Grimy Posted February 5, 2022 Share Posted February 5, 2022 I've been using stocking filters for 20 years with excellent results--after using Gano for at least five years before that, with only one tear that was my fault. One benefit of the stocking filter is that crud lies trapped in the top tank and doesn't fall back into the head. As I've mentioned in several other threads, run 200 miles the first time before draining off (for re-use) some coolant and g-e-n-t-l-y removing the stocking for rinsing out under a faucet. How much crud is captured the first time will let you estimate the interval for the next cleaning. After two or three within 1,000 miles, you can leave the stocking in place for 3 or 4 years. I use the (cheap) heavier-gauge thigh-high stockings sold for use with slacks; they seem to be hardier. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted February 6, 2022 Author Share Posted February 6, 2022 22 hours ago, Grimy said: One benefit of the stocking filter is that crud lies trapped in the top tank and doesn't fall back into the head. It looks like the Gano filter is comprised of two conical screens. The first has a hole in the center (i.e., the tip of the cone is removed). The second screen is a complete cone. So, it looks to me as though the first screen is there to prevent most of what the second screen catches from falling back toward the thermostat housing. Some will undoubtedly fall back and need to be caught a second (or third?) time, but so long as I periodically inspect and clean the filter it should eventually capture any loose flakes that are circulating. I'll see how it goes and adjust as necessary. I'm not giving up on the stocking approach, but I'm going to see what the Gano captures first. The overarching goal is to keep any of that crap from fouling my brand-new radiator core! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimy Posted February 6, 2022 Share Posted February 6, 2022 (edited) 58 minutes ago, EmTee said: It looks like the Gano filter is comprised of two conical screens. The first has a hole in the center (i.e., the tip of the cone is removed). The second screen is a complete cone. So, it looks to me as though the first screen is there to prevent most of what the second screen catches from falling back toward the thermostat housing. Some will undoubtedly fall back and need to be caught a second (or third?) time, but so long as I periodically inspect and clean the filter it should eventually capture any loose flakes that are circulating. I'll see how it goes and adjust as necessary. I'm not giving up on the stocking approach, but I'm going to see what the Gano captures first. The overarching goal is to keep any of that crap from fouling my brand-new radiator core! Why not try both at the same time? That is, put a stocking in the top tank thru the upper radiator neck, then the Gano in the top hose? The Gano will certainly catch the big chunks -- which might be the primary issue -- and the stocking will catch the fine stuff. Both will clog a radiator. I had a unique problem when I acquired my 1922 Paige which lived much of its life in Iowa where, I'm told, there is a lot of lime in the water--or at least where the car lived. This was compounded by the 15-year ownership in SF by a man who was a great proponent of using soluble oil as an anti-rust. The stocking captured material which, in aggregate in the stocking tip, looked like sludge but which apparently got through the double screens of a Gano in its finer form, then aggregated in the finer mesh of the stocking. There was such a capture that, because I waited 200 miles to clean the stocking the first time, that I had to use a pair of chopsticks down the filler neck to "massage" the large amount of sludge into a long cylindrical shape so that the stocking could be removed intact by a helper through the upper neck. I don't expect your situation to be as dire as mine was, but you might consider using both the first time as a test to see what gets by a Gano. Good luck and please let us all know. Edited February 6, 2022 by Grimy fix typo (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted February 6, 2022 Author Share Posted February 6, 2022 11 minutes ago, Grimy said: Why not try both at the same time? That is, put a stocking in the top tank thru the upper radiator neck, then the Gano in the top hose? I was actually thinking the same thing... