I got my hands on a 140mph Speedo from a guy that had it installed in his 88 v8 bird
I remember reading about switching out a resistor or something like that to make it work in the 5.0s so what would I have to do to make it work in my turbo coupe
Btw what are these things worth nowadays?
Haven't been able to find one for sale to compare
It's a direct swap. The speedo doesn't need anything. The tach is different. Just install the 140 and call it a day.
Value....depends on what people are willing to pay. I've seen them for less than $50 all the way up to $400. I had seven in one year. I think those days are gone. It's pretty rare now, and getting harder and harder to find.
Cool thanks
Is it still a straight swap if the whole instrument panel was installed in the v8 bird?
It looks like the whole unit is original to a 85-86 TC since it has the turbo gauge on the tach but no indicator light for the prc suspension on 87-88 TCs
If you've already got the buttstuffog cluster ('88 Sport, some '88 5.0 cars) just open up your cluster and swap in the speedo. Unless you want a non-functioning boos gauge, that is.
Fairly straight forward swap, and can be done in an afternoon. Resetting the odometer to your correct miles (if known), can be done now, too. This is fairly simple, but requires removing the housing and disassembling the speedometer a bit. There is a trick to pushing the tabs sideways so you can move the barrels. I can write more details tonight, if needed.
Be careful with the pinned connectors and printed ribbon wiring as they are quite fragile, especially the primary one entering the cluster. This likes to bunch up and get in the way when re-installing the cluster into the dash. Also the tubing for the boost gauge can be hard and crack.
I can swap the speedo in about 10 minutes. Not a big dal. A few screws (and a few on the back of the cluster). Swap the speedo, and call it a day. I have reset the odometers in them a few times. Not a bad job, but, unless you are really sure of what you are doing, leave the odometer alone. You don't want to mess it up, lose the little gears, or anything else. OR, send it to me, I'll set it for you, and then end it back. No joke, I really will. I've had plenty of experience with them. Got one in my Sport.
I'm embarrassed at what I sold my last fms 140 speedo for. More than I paid for the parts car it came in
Oh yea I've done a few speedometer swaps and mileage adjustments before on t-birds and Fox mustangs so I'm sure I can handle this one
I was just asking because it was installed in a tbird with a 5.0 which I assume it was calibrated for and I'm putting it back into a turbo coupe which has a 2.3t in it
The speedometer itself could not care any less what engine is in the car. The "adjustment" is done by the driven gear in the transmission, and the speedo drive gear that fastens into the transmission. Get those set up for the size of tires you have, and the speedo will be about as close as one can get in a 25 year old car.
Now if you're swapping the whole cluster itself, depending on the year of the donor and the recipient car, you might have to repin a few wires. Just swapping the speedometer only...it's a direct swap, all plug 'n play.
I've also reset an buttstuffog speedo's odometer..and while tricky, it's nothing difficult if you're careful, take your time, and don't get ham-fisted with the tiny parts.
I swapped my stock odometer over to the 140 unit, easy as pie. Some small screws involved didn't touch the gears.