

[arco777]

Backlighting is what's holding me up still and really bugging me. The best solution I can see at the moment without too much hassle is electroluminescent panels. I learned that a lot of cars actually have used these for dash illumination, since the 60s. Unfortunately most appear to be made for 120V (please tell me if there are some made for 12V) so they require inverters.

This is one possibility I was looking at - it is a 12"x1.25" panel with an inverter for 12V power. I think two or three of these panels might do the job though I could probably buy single panels of larger dimensions. What do you guys think, could this work? I would probably sacrifice dimming ability too, right? http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=380160977692

 

[NICE59FORDF100]

i think you would be able to retain the dimming feature with those el panels. I know this because i have a set me white face gauges that light up on my explorer and i tied them into my lb/r illumination circuit which is the dimming one. Ive had mine for damn near 5 years with no issue thus far. And geoph did you ever get an answer from the turbo bird forum about the oil pressure resistor? Oh and how did yall test the stock light bar? I cant seem to get mine to light up using the cougar cluster plugs for bench testing...
Posted via Mobile Device

 

[arco777]

i think you would be able to retain the dimming feature with those el panels. I know this because i have a set me white face gauges that light up on my explorer and i tied them into my lb/r illumination circuit which is the dimming one. Ive had mine for damn near 5 years with no issue thus far. And geoph did you ever get an answer from the turbo bird forum about the oil pressure resistor? Oh and how did yall test the stock light bar? I cant seem to get mine to light up using the cougar cluster plugs for bench testing...
Posted via Mobile Device

Do your glow gauges use an inverter?

On the light bar, mine only worked after I replaced the bulbs. They were all burnt out for some reason. Might check yours. Bulbs from the Explorer cluster and Merc cluster (grey base) will work for testing the bar, they fit but not quite as well.

 

[NICE59FORDF100]

yes they use a small inverter. And i went ahead and changed the bulbs but still no working. How did you hook up the wires though to turn them on? Im following the diagram i made but not working. Any ideas?
Posted via Mobile Device

 

[arco777]

yes they use a small inverter. And i went ahead and changed the bulbs but still no working. How did you hook up the wires though to turn them on? Im following the diagram i made but not working. Any ideas?
Posted via Mobile Device

I just connected my 13.5V power supply directly to the two pins at the end of the strip... polarity doesn't matter. If you're not getting light, check continuity for a break maybe?