I am getting ready to replace an instrument cluster in my 1963 Volvo 122 and hope you all can help with some questions.

1) The replacement is from a 1967 122. Is there any difference beside the chrome front piece? It seems like I can just snap that off.

2) The paint/coating is peeling even from my replacement. I plan to take the rest of the dark gray coating off. Brass is underneath. Anybody have success chroming where the brass shows? I think that would look great. A good/bad idea?

3) I have heard it is not an easy job. I am fairly thin and agile if that will help. What are tips you have in making the most efficient swap? How many hours should I plan? Does Haynes have good instructions for removal/replacement?

Thanks for your help!

I appreciate everyones info, and it does sound like it's a legit repair in the end. The thing I still don't have an answer to is that it began to leak literally the day after it went in to the shop, having never seen a single drop before that. Is there any part of the work that was done that would cause such a direct corrolation?

I'd found a couple of spares and put together a good one first, and then just swapped them. This way all of the wiring connections were fresh in my mind.
I carefully chipped off all of the remaining paint, and then cleaned the brass well, before sanding it very lightly, cleaning again with solvent, and respraying with a gray primer. Somebody mentioned a krinkle finish gray for some ancient Chevy application, but I couldn't find such a thing. Still looks good 5 years later.
This is also the time to make sure your trip meter is working. Disassembling the dash is not that difficult. Patience, lots of light, and small screwdrivers,make for a satisfying evening's work. Clean and lube the gears driving both the trip meter and odometer. There are white rubber sleeves between the cluster and theidiot lights which dry out. Having a couple of clusters to pull apart generally gives you good ones to work with.

ALso, when cleaning the "brass surround" be careful not to rub the white paint out of the idiot light lenses. I masked them off before gray painting the surround.

I just replaced my instrument cluster in a 544 and I think it is pretty much the same as yours. I also replaced the whole dash so all wires were hanging loose before assembly but the most important thing is to lable everything.
If you don't have a wiring diagram, it might be good to get one just in case you meed it.
I had a devil of a time with the connections for the turn signals, wipers, oil light and amp light. They all came together at the fuel guage as the central point for power. I missed labeling them so without the wiring diagram, I would still be experimenting.

You might not have this problem as much, but take note of the order in which you remove connections. I reconnected various things in no particular order and all of a sudden some wires wouldn't reach their destination because other wires were in the way.

I also polished the brass under the typical pealing paint. I like the look but it might reflect light a lot as someone suggested but I havn't experienced that yet.

Dennis

It occured to me after posting that my "reflection off the gauge cluster" comment should have been qualified. I also had removed the dash pad at the time and not replaced it. The little visor part of the dash pad wasn't shading the cluster any longer, causing what I described. The other issue I had when the dash pad was off was a reflection of the top of the gauges in the windshield, right at eye level. Maddening but likely not an issue for most people. These issues drove me mad and I eventually put my tattered, warped dash pad back on.
--
Justin 66 122E
Read vclassics tech!

1) The replacement is from a 1967 122. Is there any difference beside the chrome front piece? It seems like I can just snap that off.

Not really. Some had clear lenses on the instrument lights and others had green but they are interchangable. You'd be a glutton for punishment for changing the face plates and expecting to get the new one on properly.


2) The paint/coating is peeling even from my replacement. I plan to take the rest of the dark gray coating off. Brass is underneath. Anybody have success chroming where the brass shows? I think that would look great. A good/bad idea?

I personally think that's a bad idea. Reflections from sunlight in that area are terribly distracting. I had an instrument cluster that was polished "brass" and I was glad to replace it when a better one came along.


3) I have heard it is not an easy job. I am fairly thin and agile if that will help. What are tips you have in making the most efficient swap? How many hours should I plan? Does Haynes have good instructions for removal/replacement?

It's actually easy. Mark wires before you pull things apart. Be careful with the gauge George mentions, or just pull the gauge itself out of the complete unit and attach it to the new one. It's just 2 bolts (or maybe they were thumbscrews) that hold the thing in. Same with the cluster as a whole. It helps to take off the dash pad. I changed mine in about 90 minutes. Be sure to wear safety glasses because the jute firewall pad will be shedding pieces every time you touch it and your face will be right underneath. Haynes mentions almost nothing about this, but it's pretty easy regardless.
--
Justin 66 122E
Read vclassics tech!

Anything you have chromed has to be removed and polished, so for that item
it will be a pretty complex and tedious job. Repainting might be a lot
better deal. Be extra careful of the tube from the temp gauge to the temp
sensor. One kink that leaks and it's shot.
--
George Downs Bartlesville, Heart of the USA!

I'm confused now... which one is the danged temp sensor...!?

The one sensor that goes into the top of the block/header (which does not appear to be a capillary tube type connection, but wire), or the sensor that is down below the carbs, and which does inded appear to be more of a tube!? In my hanes, it seemed to indicate the one up top was the temp-sensor!?

-V

In the 122 it is a capillary tube. On later models it is electric.
For 1963 it was definitely a capillary tube and as far as I know on
all the ones that used the 122-type instrument panel (544, etc)
It is on the right rear corner of the head.
--
George Downs Bartlesville, Heart of the USA!

Hmmm, interesting. I just pulled a bunch of parts off of a '63, and I found that the sensor loocated up top, on the right hand side of the head was of the electric variety. At least that's what I think it was... I think it must have been refitted with the new electric type at some point later on? In my frustration and hurry (I had limited time to do the job), I decided to just cut the line going to the guage inside the instrument cluster, because I couldn't get at the rear of the guage to get it loose without some major work to clear a path to it under the dash. The car had sat in a field for ten years and was filled with mouse stuff, mold and piles of junk, so it wasn't too pleasant trying to squirm into position under there.

So, anyway, I was hoping I could take the sensor unit and re-graft it back into my non-working heat temp circuit in one of my project cars. I noticed that the line was of a braided-like outer sheath, with an innner core. What's going on with this special-seeming construction?

Also... what of the sensor with the capillary tube looking line that was under the carbs, lower down on the engine block on the right hand side (when sitting inside)?

Thanks...

The oil pressure sensor is located behind the carbs. Some (I did this on my 444) have put in a "T" to feed both the idiot light and a line for a real oil pressure gauge. Some just relplace the pressure sensor with the oil pressure gauge line. Sounds like that's what you've got.

So damned... sounds like I ruined an intact temperature sensor. Man that is frustrating!... Of course I don't know if it was actually still potentially working... but still!

Worse, you ruined the gauge as they are all one piece. They can be rebuilt by a specialist but now may be the time to replace it with an electric one (the guts).

Mike!