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary W Posted February 9, 2022 Share Posted February 9, 2022 I'm glad to hear you got the radiator cored. I hope you have the same cooling experience that I have with my Buick. I run a 160 thermostat. On those hot hot summer days, she runs nice and cool, even in slow, "stop and go" traffic. (Dash gauge just barely brushes up to the 180 mark) When I take her out on these freezing January and February mornings, I cover the bottom 1/3 of the radiator and she still runs cool. I get enough heat so its comfortable, but sometimes I feel like running a 180 in the colder months and swapping it out with the 160 in summer. To make the radiator cover: I went to Costco and bought a black bath towel. I then trimmed it to size and folded the edges over and sewed in a couple magnets. I lift the hood and there is plenty of metal in there for the magnets to hold the towel in position. From the outside you never see anything and it works nicely. Funny thing..... I was cleaning the garage last week and I came across this postcard. A Buick advertisement promoting their cars. The photo states it was taken on Constitution Day, September 17, 1937. It was the day they unveiled Lincoln's face. (Rushmore wasn't finished until 1941) Then I noticed what looks like radiator covers over the outside of the grille. The car is actually a 1938 model, which may be accurate for September of 1937, but is it that cold in South Dakota in September? Good luck getting her back on the road! Gary 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted February 9, 2022 Author Share Posted February 9, 2022 Thanks, Gary - from what John at Classic Radiators said the old radiator was woefully plugged. In fact, I'm amazed it didn't overheat more often... I'm going to run a 160* thermostat. I installed a ball valve in the thermostat housing so that I can shut off the water to the heater in the summer. Everything is back together except for the upper hose. I'm waiting for my Gano filter and new (more pliable) upper hose to arrive in a few days. At that point I should be able to button it all up and give it a try (weather permitting). I'd like to flush the coolant again, but that's hard to do around here right now. I may just filter the coolant I drained and then top it off until the weather breaks. At that point I can drain and refill with water and flush a couple of times before refilling with new antifreeze. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Bruce aka First Born Posted February 10, 2022 Share Posted February 10, 2022 I have owned a lot of cars and trucks in my lifetime. Driven several million miles. Almost always when overheating rears it's ugly head the culprit is a plugged , or at least restricted, radiator. I am glad you have "fixed" the problem. Your engine will appreciate a 180 thermostat. I run a 195 in mine. Ben 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted February 10, 2022 Author Share Posted February 10, 2022 1 hour ago, Ben Bruce aka First Born said: Your engine will appreciate a 180 thermostat. I'm going to run the 160 to start, as from what I see in the shop manual that's close to what was used originally. I'm anxious to see where the temperature gauge sits once it's fully warmed-up on an 80 degree day this summer. I'm not against going to 180, but since this car will really only be driven during the warmer months I think the warmup time will be fairly brief in either case. When it's running down the highway the thermostat will be open. I expect the 160 will cycle less than a 180 would. I currently have the choke all apart on my bench, as it was non-operational. More to come on that... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted February 12, 2022 Author Share Posted February 12, 2022 While waiting for my Gano filter and upper radiator hose to arrive I figured I'd tackle the choke, which was non-operational when I received the car. The butterfly remains in the fully open position and returns to that position if I try to close it. I removed the two bolts that hold the choke unit to the carburetor body and the four nuts that hold the carburetor to the manifold. I was then able to raise the carburetor high enough to disengage the choke from the throttle shaft and then free the heat tube from the manifold. I then brought it over to the bench and removed the cover. The first thing I noticed was that the short end of the spring highlighted above wasn't caught behind the tab on the lever visible to the right of the screw. Refer to the figure below. The other thing I noticed was the generally dirty condition of the mechanism. The big issue, however, was that the thermostatic coil was holding the choke open at all times. Looking at the butterfly shows that the notch in the shaft that the tab on the control cable engages is at 12 0'clock when the choke is open and is at about 3 o'clock when the butterfly is closed. The notch on the thermostatic coil shaft that drives the choke cable was set such that the choke was open when cold. Since the shaft rotates clockwise when viewed from the cable end, heating the thermostatic coil causes it to try to force the butterfly further in the open direction, hence no choke operation. The coil can be 'calibrated' by loosening an allen-head set screw as shown at (#9) in the diagram. So, in order to function, the thermostatic coil needed to be re-calibrated. As shown in the diagram, there is also a 'take-off' piston (#4) connected to a dash pot. Both of those pistons were sticky when I attempted to cycle them by hand. So, the next order of business was to disassemble and clean the choke body and all of the internal components. I used brake cleaner, carburetor cleaner, steel wool and brushes to clean the parts and remove surface rust. The take-off piston and dash pot bores had some very light corrosion that I cleaned-up with 220-grit wet-or-dry paper and a little WD-40. Following that, I wiped the bores and rinsed the inside of the choke body with brake cleaner and blew it dry with compressed air. Here's what it looked like at the point where it was ready to be reassembled. I then reassembled the unit in preparation for re-calibrating the thermostatic coil. