HGC

There is an unwritten rule that if you have a broken mechanical device and you take it apart and put it back together without actually fixing anything, it sometimes will start working again.

So, I get my new speedometer in the instrument cluster, go to screw in the cable and discover the nipple on the new speedo is a little different and things don't want to fit. Screwed the old speedo back in for comparision. Unscrewed it and was just kind of playing around with it and spun the nipple. It bound up a little on each rotation, which did not surprise me since the needle was bouncing and the odometer would not register at all. But then, it bound up a little less, then a little less, then started spinning freely. Put the old speedo back in the cluster and set it all back in the panel without connecting up everything else yet and went for a drive. Steady as a rock and now the odometer works.
Now, I have a new $75 repro speedometer sitting in the box. Guess I'll just hang onto it in case I need it. Maybe I'll see if NPD will take it back for credit. It's not like I'm not going to buy more stuff from them.

JMD

And it all works out, because the old one has the much desired PATINA already in place.

The "spray on patina" would have worked in a pinch, but real patina is better.




I like your fix, but I am one to take "little victories" as they come..

Canary94GT

gosh what is with all this patina lately. I don't even know how to pronounce it

AlexZi

Patina (pronounced /ˈpætənə/ or /pəˈtiːnə/) is a film on the surface of bronze or similar metals (produced by oxidation over a long period); a sheen on wooden furniture produced by age, wear, and polishing; or any such acquired change of a surface through age and exposure. On metal, patina is a coating of various chemical compounds such as oxides or carbonates formed on the surface during exposure to the elements (weathering). Patina also refers to accumulated changes in surface texture and colour that result from normal use of an object such as a coin or Honeygoldcoupe's engine.



And my speedo and odometer are dead also. Maybe I should try this.

Gun Jam

when you're poor you have a rusty jalopy

when you're rich you have a classic auto that has developed a patina

-Gun

1965fastback

Cool! I bet Alex needs your $75 speedo!

AlexZi

Ill take it....for free.

HGC

Well, here's how to do it. Remove the instrument cluster completely and then go for a drive. Watch the end of the speedo cable to see if it is spinning. If not, you need a new cable.
If it does spin then you need to check the speedo itself. I turned the little nipple on the back and I could feel when it hit resistance on each revolution. Actually, the first couple of times I had to get hold of it with a shop rag to get a good enough grip to get past the resistance.

Be sure to spin in the right direction. That is counter clockwise. You'll know if you are headed the right way because a good turn will make the needle move.

Just keep at it until the resistance is gone.

Take the speedo only and screw it in. Set it up in the instrument cluster opening in the dash and take a drive and see if it works. Don't be wrestling with putting the whole cluster back in yet.

If it does not work, unscrew it and screw it back in a few times.

Check for any loose wires around the very end of the cable. On mine I had one stringy wire wrapped loosly around the tightly wound cable and I think that also was causing binding. I just wrapped it tighter with a pair of needle nose pliers.

My visual analysis of the cable/speedo mechanism leads me to believe the cable itself does not drive the speedo. The little nut near the end of the cable butts up against the nipple on the back of the speedo and thats what rotates the speedo. The end of the cable beyond the nut is a guide to keep the cable in place. Hence, the cable nut has to have a good fit to the nipple, since it does not lock in place...it is only pressed against it.

If I am wrong about that, anyone...please correct me.

Good luck.

PS I don't think a 65 speedo will work in a 67.

Norm Peterson

Near as I can tell, the cable directly drives the odometer. But there is no direct mechanical connection between the cable and the speedometer needle.

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/speedometer.htm


Norm