Cost of restoring gauges? Other general questions.

[bull]

I dropped my gauge cluster off with a guy across town to get an estimate yesterday. He hasn't gotten back to me but before he drops a $500 bomb estimate on me I'm just wondering what some of you paid to have yours done and who did it? Mine needs (at least) the pins reattached to the board, the faces restored with a decal set, quartz clock movement, updated voltage regulator for the small gauges and general clean up.

Also, he thinks the small gauges are fried because he assumes they got full voltage at some point. He says he thinks this because the needles have fallen below the lowest setting, for instance the fuel gauge needle is below empty, the temp gauge is below 120 and the oil pressure is below 0. I guess he thinks the needles are supposed to stop at the lowest setting but that doesn't really sound right to me. Is it?

[Plumcrazy]

The gauges will read below the lowest reading when off, I wouldn't condemn them because of that.

It's not hard to test and check the gauge calibration on your own.

Look near the bottom of this thread.  http://1970chargerregistry.com/70messageboard/viewtopic.php?t=2018&highlight=calibration

And this one. http://1970chargerregistry.com/70messageboard/viewtopic.php?t=2803

[Spartan]

mine cost just under $700 but they rebuilt my tac, (all the gauges did work even though I thought they didn't originally), updated the clock, refaced all the gauges (silk screen), polished lenses etc. They also replaced the green lenses for the turn signals and the e-brake red lens.   AI did my work.

Hope it helps.

[bull]

The gauges will read below the lowest reading when off, I wouldn't condemn them because of that.

It's not hard to test and check the gauge calibration on your own.

Look near the bottom of this thread.  http://1970chargerregistry.com/70messageboard/viewtopic.php?t=2018&highlight=calibration

And this one. http://1970chargerregistry.com/70messageboard/viewtopic.php?t=2803

I read those links and have a question on that second one where you mention buying the three resistors to test the gauges. What are you expecting to see when you add voltage and ground with those in-line? Will it peg the needle or just make it move a little? Also, since my cluster is out of the car, do I need to run a voltage limiter or regulator between the power source and resistors before I test? I'm assuming the voltage needs to be limited before it goes through the resistors and gauges but I don't know what that limit is. I might have to test my limiter too in case it's fried and/or fused, otherwise I'd probably get the full 12v or nothing. According to that madelectrical link posted by B7 6PAK it might be better just to omit the ammeter completely. It sounds like trouble.

Also, do have any idea where that thread was that mentions how to reattach the broken pins to the board? Someone tried doing it on mine with a soldering gun and it looks like crap. I might have to get a new cluster.

[PocketThunder]

Just got mine back from autoinstruments.com and all i can say is