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted February 12, 2022 Author Share Posted February 12, 2022 With the automatic choke unit cleaned and reassembled, I consulted the shop manual for calibration instructions. Based on what I read and what I see when looking at the choke unit and the carburetor, I determined that the notch in the thermostatic drive shaft on the choke unit should point toward the starter vacuum switch at an ambient of 68 ~ 70*. So, I brought the unit into the house and let it sit overnight before making the adjustment. This morning I loosened the set screw at the end of the coil shaft and rotated the shaft to point toward the vacuum switch (i.e., toward the radiator when installed on the car). This orientation basically corresponds to a cold engine (68* F). In this position, the drive cable will just close the choke butterfly. (Colder temps will just force it closed with more preload). I wanted to also verify that the choke would open as the engine warms-up, so I was trying to think of a way to heat the coil. I thought about putting the whole thing in the oven set to 200*, but then I spotted the toaster that my wife just used for her English Muffin on the counter and that gave me an idea... Note that in as long as it normally takes to toast two slices of bread, the notch has rotated colckwise 90*. In this position the drive cable will hold the choke butterfly fully open, as intended. So, I think I have the unit ready to reinstall and I'm pretty sure it should actually (hopefully) work! Stay tuned... 7 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonMicheletti Posted February 12, 2022 Share Posted February 12, 2022 The toaster was a clever idea. I just took it off, adjusted and put it on several times until I was satisfeid with its operation. I am anxious to see how your method works out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carbking Posted February 12, 2022 Share Posted February 12, 2022 The toaster obviously worked. If you need to do this in the future, a hair dryer also works well; and doesn't change the flavor of the toast Jon 2 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted February 12, 2022 Author Share Posted February 12, 2022 (edited) I wouldn't have used the toaster except for the fact that I had just thoroughly cleaned the choke unit, so no grease, gas or gunk. It didn't actually go inside the slot; it just sat on top of the toaster over one of the slots. (But don't tell my wife...) Edited February 12, 2022 by EmTee (see edit history) 7 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carbking Posted February 12, 2022 Share Posted February 12, 2022 EmTee - not trying to hyjack your thread; but your testing of the choke coil brings up testing for other choke coils. As a general rule, the choke coil in a more conventional hot air choke (plastic or metal cover, with an attached choke coil) virtually never go bad, but one would be surprised at the number of folks that call looking for one. IF the heat stove in the manifold is not burned through; virtually always, the vacuum channel in the carburetor supplying vacuum to the choke housing becomes plugged with carbon, causing the choke to not function properly. To test: (1) Remove the choke cover and coil from the carburetor. (2) Move the choke butterfly from closed to open and measure the angular distance traveled by the tang inside the housing which contacts the coil. (3) Place the choke cover and coil on one's workbench and index the free end of the coil (12 o'clock, 6 o'clock, whatever). (4) Using a hair dryer, heat the coil, and measure the angular distance the free end moves. (5) Compare the two distances to determine if the coil is functioning. Back to your project. I hope your efforts work. Somewhere, I have a Delco bulletin describing absolute butchery on the 1937/8 Buick chokes to try to make them function. If I ever find it again, I will post it on these forums. Most owners just gave up, and modified the choke as you found, making certain the choke butterfly was always open. This worked fairly well for those living in mild climates. For those that this modification proved less than satisfactory (extremely cold weather)., Buick dealers offered the replacement Stromberg and Carter carburetors with the conventional hot air choke. Jon. 1 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonMicheletti Posted February 