I remember waiting in the car for my mother outside the drugstore long ago in Bowie, Maryland, when someone rolled up and parked beside me in a new '70 Mustang hardtop. What struck me most about that Mustang was its pod-style instrumentation, which made it different than previous Mustangs' older Falcon-style clusters. The downside to that pod-style instrumentation was visibility; the instruments were hard to see in the daytime and nearly impossible to see at night.
Auto Meter noticed this visibility problem as well and decided to do something about it with a broad selection of gauges designed to fit the YearOne custom instrument panel for '69-'70 Mustangs. At Auto Meter's website, you can check out a large array of handcrafted instruments for classic Mustangs. Just about every type of Auto Meter instrument is styled and sized just right for a classic Mustang. YearOne gives you the foundation for '69-'70. All you have to do is choose your instrumentation. Mustangs Etc. has chosen cool Auto Meter Ultra-Lite instrumentation for our '70 Mustang project.
1 YearOne has the goods for...
1 YearOne has the goods for your ’69-’70 Mustang instrumentation project in this molded plastic bezel designed to fit an array of aftermarket instrument types. We’re stuffing Auto Meter Ultra-Lite instruments in this YearOne bezel.
2 Auto Meter and YearOne...
2 Auto Meter and YearOne offer a perfect fit cluster because the 5-inch electric, programmable Ultra-Lite speedometer drops right in along with a 5-inch tachometer and the full compliment of 25⁄8-inch vitals gauges.
3 The instruments fasten...
3 The instruments fasten from behind with two studs and fine-thread 3⁄8-inch nuts with lock washers. Each has pin connectors, which makes installation easy.
4 The smaller 25⁄8-inch instruments...
4 The smaller 25⁄8-inch instruments drop in the same way and also secure from behind.
5 We’re going to outfit our...
5 We’re going to outfit our YearOne/Auto Meter cluster with LED turn-signal and high-beam indicator lights. Where you locate these lights is up to you. We decided to locate them symmetrically with the high-beam indicator mid-cluster and turn indicators right and left. Because the YearOne cluster isn’t perfectly symmetrical, it’s a matter of ascertaining dead center and both right and left.
6 To get dead center for...
6 To get dead center for the high-beam indicator, Gil Roiz finds true center between the speedometer and tachometer.
7 A drill index is used to...
7 A drill index is used to find the exact size of the LED assemblies.
8 Next, the holes are carefully...
8 Next, the holes are carefully drilled. LED indicators are available from Summit Racing Equipment.
9 The high-beam indicator...
9 The high-beam indicator is fitted and secured followed by both turn indicators. These LED lights are secured from behind by fine thread nuts and have positive and negative ground leads. Power comes via the red connection, with black being negative ground.
10 Because Gil is a born...
10 Because Gil is a born fabricator, he has chosen to purchase a six-pin multiplex wiring harness to wire our YearOne/Auto Meter cluster. This requires a lot of imagination and discipline because color-coding can get tricky and calls for consistency.
11a Each gauge is wired first...
11a Each gauge is wired first as a gang negative ground where all are tied to the same ground...
11b ...Gil is using marine-grade...
11b ...Gil is using marine-grade connectors for longevity and safety.
12 As each gauge gets its...
12 As each gauge gets its ground, you begin to see the pattern of gang grounding.
13 Switched instrument power...
13 Switched instrument power is done in red, which is a good universal “hot” color. This power comes on when the ignition switch is turned to “on.”
14 Each instrument has its...
14 Each instrument has its own sender connection (where applicable), which means each should have a distinctive color code. As you establish your own color-coding, write it down. Sometimes with aftermarket harnesses, color-coding isn’t always what we’d like to see. We suggest looking to Painless Performance for your instrument harness and following the Painless color-coding. Gil has done a nice job of organizing his custom harness with clean connections and zip-tie wraps.
15 Marine butt connectors...
15 Marine butt connectors tie the instrument to sender leads as shown. Here, Gil connects the electric speedometer to the speed sensor using green as the color code.
16 Once the butt connectors...
16 Once the butt connectors are secured, Gil uses heat shrink to seal the connection. A cigarette lighter is used here, but you can also use a heat gun.
17 Turns out a six-pin multiplex...
17 Turns out a six-pin multiplex plug isn’t enough, which calls for a two-pin plug to supplement our needs. This is where we’re going to get switched power for all electrical instruments.
18 There really is a difference...
18 There really is a difference in senders, which means you need to use the Auto Meter senders included with the instruments. Sender type boils down to ohms—resistance—and what each instrument calls for.
19 This is the speed sensor...
19 This is the speed sensor for our Auto Meter electric speedometer, which accepts a stock speedometer drive gear.
20 The speed sensor is tied...
20 The speed sensor is tied to the speed- ometer via three connectors. However, you can also use a three-pin multiplex plug for easy connection. Our Auto Meter electric speed- ometer will have to be calibrated per the instructions once installation is complete.
21 The ’69-’70 Mustangs used...
21 The ’69-’70 Mustangs used this factory multiplex instrument panel connector for easy installation and service. This connector will not work with Auto Meter instruments.
22 However, Gil is tapping...
22 However, Gil is tapping into the factory wiring harness for coolant temperature, oil pressure, fuel, and voltmeter.
23 Gil uses a test light...
23 Gil uses a test light to identify each factory connection before cutting and splicing.
24 Once the harness is fabricated...
24 Once the harness is fabricated and tested, it’s plugged in for an operational check. This makes future service a snap.
25 Nineteen sixty-nine was...
25 Nineteen sixty-nine was the first model year for the modular dashboard in a Mustang. Here, we’re installing the YearOne/Auto Meter cluster, which is secured prior to dashpad installation. Instruments glow in a soft green.