Frequently Asked Questions

Clock and Radio Conversions

Do you restore components vehicles other than 1960 – 1980 Mopars?
For select applications. We specialize in Dodge, Chrysler and Plymouth classics, but due to the similarities, we can do quartz clock conversions and radio conversions for almost all North American vehicles, including General Motors (GM), Ford and AMC cars.
Do<br /> you repair cassette or 8-track tape player mechanisms?
Unfortunately not. Due to the scarcity of parts we cannot repair or replace cassette or 8 track decks. We will convert a tape deck radio, but the tape player will be left inoperative for cosmetic purposes.

Component Restorations

Can<br /> you reproduce the suede finish on some dash frames and many steering columns?
Most certainly. We formulate our finished to match or exceed concourse standards. They are accurate to the factory finish with improvements in durability where possible.
Do<br /> you stock spare parts should my components be missing some parts?
Of course. We have a huge inventory of hard to find parts in storage that we can draw from. We have been buying core parts from trade shows, restorers and swap meets for many years. We try our best to have everything needed to get you back on the road.
Do you repair Water Valves for Air Conditioning (A/C) equipped cars?
Yes. We rebuild and pressure test all types of Mopar water valves that are based on the Rancho design, assuming that the long copper spirit tube is still attached and unbroken.
Do you have<br /> a way to make my car safer from the dashboard fires and overheating problems<br /> that have plagued many Mopars over the years?
Absolutely. The two components that primarily cause these issues are the Wiring Harness and the Ammeter mechanism. We disassemble, thoroughly clean and solder all high current connections as a part of our Wiring Harness restorations, and for Ammeters we have devised a foolproof method of ‘fireproofing’, and we won’t let one out of our sight unless the procedure has been completed.
My Gas / Fuel<br /> Gauge doesn’t indicate correctly, can you help me?
Sure can. Gas gauge problems are very common on Mopars.

These problems are usually related to either a broken gauge, an inoperative sending unit, poor wiring to the sending unit or a bad fuel tank ground.

If the ground is fine and the needle seems to be moving, then a bad sending unit is usually the cause (often even a brand new replacement can be faulty). Send in your gauge and we will calibrate and test it to eliminate the possibility of a broken instrument. If there is still an issue upon installation, we can talk you through it over the phone as a part of our After Sales Support.

My speedometer<br /> and ammeter both work, but the rest of my gauges are dead. What can I do?
This is a very common issue. Either you have a damaged factory circuit board (if equipped), or the voltage limiter that is responsible for regulating the 12 volts from the battery down to 5 volts is faulty.

We offer a line of Replacement Circuit Boards and reliable Electronic Limiters in both available styles that are easily installed to fix these issues.

On A Body, as well as some B / C Body vehicles, the limiter is built into the gas gauge. In that case, we can repair the limiter portion by installing a new electronic limiter in your existing fuel gauge.

My<br /> speedometer needle bounces and I have already replaced my speedo cable, can you<br /> help.
We sure can! The grease inside your speedo head mech has turned to glue. Basically your entire speedo needs to be internally rebuilt and calibrated.. We do hundreds of these each year and have a ton of experience solving this issue.
My<br /> plastic instrument cluster and clock lens is all scratched, is this something<br /> that can be fixed?
Yes we have a full plastic polishing service available. As long as the clear plastic part is not crazed (sun ultra violet light cracked) we can make it look new again. We can even take out deep scratches and marks if so needed. When done it will be good as new!
Do<br /> you repair soft plastic dash pads?
Basically the answer is no. If the dash pad has a significant crack or depression or burn mark we suggest you find either a nice OEM replacement or try out some of the newer reproduction parts. We can redye it to refresh or change colour but we do not fix significant defects in soft pads.

I am not very good at dash wiring and electrics can you restore and build me a complete dash that I can simply install in my car and plug in?

Certainly, we call that a ‘turnkey’ dash restoration. Every component is restored (cluster, wiring harness, frame, radio, heater controls, switches etc), loaded into the fully refinished dash frame which is mounted on our custom dashboard rotisserie and once assembled powered up and tested just as if it was installed in your car. When you uncrate it all you have to do is mount it in your car, click in the main bulkhead connector to the firewall, add your steering column and you are all set to go!

My<br /> tach doesn’t work with my new MSD style ignition box. Is there anything you can<br /> do.
Yes, we make an exact reproduction tach board for your 64-74 tachometer that will work directly with the tach output signal of your MSD box. No need for any tach adapters or fancy electronics. Changing the tach board takes about 15 minutes to do once the tach is out of the car.
Can<br /> you update my instrument cluster to use LED lights?
We can but prefer not. Unless you buy the really expensive LEDs, LED light is directional which is not well suited for flood lighting a cluster and most wedge base bulbs are not dimmable.
I<br /> have an AC control and the push buttons are really hard to press, can you help<br /> me?
Yes we certainly can. We can rebuild both the vacuum block and fan switch to work better than new. When we rebuild your vacuum switch we will also replace the ‘wafers’ inside that program the switch to function the way it does. Our fiberglass wafers replace the original pressed paper wafers and allow the switch to work much better and be more responsive to button presses.

Some of my wiring harnesses have splices, cut wires and in one case a melted wire. Can this be fixed.

Sure it can, not a problem at all. We can restore virtually any wiring harness as long as it is not heavily chopped up, totally melted or all dried out so the insulation is hard or cracking.  All of our repairs are done with professionally soldered connections, fully insulated with heatshrink tubing and then  wrapped back into the harness with the correct black friction tape. In the mean time all connector shell bodies are ultrasonically cleaned and all high current connections are professionally soldered to ensure maximum reliability and to eliminate any chance of overheating.

Can<br /> I leave my car for dash repairs?
No we are not setup to accept cars. We specialize in component restorations and we need you to remove and send just the part needing restoration to our shop.
Whose<br /> parts do you use when restoring customer items?
Well that depends really. We ourselves make over 1100 different restoration products (circuit boards, tach boards, instrument refacing kits, electronic limiters etc) that are also sold through our e-commerce site PremiumDashDecals.com and through Classic Industries online. Where possible we use clean, good condition OEM parts and when these are not available use new reproduction parts (which we have previously evaluated for good quality and fitment). We have a large inventory of original ‘core’ parts and can draw on these when needed.
Will<br /> you offer exchange services for my unrestored item?
If we have a cluster or steering column or heaterbox etc already in stock and ready to ship and you simply wish to exchange your core for an already completed item from inventory we are happy to do that assume your core part is in acceptable good rebuildable condition. This is an excellent approach if you are running tight timelines and we have inventory that is what you are looking for.
Can<br /> you take additional core parts to offset payment?
In some cases we can accept additional core parts as partial payment for your restoration work. This is an excellent way to help reduce costs to you. We try always to be fair and flexible so it’s a win/win situation for all.