12, 2022 Share Posted February 12, 2022 I have seen these things with a rod crammed in the choke butterfly shaft with a lever attached and a choke cable attached and a hole drilled in the dash for the knob for choke operation. I guess it gets you ndown the road - there was a time whne this stuff just didnt matter 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted February 22, 2022 Author Share Posted February 22, 2022 Yesterday I filled the radiator with antifreeze/water mix in preparation for startup and combined cooling system and choke test. I put the battery charger on the car for about 4 hours just to make sure it would be 100%, since it has been a couple of months since the car has been started. Choke butterfly was just closed with the engine cold (45~50 degree F ambient). Here's a picture taken with the 160* thermostat open and temp gauge showing about 160*... It's a sample of one, but I'll go out on a limb and say that i think the choke is now functional. 8 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonMicheletti Posted February 22, 2022 Share Posted February 22, 2022 Isnt it nice when things work right? Great job. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted February 25, 2022 Author Share Posted February 25, 2022 The FedEx guy delivered my new 7.00-15 Firestone WW tires yesterday. I can't wait to get those 8-ply nylon truck tires off of this car! The whitewalls weren't my first choice, but there are no 7.00-15 blackwalls anywhere in the US and nobody knows when they will be available again... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted February 25, 2022 Author Share Posted February 25, 2022 It was cold today (~29* F) but the sky was clear and bright blue. With 8" of snow forecast for tomorrow, today was my chance to take the car out for a brief shakedown run. Recall that since I parked it just before Thanksgiving I have removed and replaced the radiator, rear axle bearings and seals, all four wheel cylinders, cleaned and adjusted the brakes (including the parking brake) and re-packed the front wheel bearings and restored the automatic choke. Good news is that the ride went pretty well. Being as cold as it was, the temperature gauge didn't get much higher than 160~170 degrees and the nylon cord truck tires bumped like mad for about 5 or 6 miles (despite being filled to 45 psi). Brakes felt great and the choke operated as designed, so overall it was a good day. On the other hand, the speedometer was particularly noisy today with some wild needle swings that make me think the cable may be periodically sticking or binding. That's a new item added to the list. I also notice an exhaust leak at the header pipe flange, so I'll have to investigate that as well. So, those new items together with mounting the new tires should keep me busy until the next thaw... 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dibarlaw Posted February 26, 2022 Share Posted February 26, 2022 EmTee: I recall taking my 1937 out for some cold drives and the speedometer cable was noisy so I pulled it cleaned and lubed which did quiet it down. But the speedometer itself did need attended to as it was still jumpy. I cleaned and lubed it also. I was able to redo the metal face at the same time. I hope the new owner in Winnipeg appreciates it. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted February 27, 2022 Author Share Posted February 27, 2022 Larry, I am also thinking of taking the speedometer out while I'm at it. It was somewhat 'jumpy' even in warmer weather. The other thing I'd like to do is repaint the face to match the khaki color that Matt used on the front ashtrays. I think that they are all supposed to be the same color. The other thing I've observed is the trip odometer gets to about 26 miles and then freezes. There's probably something going on in there that needs attention. I received a second speedometer in one of the parts boxes that came with the car, so hopefully I have any pieces needed to fix it up. What did you use to lube your speedometer and the cable? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dibarlaw Posted February 27, 2022 Share Posted February 27, 2022 At the auto parts store there should be the liquid graphite lube specifically for speedometer cables. I used a moly-lube for the internals of the speedometer. Your 1938 should be a relatively easy project as was my 1937s. Not like the disintegrated horrors of the mid 1920s and up AC units. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted February 27, 2022 Author Share Posted February 27, 2022 Thanks, Larry! