Hi all again... my seatbelt light and 4by4 light have gone out on my 1980. There is no way in hell I can get my arm up behind the cluster to reach the bulbs, and my shop manual says if I can't do this, remove the cluster! What a pain in the [img]images/graemlins/cussing.gif[/img] to change a bulb?!? Hello Ford, get a clue! Is this what I have to do? Anyone have any experience in this... a search didn't provide much.

Also, I have seen a few different thoughts on the "trailer special" package... is there anyone who knows what this package really meant?

Thanks any and everyone...

Brad

pulling the cluster down isn't that hard. Only a few screws. Don't force anything as it is plastic. Figure it out if the light is that important.

Or you can try this





These are the gauge cluster light bulb holders. Just give them a half twist and out they come. You only have to reach the middle five from behind the dash. I've got long arms, but most people (or their kids) should be able to reach them without having to yank the dash.




These top ones for high beams, signals,etc can be easily replaced from the front just by removing the dash trim around the cluster and.........



Putting the hook on them with the needle nose pliers if your paws, like mine, are too big to get in at the bulbs. A lot easier than having to unhook (and probably wreck) that tiny, delicate shift indicator tube.

When in doubt read up about my 86 trials here;

http://www.superford.org/registry/ve...=21182#content

Sixlitre

Didn't I just say that? lol. JK Six. Good explanation.

Sixlitre... thanks! But what do you mean by "dash trim"? All I can see is cluster and dash?

BTW, I LOVE your web page. It totally ROX! Did you see any increase in mileage with the shorties? I've heard good things about them on stock 351Ms... Also, your tires look very wide, which is cool. What size are they? And did you make that tent? Great Bronco! [img]images/graemlins/RockOn.gif[/img]

Brad

Your dash will be a little different since it's a 90s model but it should be similar. Get down and take a look at where all the screws are holding it on. Once you have that figured out remove the necessary pieces to get at the lights.

Sixlitre... thanks! But what do you mean by "dash trim"? All I can see is cluster and dash?

BTW, I LOVE your web page. It totally ROX! Did you see any increase in mileage with the shorties? I've heard good things about them on stock 351Ms... Also, your tires look very wide, which is cool. What size are they? And did you make that tent? Great Bronco!

Brad


Brad

The fake wood on top of the gauge cluster is what I meant by the dash trim.

Thanks on the webpage. No the shorties only added acceleration no mileage increase, that all came with the changes in front of the muffler; better Y-pipe, larger, higher flow cat and the MSD coil and wider plug gaps.

Only really added the shorties because it was cheaper than breaking an 86 R/H side manifold trying to extract the O2 sensor.

At the time of that photo the Exploder recall was eating up all 15" tires on the planet. I was offered 5 Dunlop GT sport radials 275/60/15s (11" wide) in warranty exchange for some cupped 31" muddders whose sidewalls had cracked during extreme low temps in the Arctic.

I took em' and they turned the Bronco into quite the handling machine, with urethane bushings etc. I could roll into and out of on ramp clover leafs at much increased speeds. Dunlops were always sticky tires but with that comes fast tire wear (nothing's free). Also they were useless in rain or snow.

When it came time to replace em' I went back to stock sized 235/75/15s and have been pretty happy ever since.

That tent is available from DAC inc for $99. Here's the link;

http://www.eatel.net/~dacinc/DAC/fullsizebig.html

Sixlitre

p.s./
Norm

Thought you'd like some illustrations for your instructions.
p.p.s./
Brad

My experiance with 351 and 400 Ms leads me to believe that just about ANY mods will help mileage with those gas sucking pigs, especially the 4 degree advanced timing chain set from earlier year engines.