Eric,
Now that I read your post again, I have a little more to add. The little rubber
blocks are spacers and insulators for the plastic lens that contains the
numbers for the speedometer. I believe that they also hold the EL lighting
tubes (that light that same lens) in place as you suggest.
The thin piece of rubber tubing doesn't sound familiar, although it may be an
insulator for the wires to those same EL tubes inside the cast metal housing to
keep them from grounding out. My comments about the vacuum hose to the brake
release were in response to something I saw in someone elses post about this
topic. I am sure that you would have noticed if the brake release hose had come
off.
Mikey with the '62 described everything that I know about the red wires to a
tee. I would be happy to yank my cluster and tell you anything that you need to
know, but I am waiting for a new speedomoter cable before I do that again since
I damaged mine the last time I had the cluster out (or maybe it was already
damaged) and had one H of a time getting the speedomter to work again after
reassembly. The red wires with the eye connectors go to the ammeter posts, and
the red wire with the plug goes to the voltage input for the power to the
gauges on the temperature gauge or the by pass regulator if you have one. All
of the wires for the EL are white with red connectors, and there is a black
jumper wire from the temprature gauge to the power side of each of the others.
The sending unit wires are gray and purple.
Paul
In a message dated 12/28/2003 4:06:36 PM Eastern Standard Time, RandalPark
writes:
>
>
> I will write more later after I read your post a few more times, but I found
>a similar condensor behind the the cluster in my '63 also. It wasn't connected
>to anything so I removed it and put it in the glove compartment. I have had
>ten or more of those apart and never run across that part before. Mine was
>mounted the same way as yours. I have added a separate voltage regulator and
>by passed the one on the temprature gauge since it goes bad suddenly and frys
>the gauges. I had guessed that the condensor that you described was used to
>somehow remedy the bad built in voltage regulator but I don't know. I can
>report that all instruments and clock are working perfectly without it.
>
> Paul
>
> In a message dated 12/28/2003 12:07:32 AM Eastern Standard Time,
>gearhead@xxxxxxxxxxx writes:
>
> >
> >
> > Ah, the wonderment of figuring out what some past person has done, an
> > automotive CSI in the making here. I removed the instrument cluster in my
> > recently acquired '63 Crown Four-Door to find a couple of unusual items.
> >
> > There is a condenser shaped and sized device that was in a holder that was
> > mounted behind the right nut holding the clock in. This condenser has a
> > black female connector on the end of it. The FSM instrument cluster page
> > doesn't come thru very clearly, but I don't show mention of any condenser to
> > the temp gauge. I'm picturing this condenser connecting to the dual tanged
> > connector on the back of the temp gauge. This deduction comes from the fact
> > that there is a black wire on that 2nd tang w/what looks like a non-orig
> > connector. This apparent newly installed wire goes to nothing else, dead
> > ending w/a similar newer connector end. Is it likely someone was attempting
> > to revive a temp gauge, not realizing this condenser was unplugged?
> >
> > The wiring harness to the 2 right gauges has a red wire cut at the end of
> > the harness tape wrapping. Being the FSM instrument cluster page isn't
> > copied as clearly as the other pages, I can't quite make out where this wire
> > goes yet, still working on tracing this down. There is also a very thin
> > black strand of rubber hose in this harness that seens to be cut off. Maybe
> > this is a wire tracer?
> >
> > In a spare instrument cluster I have partially apart, there are a few small
> > rubber holders or spacers. They are small squarish blocks w/a channel thru
> > them. It looks like they could hold in the EL sticks or be a spacer of some
> > sort. Also, a rectangular strip of rubber came out of the assembly, about
> > 3/4x1''. This cluster had been apart before and these parts loose in the
> > unit, I think. This was my 1st opening of one of these, not sure where these
> > 2 different items are placed.
> >
> > I'd appreciate a word of guidence from some '61-61 instrument cluster folk
> > out there. Thank you.
> >
> > Eric
> > Portland, Or
> >
> >
> >
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