I got a buyer for my 1993 FD using bringatrailer.com. The buyer was going to buy using just the online ad, but I convinced him to have it inspected. As we were getting the inspection scheduled the rotary gods struck.. When I started the car to move it to do a final cleanup, the tachometer and speedometer stopped working. Rats. So....... I can't sell the car as is with broken gauges. Approx $500 for my local technician to remove the gauge pod and $664.99 to have the gauges rebuilt at Atlanta Speedometer. A delay of about two weeks. This is on a car where everything worked. I am going to learn how to swear in Japanese.

 

That sucks!

FYI, removing the gauge cluster as a DIY job isn't all that difficult, though there's always a risk of breaking plastic tabs & such that your local technician is going to experience as well. So I'd make it clear to him that the cost of replacement parts due to any incidental destruction done during the remove & reinstall process is on him - get that in writing.

Also FYI once you get the cluster out - reach out to Michael Gagne on Facebook, he's probably the best guy out there for restoration & repair of FD gauge clusters, and he can probably do the job for a lot less $$$ than what Atlanta speedometer wants. Only catch is he's based in Canada, so shipping to/from him might be pricey and may take longer than the Atlanta shop, though he typically turns around a cluster repair job quickly (in a day or two).

 

That's not the rotary gods - that's Murphy's law. That frickin bum is always popping up at the worst moments.

 

Check you Instrument and dash harness related grounds. Sometimes these can affect your cluster function.

Canada Post is on strike.

 

Remember when removing the gauge hood, cluster surround combination, pull the unit straight toward you as you sit in the drivers seat. This will disengage from the three clips in the back. Any up flex or tilt as you pull will, in most cases, cause the hood to crack. Budget $400 to replace it, if it does..

Study the underside of someone's hood that has already been removed, to understand how the clips work.