Alright, this is an SOS call to all my Squarebody Brethren...

I've developed a problem lately and I'm not sure where it stems from or when exactly it started. When I turn on my lights, my dash lights don't come on, my gas gauge stops working (needle drops to 'e'), and my high beam indicator turns on for low beams/goes off when I hit the high beams.

Any ideas? It's driving me nuts. I tore the dash apart this weekend, but to no avail.

Eric?

Sounds kinda like a bad ground somewhere.

Yeah, I checked everything like that, but it's worth another look.

I figured you did. Try changing out your light switch those do go bad a lot.

Yeah, that's kinda what I was thinking.

There is a ground junction on the drivers side kick panel just up under the dash, I would pull all the terminals and make sure their nice and clean. Also the head lights should be grounded left and right on the core support just above the head lights or one on each fender, but that all depends on how molested your square is....

lightswitch seems to be a common problem the full power to the headlights go through it and the kindah skimpy wiring, there are kits available that put a relay between the switch and the lights and let those take power directly from the alternator/battery through thicker wiring .
its a good idea to do that kit the lights burn brighter and theres less hazart of the lightswitch or the wiring to the lights catching fire

I'm kinda wondering if it might have something to do with the printed circut on the back of the cluster.

change the light switch out brother.

all so if that not the prob the hi low light switch

yea go with a new light switch but the only thing that puzzles me is the gas gauge part of it. if I had a wire diagram to look at I wouldn't be so confused

if the system only gets a few amps because of a bad ground the kight might be just enough to draw the current away from the gasmeter .
it might whell be that if you disconect the front lightbulbs from the wiring the gauge come back on same as the dashlights

i had the smae problem but it was due to bad conection at the plug and plastic board at the guages either dirty or plg cam loose and feeding of other circut

my vote is on a burned circuit board due to a bad ground-either a chassis ground or in the headlight switch.