New Lift! Speedo gear?

[TampaRiv]

Hello gents,

 

     I am enjoying my new 4-post lift.  I bought it gently used off FB or CL, and with the help of my lovely wife, we got it re-assembled last Saturday, and now I am having fun underneath working on the '67 Newport.

 

   Next up I will get the '63 Riv up there and remove the speedo gear so I can get a replacement, and hopefully restore the speedometer.  SO, once again, where do I get the new speedo gear and new speedo cable??  I have visited this problem a couple of times, but now that I don't need to depend on a disinterested mechanic shop to do the job,  I can actually get the job done.    Thanks for any recommendations for vendors for the speedo gear and cable.

 

Cheers from Tampa,

 

Rich

 

   

[psychostang]

CARS, www.oldbuickparts.com has cable's and repair/lubrication kits.  Haven't found the drive or driven gear yet  You still sportin the twin turbine?

 

P.S.  If it's the driven gear you need, you may be able get it from this person:

 

https://charlietranny.com/Dynaflow parts for sale.htm#(10)

Edited March 24, 2021 by psychostang (see edit history)

[TampaRiv]

Thanks Andy,  yeah, I still have the Dynaflow.  Here's what came out of the transmission this afternoon.  SO,  any idea as to what plastic thingy I need to restore my speedo?  Ed?  Jim?  Anyone?

[telriv]

Y

Quote

you will need to know how many teeth the original driven gear had.

 

[TampaRiv]

Thanks Telriv.  This whole speedo thing is a nightmare. 

 

     The gear broke off inside the transmission.  Psychostang's guy Charlie is telling me that I need to retrieve the broken gear out of the tranny, so the teeth can be counted.  SO.....assuming that the broken-off gear wheel thingy is intact in one piece and isn't shredded to bits, then I have to drop the pan and hope that the thing is in there and can actually be found. 

 

     The place where the gear inserts into the transmission is not really in good proximity to the pan itself, so if it broke off and wasn't ground up, what are the odds that it ended up in the pan??  I guess I'll find out........

[abandg]

I think it is 21 teeth

[telriv]

What color is the broken piece???   Normally/usually the speedo driven gear on the Rivs. are 17 or 19 teeth. The broken off piece inside the traans. WILL NOT be accessible from the pan.  The tailhousing will have to be removed.   I gave Bob (turminator)  the place to buy the replacement gear. As of this moment I don't remember who has the gear.  IF I remember correctly they cost abput $100.00.

Whats wrong with the speedo cable???  The inner cable can be replaced at just about ANY auto parts store. Just measure & cut to the desired length.

 

Tom T.

[TampaRiv]

Thanks Tom,  

 

   At this point , I just figure that having a working speedometer just isn't worth the effort.  I  can't see going to the effort of removing the tailhousing to recover the gear, and then....where do I get the gear??  Nobody seems to know where to get the gears, even Charlie isn't sure.    I give up.  Even with the luxury of working with a lift, it still is just too much hassle.  Kinda like the window fuzzie debacle.

 

   And I know you guys are gonna bust my balls like I'm some kinda amateur who doesn't know what he's doing, but rest assured that is not the case.  I just know when to cut my losses and start driving the cars.

[RivNut]

2 hours ago, TampaRiv said:

Thanks Tom,  

 

   At this point , I just figure that having a working speedometer just isn't worth the effort.  I  can't see going to the effort of removing the tailhousing to recover the gear, and then....where do I get the gear??  Nobody seems to know where to get the gears, even Charlie isn't sure.    I give up.  Even with the luxury of working with a lift, it still is just too much hassle.  Kinda like the window fuzzie debacle.

 

   And I know you guys are gonna bust my balls like I'm some kinda amateur who doesn't know what he's doing, but rest assured that is not the case.  I just know when to cut my losses and start driving the cars.

I have cars with working speedometer but I trust the speedometer on my GPS to be more accurate.  I don’t blame you one bit.  

[Turbinator]

On 3/28/2021 at 8:50 PM, TampaRiv said:

Thanks Tom,  

 

   At this point , I just figure that having a working speedometer just isn't worth the effort.  I  can't see going to the effort of removing the tailhousing to recover the gear, and then....where do I get the gear??  Nobody seems to know where to get the gears, even Charlie isn't sure.    I give up.  Even with the luxury of working with a lift, it still is just too much hassle.  Kinda like the window fuzzie debacle.

 

   And I know you guys are gonna bust my balls like I'm some kinda amateur who doesn't know what he's doing, but rest assured that is not the case.  I just know when to cut my losses and start driving the cars.

Tampa Riv, you are right. When the level of aggravation is too high I just move on to something else.

The rear end in the car should have two markings that indicate the gear ratio. The Buick Parts Book 1940-1967 vol 1-2 cross reference the gear ratio to the number of teeth needed on the speedo gear. “

Best Offer Counts had the speedo gear at $100. Plus shipping.

