Did this odo turnover … or just maybe?

[Detective D]

How I check:
Pads on the pedals
Seat wear
Carpet wear
Shift knob, steering wheel.
Ash tray

The above is how I determined that my 98 Dakota I picked up at an estate sale was likely super low miles, despite not having a battery in it to even see the odometer(digital). My hunch was correct, it had like 55K on it when I dropped a battery in it after the guy accepted my barely over junk price offer.

Really obvious, difference between 20k and 120k. But this will tell you even 60k vs 160k. I figure once you start talking 90k it won't matter if it rolled over anyway if the vehicle is worth buying.

 

[68BabyBlue]

Pretty easy to take the odometer out and change it to any mileage or swap for another speedo unit. Hard to say what are original miles unless the original owner can verify it somehow.

In the early 80s, the speedometer head in my '75 Valiant broke. I bought a replacement out of a junk yard, and installed it myself. The odometer reading was higher than my original. So I pulled the cylinder, and reset it to match. Numbers lined up perfectly, no way to tell it had been swapped.

 

[Richard Cranium]

All lined up perfect ready to roll..

..mine hasn't been around the 100k first, documented and fact....

Same here.

 

[68BabyBlue]

And Here. They will align perfectly when 286 comes up on the next tenth. Car never left PA, actual mileage documented on all titles since leaving the dealership. Original A/C control buttons never restored, and reflect miles driven. The paint was still intact on them when I drove the car with 17,000 back in 1970.

 

[YY1]

Door pulls and arm rest pads are another.

When I bought my 54,000 mile Satellite, I took it to work and gave a co worker a ride.

When I pointed to the odo, he said "yeah, more line a hundred and fifty four".

I then said "look at this" (tight and vibrant color arm rest)
and this (tight and unworn door card)
and this (minimal wear on brake pedal pad)
and this (one small rip in the piping of driver's seat)
and this (perfect dash pad)
and this (uncracked, unworn steering wheel)

then paused (while I said "you idiot" to myself) and then said "no, fifty four".

 

[Bleep Bleep]

I have my 91 Daytona, one owner, 74k, and it's not always lined up.

I have a motorcycle with 8100 original miles. Doesn't always line up.

I have a bike with over 55k...lines up perfectly.

It's plastic. The teeth aren't micrometer-toleranced. I wouldn't put any stock in this as a determination.

I know. Just dreaming. Appreciate you responding.

 

[Cranky]

How I check:
Pads on the pedals
Seat wear
Carpet wear
Shift knob, steering wheel.
Ash tray

The above is how I determined that my 98 Dakota I picked up at an estate sale was likely super low miles, despite not having a battery in it to even see the odometer(digital). My hunch was correct, it had like 55K on it when I dropped a battery in it after the guy accepted my barely over junk price offer.

Really obvious, difference between 20k and 120k. But this will tell you even 60k vs 160k. I figure once you start talking 90k it won't matter if it rolled over anyway if the vehicle is worth buying.

I know. Just dreaming. Appreciate you responding.

I have a 95 Dakota and a 96 Dakota......got the 95 when dad passed on in 98. My dad bought the 95 new and I bought the 96 about 5 or so years ago. The 95 has 106k vs the 96 having 142k but the 95 looks and feels like it has 300k while the 96 looks and feels like it has 50k! Someone took care of the 96 and I beat the snot out of the 95. My dad wasn't too kind to it either. The 96 has been repainted.....I'm sure the red paint on it faded and peeled just like my red 97 2500 did when it wasn't even 5 years old. The emerald green paint on the 95 lasted much longer even though it wasn't in a garage very much but it looks like crap now lol

 

[YY1]

My '00 Dakota is on it's second steering wheel, and it's work smooth on the top from about 11-1 o'clock.

The first was "leather" and the micron thin "leather" coating wore through after about 70K.

This one is rubber and was textured when it went on.

 

[Dipstick]

FWIW, back in the late eighties I was messing with the internals of a '70 speedo head when I noticed my fingers covered in something blue. Right over the first digit wheel was a piece of felt saturated in blue India ink, it was connected to a spring-loaded trip cam that would drop the felt wick onto the digit wheel when the odometer went past 99,999 and would leave a visible blue trace on that wheel. This was evidently introduced in the '70 model year because earlier examples I had didn't have the wick.

That wick stayed damp for almost 20 years but don't know if one would stay wet indefinitely.

 

[Bleep Bleep]

That’s really interesting. Never heard of that one. Thanks for sharing that