non-panther digi cluster retrofit (Raser is the man)

[gadget73]

A TC message center involves a huge wiring harness and a massive brain to function. Not really simple to swap in. The speedo would be cake but that message center would be a bitch. I wanted to do it but I fogured the best way would be to have a parts car handy that I could disassemble the dashboard to extract the wiring from, then install it into my car. I'm thinking of doing just a Vic tripminder in a guage console or something.

[Paul_]

I had actually thought of doing something with a Tripminder myself in a console. T'would be interesting.

[85crownHPP]

EGADS!!!!

this is not what I wanted to see. I was hoping the speedo could be separated from the other parts on this... the circuit board behind each part is very integrated across the whole thing.

Raser do I have the wrong cluster??? this is out of an aerostar - part number for the cluster starts F29F... help!!!!

[raser13]

85 crown ,
unfortunatly that is the wrong areostar cluster. i've never even seen on of those in all the areostars i've been in...... all the ones that i've gotten mine out of have been the '86 through the '88 aerostars. if you get another one you may want to open it at the bone yard and see if it has a seporate pod for the speedo and tach. i'll try to get pics up tomarow for you so you will know what i mean. sorry for the confusion.

[85crownHPP]

ok this must be the newer style... the F2 part number means it was made in 92 I think... so I need to be looking for an older one.
No biggie! hopefully I can hock this one on ebay... back to the junkyard for me

[gadget73]

Hm, that looks like it might work just nicely as a Townie digital cluster too, especially if its self-contained for the tripminder functions. Pete / razer, if you guys could post pics of the type with seperate pods I'd appreciate it. I'd be interested in perhaps swapping parts or all of one of these into my Lincoln to replace the analog dash. The stock Lincoln tripminder functions are run by this massive brain and wiring harness that I don't want to transplant, and I'd love to have a speedo/tach combo sitting center stage in my dash. It would be hot shit.

[83tc]

so, what year towncars had the digi speedo that was cable driven pete?or anyone?, cause im gonna go grab one up once i know what year i need

[85crownHPP]

83tc - any year from 80 to 89 Im pretty sure they are all the same, fitment wise anyway. If you find one, let me know and Ill dig out my notes on what you need to hotwire to make the speedo work by itself.

[83tc]

good deal mang

[raser13]

hey 83tc have you found a digital town car dash? 'cause i've got one here in an '85 just waiting to be plucked if you want? also i know that the fuel flow comes out of pin #34 of the brain. but will i have to run my own wire out of the brain or is there a wire already in the car that i can tie into? and if so where is it? and is there an easyer way to get at the brain mine looks as though it plugs into the firewall am i seeing things or is that what it does?

[83tc]

havent found one yet, i want the cable driven electric speedo, if you have one i want it, as for the brain, im not sure, i think my towncar brain is a little different then the vic one, but as far as i know youll need to run your own wire for the fuel, i dot know of any wiring there that can be used, best advice is to pull the dash apart and look for unused wiring and or/plugs and compare to a wiring schematic, as to where to find the schemaic i dunno, lol, but yeah mang, if you have a digi cable drive speedo i want it, simple enough to wire it up, let me know how much, you take paypal? send me a pm with the info, i definatly want it

[83tc]

and pete, yeah, the one you had was from a 92, i had the same one, sucked to open it and find it as a single piece, lol

[gadget73]

Raser: If its an EEC IV Townie, the wire should be there. It is on mine at least, its got a 3" pigtail with an un-used connector on it. The Vic may not have it but you can add it easy enough. Not a clue what EEC III uses for fuel flow wiring. Not sure its compatible with the EEC IV setup.

[raser13]

83tc i should be headed to the bone yard sometime this week and i'll stop and see what type it is. do you yave a pic of your dash or one like it?that way i can try to find one that may just fit in your dash as a mostly direct drop in. that way you don'thave to do so much:welder: :hacksaw: :yell: :50cal: :chainsaw: :cutit: :chainsaw: :50cal: :yell: :hacksaw: :hacksaw: :welder: !!!!!!!!!!!!!lol but i'll definatly check for you.

[85crownHPP]

the digital towncar cluster will drop right in an analouge towncar, is just making everything besides the speedo work thats the hard part