I don’t smoke so I don’t care if my cigarette lighter works or not. I know what you mean. My speedo works, works good too.

Turbinator

On 3/28/2021 at 11:01 PM, RivNut said:

I have cars with working speedometer but I trust the speedometer on my GPS to be more accurate.  I don’t blame you one bit.  

Ed,I put a widget between my speedo cable and speedo gear that corrects the speedometer. I check and recheck the speedo with a speed app on my iPhone. Both speed app and speedo In my car agree. Of course both could be wrong.

Turbinator

[RivNut]

6 hours ago, Turbinator said:

Tampa Riv, you are right. When the level of aggravation is too high I just move on to something else.

The rear end in the car should have two markings that indicate the gear ratio. The Buick Parts Book 1940-1967 vol 1-2 cross reference the gear ratio to the number of teeth needed on the speedo gear. “

Best Offer Counts had the speedo gear at $100. Plus shipping.

I don’t smoke so I don’t care if my cigarette lighter works or not. I know what you mean. My speedo works, works good too.

Turbinator

Ed,I put a widget between my speedo cable and speedo gear that corrects the speedometer. I check and recheck the speedo with a speed app on my iPhone. Both speed app and speedo In my car agree. Of course both could be wrong.

Turbinator

Bob, have you checked your odometer with the Gizmo installed?  The speedometer is driven magnetically and as magnets age, they lose some of their power. The gizmo makes up for this with new gearing.  The odometer is mechanical. What goes in is what comes out.  Changing the gears on those has a direct effect on the input - output.  

 

Ed

[Barney Eaton]

Here is an idea of what you might need......... GM used these in lots of transmissions, probably interchangeable. 

Color coded for the different number of teeth.     Obviously the one on the far right is for a different transmission. 

[telriv]

Ed,

 

     Bob's speedo & GPS botn agree.

[Turbinator]

On 4/7/2021 at 10:27 PM, Barney Eaton said:

Here is an idea of what you might need......... GM used these in lots of transmissions, probably interchangeable. 

Color coded for the different number of teeth.     Obviously the one on the far right is for a different transmission. 

Sir, thank you for a very fine representation. I used the 19 tooth on my 63 zRiviera. There was a clip that was on the end of the shaft as I remember.

[Turbinator]

On 4/7/2021 at 11:49 AM, RivNut said:

Changing the gears on those has a direct effect on the input - output. 

Ed, I’ve checked the speedo numerous times with the gizmo calibrator and an application on my iPhone. The speed on the speedometer and speed app on my iPhone match.

I cannot dispute science. Maybe science is built in the calibration widget? 
Turbinator

[RivNut]

Bob, I'm saying that the gear and the cable are one variable that cannot change unless you physically install something different.  The other part that I'm referring to is the actual speedometer head.  If you change the gear or add a gizmo at the transmission end to fix a speedometer accuracy problem, that gear change/gizmo has a direct effect on your odometer.  The use of the Gizmo probably makes up for some weakness in the magnets that spin your speedometer, but the effect of gizmo has a direct mechanical effect on the gear driven odometer. You may have corrected yoour speedometer but im betting you caused an adverse effect on your odometer.  Each work on a different principle.

[telriv]

Ed,

 

   Bob haven't explained it correctly. He HAD to replace the gear because the plastic teeth were worn away caused  by a seized/stiff speedo cable or some kind of binding.

 

Tom T.

[RivNut]

👍 Thanks.  You're right, I thought he swapped out a good gear that wasn't giving him an accurate read out.

[Turbinator]

9 hours ago, RivNut said:

👍 Thanks

Ed, it’s our English common language that separates us from clear communication. I can see how you could have thought I was a nut without having a speedo gear in the transmission. Ha, that is funny.

[RivNut]

5 hours ago, Turbinator said:

Ed, it’s our English common language that separates us from clear communication. I can see how you could have thought I was a nut without having a speedo gear in the transmission. Ha, that is funny.

I knew that you had a gear in the transmission. I thought that you were getting an inaccurate reading at he speedometer and installed a gizmo to correct it.  When I bought my 63, it was equipped with a 3.91 rear end for towing purposes.  The owner did not install a new transmission gear, he just had an overlay on the speedometer.  I've always wondered what the actual odometer reading is because I know that 3.91 rear gear with a 3.07 speedometer gear threw the odometer way off.

[Turbinator]

1 hour ago, RivNut said:

knew that you had a gear in the transmission. I thought that you were getting an inaccurate reading at he speedometer and installed a gizmo to correct it. 

Ed, I started off with with grease coming up through the speedo cable and dripping grease on my shoe. So, I started trying to fix the leak with a new cable that advertised as direct fit, but stretched out about 6 feet. I cut the new speedo cable and it didn’t work. Went to junk yard and got a speedo off a junk 63. The speedo fit perfect. No more leaks.

