61 Lancer - How to remove instrument cluster??
Tried removing screws from front. Could only move a little.
Does the steering column have to drop down?

My odometer gets stuck on .9 mile. Bang on instrument cluster with wooden handle screw driver and it advances back around to .9. Sometime it will progress past .9 for 1 or 2 miles. Then sticks again. After banging 50 times or more now the speedo is stuck at 50 mph (about the speed I was driving while banging).
Maybe I knocked the pointer off?
May need some speedo/ odo internals.

Today was the first major trip 50 miles since I bought it a few months ago.

The 170 with 3 spd in floor is doing great.

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76 Dart

You really need a factory service manual; get one ASAP. Disconnect the battery negative cable, then remove the headlamp and wiper knobs -- use a small flat screwdriver to press the release tabs indicated by the notches in the knobs near the IP end; pull each knob while holding the screwdriver in against the spring tension. Then remove the faceplate (bezel). Then go behind the dash -- you may well have to lower the steering column -- and remove the speedometer cable from the back of the speedo. Then undo the screws holding the instrument cluster inner housing to the outer housing, then pull the inner housing rearward carefully, disconnect the wires that attach to the back of the housing (taking pictures and notes so you can get the wires back onto their correct locations) and remove the inner housing/cluster as an assembly.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

piggybacking here....
for several reasons, i have been unable to drive at night yet.....(but soon!)
so i really do not have an intimate understanding of all my knobs and levers in my car. i did just do kind of an inventory list tonight though and suspect something is out. i have the parking lights, dome light, turn signals, headlights and high beams button on the floor all in good working order.

so my question to lancer owners: is there a light that illuminates the instrument panel? i saw it mentioned in the manual and noticed my lights knob pulls out but doesn't seem to dim anything when turned.

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-proud new owner of a '61 lancer 170
-previous owner of a '74 dart swinger (R.I.P.)
-coming here for some schoolin'

Yes, there are plenty of light bulbs socketed into the back of the instrument cluster housing. If none of them works, that's probably more than coincidence and you may well find your stop (brake) lights also don't work. If the stop lights and tail lights work but no IP illumination, then it's either a bunch of dead bulbs (possible but not too likely on a low-miles car like yours), a corroded and/or faulty dash light rheostat in the headlamp switch (highly likely with the age of your car and the piss-poor quality of electrical switches and components Chrysler were buying from RBM at the time) or a wire fault.

The '61s had utterly minimal circuit protection, see here There is no main fuse, fuselink, circuit breaker or anything else. No fuse block. Catastrophic electrical fire waiting to happen in '61, even more so now the wire is old. Not sure if I pointed you here before, but I'm doin' it now!

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

the brake lights work...so it's probably the latter. it's also kind of a drag because SO much of this car is there, in it's original state...but for a few small things, it has been really well preserved (of course, safe is a different issue), so having noticed this bugs me. phew...that's a lot to wrap my mind around. i'll have to get my uncle's take on it...meaning, see if he will help me!

thanks for your diagnosis.

_________________
-proud new owner of a '61 lancer 170
-previous owner of a '74 dart swinger (R.I.P.)
-coming here for some schoolin'