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[scotts90ranger]

Why not swap the entire cluster? Feel like I’m missing something here, lol. My choptop didn’t have a tach, I found a Ranger in the junkyard with a tach and the same style cluster and just swapped the entire thing. Had to swap the gear indicator for the block off plate, but it was easy as you please.

If you don't care about keeping the original odometer, you can skip most of that... it'll just bolt in, just might have some extra lights... You do have to use the tach cluster assembly, the gauge card is different and so is the lens. It's possible to keep the original odometer so I went for it.

And no, you don't have to do anything to make the tach work, the truck is already wired for it, other than being a pain to get to on the third gen dash it's not hard. To get to the cluster:

-pull two screws under the stereo then pop the stereo panel out (it just pops in, just find an edge you can pull and pull...)
-Pull the two screws that hold the hood latch up and the other 4 screws that hold the lower panel on then pop it off, it pulls straight back
-pull the bolts that hold the metal plate on under that
-pull the screws that that plate revealed and the ones that you can see just over the speedo. pull that stuff off then you get to the cluster

 

[scotts90ranger]

So wouldn't there be something I would need to connect as far as the tach tho. Do I need to make sure the junk yard gives me some gears for it or something?

No, it is plug and play

 

[Dirtman]

Just don't try that on anything made after 2003.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Swapping to a tach on a first gen isn't bad, you do have to move a few wires around. I swapped my speedometer onto the tach cluster.

 

[Fryedbm]

No, it is plug and play

Ty

 

[scotts90ranger]

They got all fancy in '03? Lame... That's why all my junk is old...

 

[fastpakr]

If you don't care about keeping the original odometer, you can skip most of that... it'll just bolt in, just might have some extra lights... You do have to use the tach cluster assembly, the gauge card is different and so is the lens. It's possible to keep the original odometer so I went for it.

And no, you don't have to do anything to make the tach work, the truck is already wired for it, other than being a pain to get to on the third gen dash it's not hard. To get to the cluster:

-pull two screws under the stereo then pop the stereo panel out (it just pops in, just find an edge you can pull and pull...)
-Pull the two screws that hold the hood latch up and the other 4 screws that hold the lower panel on then pop it off, it pulls straight back
-pull the bolts that hold the metal plate on under that
-pull the screws that that plate revealed and the ones that you can see just over the speedo. pull that stuff off then you get to the cluster

You can adjust the mileage on the odometer that came with the new cluster pretty easily. I did that to the Sport Trac cluster I put in my '99 to match the original when I swapped.

 

[Dirtman]

They got all fancy in '03? Lame... That's why all my junk is old...

People kept swapping clusters to lower mileage ones to sell used cars for more money. Had to stop the scumbag used car salesmen somehow...

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

So wouldn't there be something I would need to connect as far as the tach tho. Do I need to make sure the junk yard gives me some gears for it or something?

99 was all electronic, theoretically you shouldn’t have to do anything but plug and play. I say theoretically because I never did it to anything newer, just my 89 second Gen.