I took the cluster loose in my 65 Dart GT 273 and grounded it,Still had the fusible link thankfully,it did its job and burned the wire in 2.Yes,I put the fusible link back in.Still not ideal but works.

You earned my subscription. 👍🏻 i replaced the glass & put pointer needle back on the shaft on an original 85' Frieghtliner Speedometer, sourced from a wreck. Had to pry open the big chrome bezel from the metal can/pod that was never meant to be pried open because they're "throwaway gauges". I did that because the donor gauge i could have swapped in had over a million miles on it and if the owner ever tried to sell the truck it would have severely reduced its value. Even though i left tool marks on the chrome, at least it was the original gauge. I even repainted the black background where the broken glass gouged it. Owner laughed when i told him i fixed it and he told me he fired the previous driver because he threw a hissy fit busted the speedo & both windshields and a few other things. So he bought me a nice steak dinner.

"Not puttin' people on the moon." Love that!

Right up to about 71, the bulk of the V8 mopar’s were delivered with 37 amp alternators, A/C cars being an exception. Anytime in the life of the car if the alternator was replaced, you would be given something around 50-60 amps. If for some reason you have a low battery charge and you start the car, you will pin that amp gauge and melt the plug, not desirable. The high amp alternator was needed when they went to the electrically heated back glass.

From the point of view of a man who's an old school auto instrument guy. The ammeter in the car, regardless how it's done is running vehicle charging amps through the firewall and into the dash and was always a stupid idea. And running the wire through a connector even worse. Years ago I repaired a cluster out of a 40's Plymouth (I think) where the alternator wire run through the firewall and past the back of the ammeter without interruption and back out to the battery. The magnetic field created by the current traveling through the wire was enough to deflect the gauge pointer. In this system, the wire was not cut or interrupted and remained one long piece of wire from one end to the other. This was a far better arrangement. A voltmeter gives the driver the same information and presents no danger to the vehicle. Back in the day, the ammeter was the instrument of choice, despite the danger, go figure. In modern cars the ammeter has thankfully been deleted but never replaced with a voltmeter. Every car should have a voltmeter. Good on you for replacing yours with a voltmeter. Whenever I get a classic instrument cluster to repair I always replace the gauge voltage regulator with a solid state unit regardless, and suggest a voltmeter as an alternative to the ammeter. I never found out why manufacturers went with ammeters, it's not like they didn't have voltmeters.

❤ good video... ive had to do similar thing to my 70' Chevelle...

The actual PROBLEM, is the 12 ga wire from the Alternator. Just UP it to a 10 ga. Electrical Fans, Fuel Pumps, Stereos etc ALL ADD TO the Problem.Replace ALL of the 53 yr old wire. The harnesses themselves were Plug & Go at assembly plants. It's been catching up since.

What wire gauge would you recommend for the alternator to battery by-pass cable?

Do you know off hand what the original amp rating is on the factory fuseable link?

My 1985 Fifth Avenue has burned up the ammeter gauge, the car still starts and drives normally. Is it safe to just leave everything as is, or should i disconnect something and attempt to fit a voltmeter. Thanks.

What is the difference between a inline fuse and a fuse able link

Mad Electrical. really? Can’t conflate their article about late seventies trucks to sixties-seventies passenger car ammeters. Different ammeter construction altogether. Full system load through the ammeter/bulkhead connectors? While in operation? No, only when the engine is not running will the ammeter and related connections be subject to full system loads. Engine running, fully charged battery, there will be little to no current through the ammeter, needle centered. All factory loads are handled on the alternator side of the ammeter. What kills bulkhead connections and ammeter insulators on these, as original charging systems, is mis-placed added loads at the battery. On an ammeter-based charging system such as this, there can be no added loads on the battery side of the ammeter. All loading needs to on the alternator side of the ammeter as are all factory loads. The ammeter is designed to register battery charge/discharge status only while the charging system is in operation. It is not designed to handle any other loading, as original, will not register full vehicle loads.

Improves NOTHING...