[amustangrocks]

Part 1( of 2)
if your thinking about this upgrade, its very simple to do, about 20 minutes, and it is very cool
basic info:
first off, pry off the blank switch cover above the stereo on the left side and see if you have the wire harness plugged into the back of it( see first pic) if you do, you can go to this website,
https://www.trademotion.com/memberse...&siteid=214072
register and send a message to ed, give him your year, model, vin number and tell him you need the cluster and the switches. he will respond pretty fast and give you the proper part numbers and ask the milage and how many miles per day you drive. he will program the cluster and add 5 days of daily miles to it when he ships it out. the cluster, switches and shipping was 329.08 + there is a 300.00 core charge for your old cluster and must be returned to fords, in the box they send you and they provide the fed x shipping label for the return within 30 days. the new cluster w/ message center is re manufactured by ford, as brand new.

a couple catches on the install:
1) i have a basic 05 built in 04, but i had the wire harness. because i dont have abs, i had to take the car into fords today and have them program the cluster with my "as built data" to get rid of the abs light and the check brake message. to save money, i had to plug in the old cluster, so they could get the info as the ford website was down, then plug in the new one to program. ( took me less than 5 minutes in the stall) if the ford website was up, you would not have to re install the old one. they use the obdII port and it does not effect the tune or the computer. they had me return the tune to stock, but turned out i didnt need to. if your car is loaded, you wouldnt even have to go to fords to have anything done, unless:

there is a chance on the 06 and newer if you install the cluster it might not start because of the key chip and the ignition de activation feature on the cluster. i did not have that problem, started right up and worked great except for the abs light and message. if it doesnt start, you`ll have to put the old one back in and take it to fords for the re program. the cost at the dealer for the reprogram was 45.00( took about 5 minutes)

the install:
lower your steering colum with the lever under the steering wheel. pry off the cluster trim panel. you can see all the mounting clip locations in the pics, it comes off real easy. remove the 2 small top bolts and the 2 small lower bolts. lay a rag on top of the steering colum because the cluster will scratch the cover( see pic) and tilt the cluster forward so you can see the wire plug on the backside.

[amustangrocks]

you`ll see the wire clip with the gray lever. press the black button on the top center and the clip will swing back pulling the wire clip out of the cluster. plug in the new cluster, lock the gray swing lever in place and re install the 4 small bolts. pull off the protective film, and it will leave glue marks on the clear lense. i wet the micro fibre coth and put a little dish soap on it, and it took it off real nice. install the switches and re install the cluster trim and your ready to check it out!!!!

[phrogusmc]

What about the hookup for the extra 2 guages you gained with the new cluster? Are the hookups for those already there behind the original cluster?

[sixers007h]

Nice write up. I would of thought the install would be more complex. Its a super cool upgrade.

[amustangrocks]

Originally Posted by phrogusmc

What about the hookup for the extra 2 guages you gained with the new cluster? Are the hookups for those already there behind the original cluster?

the wire harness plug is already set up for the other 2 gauges, just not used on the basic cluster. the 2 other gauges are nice, and the information center is really cool, with a bunch of info, average speed, mph, mpg to empty, trip and odometers, system checks and warnings,a few things i havent really checked out yet, 6 main colors and 120 something custom colors. the guage lights, including the green or white driving colors are brighter than the stock lights too. and you can turn the message center window off like i did in the blue picture which is nice.

[amustangrocks]

Originally Posted by sixers007h

Nice write up. I would of thought the install would be more complex. Its a super cool upgrade.

ya, one might think so, but it is really easy to do this install. i wondered if it wold work on my early 05 but no problems. on the trip odometer, you can also set a clock/timer and it will also tell you how many gal.`s of fuel you use. there are alot of cool features on the message center. would have been nice if this was standard equip on al the stangs, but alas.... (its also a good time to really clean the cluster trim, all the little places you cant get to when its on the car)

[Stormfront]

Are you saying this resets the odometer? Isn't that illegal? Doesn't it void the warranty?

[amustangrocks]

Originally Posted by Stormfront

Are you saying this resets the odometer? Isn't that illegal? Doesn't it void the warranty?

the odometer is programed before you get it.( as stated in the part 1) it does not get set to zero. if you were to lie about the milage, yes, you may get in trouble for fraud, not to mention your 300.00 deposit. i would suggest telling the truth when he asks you the milage, and daily milage. as far as resetting the odometer, i was taking about the trip odometer, that you can zero out any time, like when you get a fill up, take a trip ect.

[amustangrocks]

Originally Posted by Stormfront

Are you saying this resets the odometer? Isn't that illegal? Doesn't it void the warranty?

if you have a new car that is under warranty, i would check with your dealer before you do this. my ford dealer said as long as the cluster comes from fords, and the milage is set and correct, you can install it yourself and they can flash your build data and it would not effect the warranty. he said the problems start if you buy a junkyard or ebay cluster as the milage will not be right and would void your warranty. the dealer will charge 1 1/2 hours labor ( the price will vary from dealer to dealer) to install the cluster, switch and program but its so easy to do you can save 100.00 by diy. the cluster comes from Mellenium Ford dealer parts dept. in seattle wa. ed that does this is the parts manager there. he has sold 125 of these clusters to people so far and the sale goes smooth. he`s a nice guy to deal with and returns messages fast if you have questions.

[gphasagt]

so this swap cost you over $600?

[amustangrocks]

Originally Posted by gphasagt

so this swap cost you over $600?

the cluster, switches and shipping is 329.08 + a 300.00 core deposit as explained in the first post. you get the core deposit credited back to your account when you return your old cluster within the 30 days.

[SilverBullet07]

maybe i missed something, but does your oil gauge and battery gauge not work?

p.s. you need fuel

[amustangrocks]

Originally Posted by SilverBullet07

maybe i missed something, but does your oil gauge and battery gauge not work?

p.s. you need fuel

haaa, no everything works great. i didnt have the key on. i did need fuel though

[SilverBullet07]

is it possible to get the GT cluster and get a 140 mph speedo?

[amustangrocks]

Originally Posted by SilverBullet07

is it possible to get the GT cluster and get a 140 mph speedo?

i dont know brian. thats not much benifit though, and the red line wont be right on the tach. i think ive read where some guys have done that though, using junk yard stuff. i have to message that guy tonight to let him know the fed x tracking number for my old cluster i`m dropping off on the way home from work today so i`ll ask him about that and see what he says. i`ll let you know tomorrow.