alt gauge not working

[Joshpow]

Mine wouldnt move at all. I took the cluste apart and cleaned the board and put it back and voiala!! Its barely moving but I hear this is kinda normal. Maybe the connections on the back of the cluster are dirty.

[edglenn]

Yeah, the gauge hardly moves, because there's such a tiny amount of current running through it. 99.9% goes directly to the battery. The resistance wire might only have 1-2 ohms resistance. Cleaning the pivot could help a little. They are VERY delicate, btw.
I like the voltage gauge better. You can see the exact charging condition, and deduce the load, like headlights, etc. You also know right away if there's a charging issue if it drops below 10-11 volts for any length of time.
I would like to replace my stock gauge with a volt gauge, but I don't think Ford made that an option in 1972. They changed the gauge styles after that. Possibly an aftermarket could be installed, as long as the black face and white letters were similar, and the illumination bulb level. I hate to drill a 2-1/4" hole in the gauge cluster to install an aftermarket, but I may have to. I'd like to stay as stock as possible.