Ammeter questions

[RagTop]

My 69 vert and my son's 69 SportsRoof both have the non-tach dash. The ammeter on both cars is relatively useless. I'm used to more modern cars that actually show a move on the meter when you turn on the headlights and will wiggle slightly when the turn signals flash. As far as I know neither of these 69 ammeters has moved in the last 16 years. Do any of these gauges actually work, or is mine working but I can't see it because it's just too fast? I've never opened up the dash on any car, but I'm strongly considering it on the vert. I may want to treat myself to one of those Original Ford Tooling dash pads and I am assuming that I will gain access to the back of the dash when I do that. Thought I'd slap in a new voltage regulator and have a look at the ammeter while I'm there. BTW, I know there is a Phillips screw in the center of the pad at the windshield base and I'm assuming that the four screws under the dash at the instrument panel and glove box cove are also retaining the pad. Are there many other screws retaining the pad that I should know about before I break out the pry bar?

 

[janschutz]

I believe the ammeters never really moved much even when they were new.

 

[Anonymous]

Not Fords best design, and they have caused a number of fires. The 66 and up has a shunt and the 65 uses a induction type. The problem is there "hot" all of the time and have "NO" fuse or fusible link to protect them. Also BEFORE you can remove the cluster you will need to unhook the speedometer cable. You can pull the cluster back an inch or so to see it, but that's about it until it is unhooked. I like a voltmeter much, much better and it can be easily installed (with protection). Oh, I would say most are frozen and do not work (frozen). I'm sure you can fine an article on the net that explains how to safely un-hook these.

 

[Stokes66]

On my 66 it always read low then I put a sunpro cluster under the dash and now it reads high.


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