1955 Ford Fairlane gage cluster ?

Modeltjohn

Junior Member
Hey guys have a question I haven't been able to figure out with out breaking something ! One of my blinker lens curled up from heat and old age ! I could see part of the lens and the bulb so I took gage cluster out pulled the bulb and the lens fell out of the hole the bulb goes into. It was curled up like a taco so I heated it up and flattened it out but it won't fit back in ? Does the front bezel unscrew ?
 
The front bezel (chrome) is just pressed into the housing. With bulb out, you can use a flat punch to push bezel out. Use new plastic lens. Got mine from Macs (I think) comes with gen and oil lenses, too.
 
In order to remove the chrome bezel and chrome plated washer from the blinker on the instrument cluster housing, I used a small size 1/4 inch drive deep-well socket that will fit thru the hole at the back of the cluster.
Turn the backside of the socket toward the chromed washer. Hit the socket with a hammer and both the chromed bezel and washer will fall out.
Be careful to get the socket down in the hole perfectly square so that you won't mar or bend the chromed washer.
If you make a mistake and accidently bend the chrome washer, it is likely you won't be able to un-bend it perfectly and the flaw will show once it is re-installed, but you can buy the bezel and washers new from some of the resto parts suppliers.
NOTE: It should not be necessary to remove the bezel and washer in order to remove and install the green plastic lens. It was intended that the plastic lens be inserted into the hole in the back and pushed down against the chromed washer using that same socket I mentioned. The green plastic fit has an outside diameter that is designed to be a perfect resistance fit inside the housing.
When the lens is new, it is pliable enough to curl it up a little bit and fit it through that hole, but after decades of temperature extremes, the plastic lens becomes brittle and unforgiving, so you may not be able to bend it without permanent and noticable damage to it.
BUT, you can also buy a little kit from the resto parts suppliers that includes the two green blinker lenses and the two little red plastic lenses for the oil and generator lights.
Unfortunately, I think most of the resto parts suppliers quit offering this kit, but maybe it will be offered again someday.
 
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