72 Dart: How many hours to remove speedo

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mr_incredibill

mr_incredibill

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Location
Berne (Switzerland)
Hi guys

My 'mechanic' wants to charge me 5 hours of work just to remove the speedo unit?

He had to lower the steering column, remove a few screws and some connectors....

So, if you're a 'pro', how long does that take normally?

Thanks

Sascha
 
enough chit chat
 
Last edited:
yeah you have to drop the column on a 72 dart or the instrument cluster will crack at the bottom trying to get it out.....ask me how I know
 
Loosen the column to firewall bolts, remove the column to dash bolts, remove the speedo cable connector on the back of the speedo, remove the screws to the IP, remove the nuts for the alternator guage, remove the wiring to the pins being very careful not to bend or break a pin, hold the column down and tilt the IP down from the top and remove being VERY careful with the pins, 30-45 minutes. 5 hours is insane!
 
dude , seriously, it's a 46 year old car. learn how to work on it. are you paying someone to put air in the tires too?
 
It couldn't take 2 hours. Your mechanic doesn't want to do it so he charges you 5 hours. Like stated he probably has to learn how to do it and hope that he doesn't break nothing. If you learned how to do it in or careful you would probably do it in about an hour. Like you said just the two bolts into the steering column to drop is slightly in the six screws around in your end. Start unplugging everything from the back and take it in the house. Or pay your mechanic 5 hours to learn how to take those two bolts out of the bottom of the steering column in the six screws around the cluster.
 
Since he's in Switzerland, his "mechanic" has probably never worked on an old American car and is used to modern stuff where it might take 5 hours to do the job. Original Poster - some of these guys has given some great advice and even offered to talk you through it (thanks @RedFish). Take them up on it and save yourself a bunch of money. Are you a member of an American car clubs there in Switzerland - another resource to take advantage of.
 
65 Dartman said:
Since he's in Switzerland, his "mechanic" has probably never worked on an old American car and is used to modern stuff where it might take 5 hours to do the job. Original Poster - some of these guys has given some great advice and even offered to talk you through it (thanks @RedFish). Take them up on it and save yourself a bunch of money. Are you a member of an American car clubs there in Switzerland - another resource to take advantage of.
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he‘s calling himself a ‚us classic car specialist‘ and is only dealing and working on us classics since 7 years

but anyways, thanks! you helped me a lot and i’ll never ever pay him 5 hours for this work

regards
 
A lot of the newer cars takes less than an hour.
 
mr_incredibill said:
he‘s calling himself a ‚us classic car specialist‘ and is only dealing and working on us classics since 7 years

but anyways, thanks! you helped me a lot and i’ll never ever pay him 5 hours for this work

regards
Click to expand...

Just last week I pulled the cluster out of the Wife's 72 Dart to swap out the speedo head and it couldn't have taken more than a half hour/40 min max to take it out, and that's with mechanical temp and oil pressure gauges.
Probably 20 to put it back in and that's counting the headlight switch, wiper switch and a dedicated ground wire installed.
 
To remove the Inst Panel 1 hour is a fair cnarge. To put it on the bench, repair it and re install? thats by the hour :)
 
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