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EFV-8 Club Forum / General Ford Discussion / Broken 1936 speedometer

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Posted By Discussion Topic: Broken 1936 speedometer -- page: 1 2 3     Grant 04-17-2011 @ 5:49 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 533 Joined: Oct 2009 The speedometer in my good friend Dale's '36 Ford broke last October on our way home from the St. George meet. It was a cold morning, about 40 degrees F, and as soon as we got out onto I-15 there was a loud squealing noise. The speedo needle was swinging back and forth, and fell off after a couple of miles. Was the squealing noise the speedometer cable ? Can we take the speedometer housing apart ourselves and simply epoxy the needle back on ? Should the speedometer cable be replaced ? What sort of lubricant is correct for use on a 1936 Ford speedometer cable ? Would it be a better idea to have the speedometer professionally rebuilt by a specialist ? If so, can someone recommend a competent repairer ? On page 106 of the March/April V8 Times, under "Services", Norm's Antique Auto Supply in Iowa is advertising speedometer repair and restoration. Have any of you club members dealt with that shop ? supereal 04-17-2011 @ 7:14 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 We send speedos and other instruments to Bob's Speedometer in Michigan. You can get their address by putting the name in your browser. They will give you an estimate when they get the unit. Repairing a speedometer is not an amateur job. Norm's is just a few miles from us, but we have never used them. MG 04-17-2011 @ 7:53 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 1247 Joined: Nov 2009 supereal said: "Norm's is just a few miles from us, but we never use them." Why is it that you have never used "Norm's", given his close proximity to you? One would think that to save shipping charges to Michigan, you would use "Norm's". Is it that you have had a bad experience with "Norm's"? One could interpret from your post that avoiding "Norm's" is wise, the thing to do. Or, is it that you are just promoting "Bob's" Speedo Repair? ? ford38v8 04-17-2011 @ 8:08 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 2735 Joined: Oct 2009 MG, Super's name is Bob, so he must feel an affinity with the Bob of Bob's Speedo Repair. I'm sure that must be the case, aren't you? On the other hand, perhaps Bob used Bob's repair before he found out about Norm, and anyway, I wonder if it's the same Norm from "Cheers"? The Cheers Norm never seemed capable of doing anything so mechanical, did he? It just makes ya wonder sometimes, huh? Alan MG 04-17-2011 @ 8:21 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 1247 Joined: Nov 2009 Alan said: "I'm sure that must be the case, aren't you?" - No,... need to hear from supereal. & Bob (supereal) - "he must feel an affinity with the Bob of Bob's Speedo Repair".....??? & Norm from "Cheers" etc. etc. etc......??? Have another 'toddy' Alan :o)........MG This message was edited by MG on 4-17-11 @ 11:20 PM supereal 04-18-2011 @ 9:23 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 Alan is just jerking my chain, as I do his, on occasion. I recommend vendors and services that our shop has used and found reliable. I visited with Norm at our big semi annual swap meet, and wasn't particularly impressed. He may be the best in the world, but we tend to stick with sources we have experience with. The site for Bob's Speedometer is www.bobsspeedometer.com, or 800/592-9673. Their turnaround time was short. They are not cheap, but what that is good is? 37RAGTOPMAN 04-18-2011 @ 11:26 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 1940 Joined: Oct 2009 it might have been a bad or dry cable that made the excessive vibrations to cause the needle to drop OFF, I think they are pressed on,and can be reattached in the same manner, you can remove the speedo and take the bezel off and press back CAREFULLY by hand,using a tweezers, DO NOT GLUE IT ON, it will render the speedometer maybe useless and preload the needle so it rest against the needle stop, and you can use a drill and a square cable end[ this can be made out of a piece of scr*p ] and test the speedometer, going slow at first and in the right direction, looking at the back of speedo , counter clockwise, if it is ok, take the speedocable out and check to see if frayed or is excessively dry, if not the best get a new one and lube with graphite lock lube , hang it up and lube from the top and do this a few times,so it is completey lubed,let it run down the cable,, also lay the speedo face down and use very light oil and lube the drive from the back,make sure this is also lubed and is not sticking,3in 1 oil would be good let hear how you made out, this might save you a few bucks, 37RAGTOPMAN and KEEP on FORDIN,,,!!!! This message was edited by 37RAGTOPMAN on 4-19-11 @ 7:01 AM joe b 04-18-2011 @ 12:32 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 389 Joined: Oct 2010 I have also used Bob's Speedometer with good results. Their policy is, send them the speedo. Before they do any work they will give you an estimate. If you don't want them to do the work they will send it back to you. They also will answer questions on the phone. Highly recommend. 1932BB 04-18-2011 @ 1:25 PM reply profile send p.m. New Member Posts: 104 Joined: Oct 2009 Another vote for Bob's Speedometer. He will work with you. His service also repairs other automotive widgets. Grant 04-19-2011 @ 12:01 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 533 Joined: Oct 2009 Thanks to everyone for their comments and recommendations. As always I very much appreciate the advice from fellow EFV8 members. Looking back through this month's Forum topics, I see that on April 5th pretty much the same subject came up under the title "Jumpy 36 Speedo". Apparently we aren't the only ones with 1936 speedometer problems. I suspect that our malfunction was related to a dry cable. In the Jumpy 36 Speedo thread, Supereal commented that he had acquired a very pricey NOS speedometer for his '47. If the unit in our car cannot be repaired, should we be looking for an NOS unit ? Does anyone know what a fair price would be for an NOS 1936 speedometer ? Is there a difference between the open car and closed car speedometers in the 1936 Fords ?

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