John C Bergan Posted October 28, 2018 Share Posted October 28, 2018 Hey, TerryB- Yes, the Aero Eagle was a nice find, I have to give my wife, Julie credit for acquiring this car. She spotted it with a For Sale sign in the windshield at Back to the 50's in Twin Cities last June. It is all original and all there with a few minor imperfections (interior very nice!) but dependable & enjoyable, although presently lacking a functional speedometer. And unfortunately I am also older than this car so I am not nimble and limber at this stage as you yourself have pointed out making slithering around behind the dash a nearly impossible task. That is why I was hoping there was a nice, simple, organized, goof proof set of instructions for accomplishing this speedo cable exchange. But I guess like everything else you just do what you gotta do to get the job done. This will be a job for next spring, the Willys has been winterized and put in hibernation mode at an inaccessible site for the next 6 mos - 'salt season' could arrive any day, we already had snow last weekend but of course it didn't stick around. Thanks, JohnB 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryB Posted October 28, 2018 Share Posted October 28, 2018 I’m in PA and understand the winter problems! I used to ride motorcycles and it was always a contest on what ended the riding season, the cold or the snow. With my antique cars it was snow as both my car and truck had a heater. Great story on how you got your car! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarlLaFong Posted October 28, 2018 Share Posted October 28, 2018 On most old car, changing the speedo cable couldn't be easier. You can, nearly always, reach the knurled nut at the back of the instrument very easily. Just reach up and feel for it. The transmission end might require you to crawl under the car or remove the center floor cover. 99 times out of 100, the inner cable is broken. They are pretty universal, most are square at each end. Figure the length and order one 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JACK M Posted October 28, 2018 Share Posted October 28, 2018 I have found that the effort to take the seat out is well worth the effort if I have to spend much time under the dash. I have also used a piece of plywood laying on the door sill and on a couple of jack stands out side of the door making a platform that I can lay on with just my head inside of the car. I think in this case I would jack the car up and take the tranny end off and pull the inner cable. This could be a really easy fix. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willie Wurke Posted October 29, 2018 Share Posted October 29, 2018 9 hours ago, JACK M said: I have found that the effort to take the seat out is well worth the effort if I have to spend much time under the dash. I have also used a piece of plywood laying on the door sill and on a couple of jack stands out side of the door making a platform that I can lay on with just my head inside of the car. I think in this case I would jack the car up and take the tranny end off and pull the inner cable. This could be a really easy fix. i think you need a lesson in mechanicing. If its easy --you are doing it WRONG Serously now:. The new cable has to go into the conduit from the top. The only reason to dis-connect the lower end is if it broke off and you have to remove the broke off piece. You shouldn't have to remove the front seat-- but it is to your advantage to have a body shape like a snake!! HERE IS A TIP: Put a little swipe of wheel bearing grease on the lower third of the new cable. ENJOY Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimy Posted October 29, 2018 Share Posted October 29, 2018 Willie, I've been doing it wrong for 60 years now--I always removed and reinserted from the bottom so as not to risk a greasy cable staining my seats. Of course, I have disconnected the speedo head's end before extracting from under the car. This method has worked for me each and every time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JACK M Posted October 29, 2018 Share Posted October 29, 2018 (edited) 14 hours ago, Willie Wurke said: i think you need a lesson in mechanicing. If its easy --you are doing it WRONG Not to sure if I'm young enough to be taught any new lessons, but I learn things all the time. I've only been mechanican all my life and have learned a few tricks over that time and thought I would pass on some ideas. If everything you work on is difficult maybe you are doing it WRONG. Next time you spend a day snaking around under the dash you might find that four seat bolts might have been worth the effort. This idea was not specific to the speedo cable, just if it looks like one may be under there for awhile. Edited October 29, 2018 by JACK M (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank DuVal Posted October 29, 2018 Share Posted October 29, 2018 It must be the cars I work on, but most everyone had a stop at the top of the speedometer cable core, so the core would not come out the transmission end. Had to be removed from the top. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willie Wurke Posted October 30, 2018 Share Posted October 30, 2018 That is what I have encountered also. The stop is to keep the cable from going too far into the speedo machanism and damaging the "clockworks". I have only worked in auto repair 76 years but really learning some new tricks now .(doing street rods) "Shhhh" 7 hours ago, Frank DuVal said: It must be the cars I work on, but most everyone had a stop at the top of the speedometer cable core, so the core would not come out the transmission end. Had to be removed from the top. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John C Bergan Posted October 30, 2018 Author Share Posted October 30, 2018 A big thanks and hats off to TerryB, misterc9, Willie Wurke, A.Ballard 35R, Carl LaFong, Jack M,Grimy and Frank DuVal; a great support group offering friendly advice, tech tips, stories from experience and entertaining banter. I really enjoy and appreciate your feedback, guys! Keep it coming, I'm a newbie to the vintage car scene and need all the help and encouragement I can get. As I stated earlier in a post, my car is not available to work on right now but I'm archiving all your responses for future (spring'19) reference on the speedometer repair (and other stuff like weather stripping replacing, adjusting column shift function, windshield replacement and brake maintenance - when time and weather permits) . A looming vacation date, fall yard work and unpredictable arrival of winter conditions prompted me to button up the '53 Willys last weekend for an early hibernation so no more joy rides in 2018 for this babyboomer. I will also mention that I own a Mechanics Manual (for the models 685, 675 & 6-226), however I would be interested in any other good manuals or reference guides you might suggest for body and interior maintenance/repair for a '53 Willys. Thanks and have a great week, hope to continue hearing from you and all your Willys Aero friends. JohnB 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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