Odometer Change
05-09-2015, 01:07 AM
#1
Odometer Change
Has anyone taken apart a gauge cluster on a 85 F150 and changed the odometer? I better tell the story before everyone thinks Im trying to do something illegal haha.
The gauges on my truck are super faded from being out in the sun all the time and I have a buddy who is scrapping a truck that sat in the garage its whole life. This truck is also an XLT model and mine is an XL, so this one had a tach. So I took the gauges out of it, and also stole the digital clock. Now the mileage on my truck is 127,000 original KMs but this new cluster I got has 220,000 KMs and I would like to keep my original KMs. I talked to the Ford dealership and they can ship it away to have it changed for $300 bucks, or the other option they gave me was to take it apart, roll it back and then they would verify everything and it wouldnt be illegal. The company that they ship the clusters away to said its rather simple on old clusters but I have no idea how to do it and the dealership personally hasnt done it before either. I dont want to break something on my new gauges while trying to do this. Any advice would be appreciated before I dive in.
The gauges on my truck are super faded from being out in the sun all the time and I have a buddy who is scrapping a truck that sat in the garage its whole life. This truck is also an XLT model and mine is an XL, so this one had a tach. So I took the gauges out of it, and also stole the digital clock. Now the mileage on my truck is 127,000 original KMs but this new cluster I got has 220,000 KMs and I would like to keep my original KMs. I talked to the Ford dealership and they can ship it away to have it changed for $300 bucks, or the other option they gave me was to take it apart, roll it back and then they would verify everything and it wouldnt be illegal. The company that they ship the clusters away to said its rather simple on old clusters but I have no idea how to do it and the dealership personally hasnt done it before either. I dont want to break something on my new gauges while trying to do this. Any advice would be appreciated before I dive in.
05-13-2015, 03:31 PM
#2
Pretty simple. Take the plastic clear cover off (bolts), the black trim thing under that, then pop the gauges (they just snap in) working from the 2 sides in towards the center, to the speedo, which just comes right out.
If both trucks are the same speedo (trip reset or not) you can just use your speedo and put the new face on it. You have to very carefully pull the needle off to do that and I believe there are then just a couple tiny screws holding the face to the speedo.
Try taking your faded one apart first to see how it goes.
Even if the new face has trip reset and your old speedo doesn't, it's just 2 tiny little holes and it should still exactly match yours. Maybe block the 2 little holes from behind with electrical tape or something in case there's any light that'll shine through or something.
I think I'd try going that way before spending hundreds getting a speedo rolled back and paperwork to prove it .....
What I described I did on an 87, but I think you'll find yours is pretty much the same, if not even more basic.
Only problem I had putting my existing speedo into a tach/ gauge cluster was that the one from the t/g cluster was shaved out a bit on the sides to allow more room for the gauges but a little creative work with a hot - knife and she fit perfect. You may not even run into that on your earlier model.
If both trucks are the same speedo (trip reset or not) you can just use your speedo and put the new face on it. You have to very carefully pull the needle off to do that and I believe there are then just a couple tiny screws holding the face to the speedo.
Try taking your faded one apart first to see how it goes.
Even if the new face has trip reset and your old speedo doesn't, it's just 2 tiny little holes and it should still exactly match yours. Maybe block the 2 little holes from behind with electrical tape or something in case there's any light that'll shine through or something.
I think I'd try going that way before spending hundreds getting a speedo rolled back and paperwork to prove it .....
What I described I did on an 87, but I think you'll find yours is pretty much the same, if not even more basic.
Only problem I had putting my existing speedo into a tach/ gauge cluster was that the one from the t/g cluster was shaved out a bit on the sides to allow more room for the gauges but a little creative work with a hot - knife and she fit perfect. You may not even run into that on your earlier model.
05-14-2015, 12:16 AM
#4
Actually I never even thought about doing that. Not a bad idea at all. I got as far as taking the clear plastic cover off, and then I was able to remove the tach because it is just two plastic tabs on the side. But for the speedo I wasnt sure if i could just pull it out or what. But if it snaps in there I guess I just yank on it and hope for the best haha. Will try on the old cluster first for sure.
It was funny when I went to pull the tach out the pointer fell off and then I was freaking out that I broke it ha. It wouldnt sit back at 0 but I seem to have got it working again, at least I hope i do.
It was funny when I went to pull the tach out the pointer fell off and then I was freaking out that I broke it ha. It wouldnt sit back at 0 but I seem to have got it working again, at least I hope i do.