the infamous knurled nut
The instrument cluster is fastened behind it by a knurled nut. In the manual, for removal instruction, it simply states, "Remove the knurled nut behind the instrument cluster". To do this, you must remove the emergency brake retainer, pull off some electrical connectors, and push your arm up under the dash, forcing it past painful vents, ducts, wires and other sharp metal objects to twist said nut. I tried using mirrors and flashlights to see it, tried asking people with skinny arms to reach it, I tried long-reach needle-nose pliers. In the end, it just took the sheer force of will and effort to contort myself back up in there. I hope to never have to do it again.
I recently took took the gauges out to have the odometer repaired, and some lights replaced. I also fixed the clock. The clock is neat. It's just an ordinary watch mechanism that, when it winds down, hits a switch and a soleniod fires off and winds it up again, lightly pulsing the battery once every 5 minutes or so.
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