I fancied a speedo that was accurate and my new cable did not help the case. I bought a new speedo drive gear from Best Offer Counts fit a $100 bucks. I ruined the new part. A friend of mine and I went back to the junk yard for a shot at a 19 tooth speedo gear and accompanying bullet to match. Luck was with us and the the gear and bullet fit. Speedo still wrong. Tom T put me in touch with an outfit in Texas that made these calibration widgets. I followed their instructions and sent back measurement info requested. I put the widget in ( I’ll see if I can get a pic) and the speed is fine. I match it up with an app on my phone to make sure I’m at the right speed. Cars on the interstate zoom by must be doing 80 plus mph. I put a lot of time in on my car my car and have do overs a lot of time because I’m inexperienced and not gifted in areas of mechanics. Seems I’m always drawn to my weak points. Ha!

Let blank on purpose 

[RivNut]

I'm still curious if your odometer is correct.  Miles per hour are now correct. Are miles driven correct?

[Turbinator]

2 hours ago, RivNut said:

Are miles driven correct?

Good question. I’ll figure out a way to check for accuracy of the odometer.

Turbinator

[RivNut]

A federal highway probably has mile markers along it.  Find a nice stretch and drive for 10 miles or so and compare it to your odometer.  An interstate highway will have markers every tenth of a mile.

[1965rivgs]

8 hours ago, Turbinator said:

Ed, I started off with with grease coming up through the speedo cable and dripping grease on my shoe. So, I started trying to fix the leak with a new cable that advertised as direct fit, but stretched out about 6 feet. I cut the new speedo cable and it didn’t work. Went to junk yard and got a speedo off a junk 63. The speedo fit perfect. No more leaks.

I fancied a speedo that was accurate and my new cable did not help the case. I bought a new speedo drive gear from Best Offer Counts fit a $100 bucks. I ruined the new part. A friend of mine and I went back to the junk yard for a shot at a 19 tooth speedo gear and accompanying bullet to match. Luck was with us and the the gear and bullet fit. Speedo still wrong. Tom T put me in touch with an outfit in Texas that made these calibration widgets. I followed their instructions and sent back measurement info requested. I put the widget in ( I’ll see if I can get a pic) and the speed is fine. I match it up with an app on my phone to make sure I’m at the right speed. Cars on the interstate zoom by must be doing 80 plus mph. I put a lot of time in on my car my car and have do overs a lot of time because I’m inexperienced and not gifted in areas of mechanics. Seems I’m always drawn to my weak points. Ha!

Let blank on purpose 

Bob,

  When I was barely 20 years old I was a fleet mechanic for what is now a very large delivery company. We were running 25 year old Diamond Reo cab over tractors with millions of miles ( Yes, Diamond Reos! The company was growing very quickly, there was no such thing as new equipment!) and worn out GMC Astro cabovers. Both the speedos and tachometers on both were cable operated. Our company was very anal about tracking the drivers and miles so every PM it was standard procedure to use a mechanical veeder root to calibrate the speedo. We had a length of road marked off on the PM test drive and the veeder root would tell us if the speedo was fast or slow. We had a kit which we used to make up speedo adapters very similar to the one you pictured....but they were all metal. The kit contained hundreds of gear combinations which made it possible to calibrate the speedo/odometer very precisely. It was a great relief when we started to acquire some newer equipment with electronic speedos and tachs, I was tired of making up cables! BTW, GM used the same speedo adapters when some special order high numerical ratio differentials were speced out/ordered in automobiles and in many series of heavy duty trucks.

Tom

[Turbinator]

4 hours ago, 1965rivgs said:

Yes, Diamond Reos!

My GrandFather had farm truck we knew as the Diamond T. I watched grandfather start the Diamond T with a hand crank. It was cool.

im familiar with UPS company culture. I was able to earn sales of UPS approved Pitney Bowes equipment from 1976 forward. A person had to know the UPS procedure. I have friends that had long careers with UPS. I heard UPS would print in paint the drivers name on his truck for years/miles of accident free driving.

I heard UPS started package delivery on bicycle. Amazing outfit, but they have their ways.

Thank you for the information regarding calibration speedo/odometer on UPS trucks. I’m not surprised UPS wants to know where everyone is. One of the reasons I stayed with my outfit for so long was they let reps be totally self directed. As long as we brought in business they didn’t care where we were. A big plus for my mentality was not to be over managed.

Turbinator

[RivNut]

REO - Ransom E. Olds - Oldsmobile

[Turbinator]

On 4/12/2021 at 10:23 AM, RivNut said:

REO - Ransom E. Olds - Oldsmobile

Ed, did Diamond T ever join REO?

it’s been a long since I was in Granfather’s Diamond T. I remember seeing REO on the truck. My Uncles called it the Diamond T.

[RivNut]

The two companies combined in 1967 according to a couple of articles I found when I Googled the two names.