finally pulled the speedo out tonight to see if i can fix it and save myself some money, I don't know what the hell it's supposed to look like in here so I want some help figuring out what screwed up and how I might be able to fix it. THe obvious broken piece is a spring that was just kinda tangled up in there, dunno where it was supposed to go but it ain't there anymore. I looked at the speedo from the shoebox and it was setup differently than this one, but is the brass colored piece supposed to be attached to the arm of the needle? It was obvious how the one from the ford worked, but I'm not sure about this one...sorry the pics are fuzzy, camera is almost dead.
c'mon people, I really need to get this fixed tomorrow if possible....why couldn't this be tech week...
In my 54 chevy, I used a later model speedo mechanism...it was a early 70s truck and looked indentical to the 54 mechnism...maybe you could find one from another vehicle that might be in better shape, rather than try to fix your old one.
With all due respect...you need a speedo out of a parts car or send it out to the professionals with all the replacement parts and spend the big bucks. You'd need a parts speedo to repair yours anyway. If they were easy to repair they couldn't get the big bucks to repair them. Even if you got the needle to register again it probably wouldn't be accurate. IMHO In the mean time get a tach and follow a buddy at set speeds. 80 mph = X rpm, 55mph = X rpms etc.
messed with it today and figured out there ain't a damn thing I can do about it. went to every yard in my county lookin' and couldn't find a replacement. All the ones I've found online have been outta my budget since no one will sell just the speedo, ya gotta take the whole cluster. I'm really starting to hate this car....ARG. guess it'll have to collect more dust for awhile, thanks anyways guys.
The mechanical spedometer works something like this. The wire turns some sort of magnetic part.And over that one there is usually a aluminum cup, that is connetcted to the dial. And when the magnet is turning it's force will try to pull (rotate) the aluminum cup in the same direction. And the spring is putting on a braking force. And the spring tension is calibrated so that when the magnet is rotating at a specific RPM the speedo will show the milage. I have never ben able to fix a speedo when the spring was mangled, So i say get anotherone or send it out to a specialist,,,
Hi. I don't have a working "Real" speedo in my car right now. What I did was use a small digital bike speedo to moniter things until I get a cable for the real one. I glued the magnet onto the brake drum, made a small mount off backing plate to hold the sensor. Lengthend the wire and I was good to go. The system works VERY well. I know it is not traditional but it gives me an odometer with trip odometer along with max speed, average speed, and a clock with stopwatch function. It all tucks up out of site if I need to hide it. I only wish it was lit up for night use. Thanks, David
I must have missed what year and make you are working on. There are a lot of eyes out there that might run across a replacement.
60 pontiac, mines a catalina, but I'm pretty sure any of the 1960 pontiac speedo's will work. Think they're all the same.
I think 65 hit on something here, especially if someone didn't want to run gauges. Anyone that's used a decent bike computer knows how useful and accurate, and SIMPLE to set up. When I lived in Utah I registered 53 mph on a fire, back in 91 before suspensions--scared the hell out of me!
6fivemonster.....that is hilarious, but a good idea. one worth remembering when you need a good quick fix.