Temp Gauge issue

[custom10nut]

Just recently, my temp gauge has been registering near the “Red Zone“, under normal operating conditions, and will “Peg out” if I sit in traffic.
I’ve checked the water temps with a thermometer and it’s not over heating.
The sending unit is new, and the thermostat is working fine.
The gauge is it he original, that the truck rolled off the line with in 1970.
Is it possible for them to “Go Bad” and start reading “Hot”?
Would it fix the problem if I clean the contacts from the the Printed Circuit tothe gauge?
I just wanted to ask, before I go and buy a new gauge.