Rebuilding my Speedometer
- Thread starter Samclark
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Austin Healer
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the best place to send it would be British Speedo services. britishspeedo.com I just had them rebuild a speedo for me. former Nisonger employees.
I am not sure where you are located in Southern California, but I have used Paul's Speedometer Services in Redondo Beach. Their address is 529 N Pacific Coast Hwy, Redondo Beach, CA 90277 and their telephone number is (310) 374-3017.
In the latest edition of the CAT Shop Notes, there is an article from the 1980s about another company here in Southern California. West Valley Instruments in Reseda. Their website is www.westvalleyinstruments.com. They do not list a telephone number or an email address on their website, but you can contact them via their website.
Good luck getting your speedo rebuilt.
Austin Healer
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well.... there is Palo Alto Speedometer.... but given my druthers I'd use the former Nisonger employees... (britishspeedo.com) Just speaking from 40 years of experience....
If this is a Mk1/Mk1a.... I do have a really nice speedo available!
I just had my Speedometer repaired by britishspeedo. I have only put an hour on the car, but so far so good. I called MoMa first--they said $400 and get in line (months). British said $200 plus parts and shipping, and it was back in two weeks. It ended up being $240 altogether. The one thing he did say after I told him I tried to repair it myself was never spray DW- 40 on the gages--it will melt the number counter wheels. Thanks to the Austin Healer for the tip on britishspeedo.
Austin Healer
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No lubricant of any kind... gums up the works. You have to remember that these are a magnetic driven gauge. The gears are only for the odometer section.. Any lubricant on the magnetic mechanism makes them inaccurate.
Another thing to remember is to make sure that there is some end float between the speedo cable (the inner part) and the part of the gauge it inserts into. if there is no play, or worse, it's tight... it will bind up and damage the gauge... quite possibly to the point it cannot be repaired. That's what the rubber o-ring supplied with new speedo cables is for. It fits between the cable sleeve base and the gauge so that there is a little end float on the cable.
When you get the gauge back from British Speedo, they'll include a set of installation instructions that basically repeats what I just wrote.
Another thing to remember is to make sure that there is some end float between the speedo cable (the inner part) and the part of the gauge it inserts into. if there is no play, or worse, it's tight... it will bind up and damage the gauge... quite possibly to the point it cannot be repaired. That's what the rubber o-ring supplied with new speedo cables is for. It fits between the cable sleeve base and the gauge so that there is a little end float on the cable.
When you get the gauge back from British Speedo, they'll include a set of installation instructions that basically repeats what I just wrote.
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I drilled four little counter sunk holes in the gears so the JB Weld would get a purchase on the surface. The lock washers were then set on top with the JB Weld to give more strength. I dabbed more JB on the shafts and set them in the gears. After reassembly I hooked my drill to the drive and it spun smoothly, no stutter and dropped back to the pin. While the gauges were out, I matched the paint of white and blue and also painted all the arms. Palo Alto Speedo recalibrated my tach with a new board due to my electronic distributor and all gauges function as they should.
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Nice job. I repainted my needles and slid aluminum foil under them to avoid getting paint on the faces. I thought about using paper like in your photo but then had an epiphany the the foil is more flexible and easier to get in place without putting any force on the needle.