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted March 4, 2022 Author Share Posted March 4, 2022 I installed the rocker shaft oil line fitting today and everything went together as expected. Here's a picture of the new screen beside the temporary tube that I had installed to stop the hemorrhaging... I flushed the cavity with WD-40 and gave it a swish with my little 'bottle-brush'. Nothing really of note came out and it seemed to be clean inside when I looked into the opening with my dental mirror. The following is the best picture I could muster... Next, here's the same shot with the new screen installed. The brass collar on the screen is recessed somewhere between 3/16" to 1/4" relative to the opening. And here's the final installation, which should look the way Buick intended. I didn't run the engine yet, because the weather wasn't going to allow me to run the car up to temperature today. The next opportunity to drive the car will likely be this weekend, so I'll verify no leaks then, however, the way it went together I'm 99.99% sure that it will be fine. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted March 4, 2022 Author Share Posted March 4, 2022 I addressed the coolant weeping from the upper hose where I installed the stocking filter. To fix this required disassembly of the entire upper hose, including the Gano and the stocking filter, so I decided to check them to see what had been 'caught' over the brief time that they had been in service (~2 hours and maybe 10 ~ 15 miles). Good news is there was one small flake in the Gano and some fine 'sand-like' particles in the stocking as shown below. I rinsed both filters and re-installed them, but this time I was careful to try to keep the stocking from sticking out beyond the hose. I mostly succeeded, but there is a sliver of stocking showing where the hose is closest to the radiator. I'm hoping that if there is any weeping at that spot, it will be very minor and I'll live with it until it's time to make another filter check in about 200 miles. Now: Before: 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimy Posted March 5, 2022 Share Posted March 5, 2022 Good idea to trim the excess, because the stocking material will wick. That "sand" would otherwise be accumulating in your new radiator core, so the stocking is indeed doing its job! 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted March 6, 2022 Author Share Posted March 6, 2022 I was able to take the car out for a drive today, as weather was dry and temperature about 40* F. This was a shakedown of the new rocker shaft oil fitting and re-jiggering of the upper radiator hose filters. Yesterday I installed a new gasket at the header pipe flange, as I noticed a small leak there last week. So, all of those items appear to be now performing as designed (good news). The only negative (aside from topping-off the tank with $20 worth of $5.00/gal non-ethanol 91 octane) was the speedometer was jumping wildly and really noisy today. I stopped home to check everything and disconnected the speedometer cable from the head unit. That quieted the cabin considerably... I periodically put my finger on the speedometer drive and felt the cable spinning. It seemed to be turning smoothly whenever I felt it, so I'm pretty sure that I'll be pulling the speedometer for inspection. I found the spare gauge cluster that came with the car and I removed the speedometer and started looking it over to get familiar with it. I already have a theory as to why my trip odometer quits after about 20 miles following reset. If I'm right, it should be an easy fix. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonMicheletti Posted March 6, 2022 Share Posted March 6, 2022 I had a similar speedometer problem on restoring my Roadmaster. The cable had beeen broken and I installed a replacement. I got the same issues you have. It turned out that the cable was a bit too long. Trimming it solved my problem. The way I found the problem was that I loosened the attachment at the speedo and the problem went away. Might be your problem too. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted March 7, 2022 Author Share Posted March 7, 2022 Well, it was 70* F today (as predicted), however, the rain that was originally forecast didn't materialize. The sun came out instead -- so, I took the opportunity for another ride. In fact, since it was running well I stopped home and asked my wife if she wanted a ride. She hadn't ridden in the car since October. Still have the speedometer disconnected, but the car seems to be running better each trip. Coolant temperature was right at 180* today. While idling in the driveway it crept up a little above 180*, but fell back to 180* once the car was moving. Coolant level was stable; nothing puking from the overflow. The only new item being added to 'the list' is I see there's an oil leak that appears to be coming from under the distributor. I do recall noting that the cork gasket under the distributor body was squeezed pretty thin when I had the distributor out last fall. I guess it's time to replace it now. The valve cover seems to be leaking also, so I'll have to take a look at that as well. I'll also take a closer look at the speedometer cable as Don mentioned above. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted April 1, 2022 Author Share Posted April 1, 2022 I reviewed my notes from October yesterday before re-checking the lash on my '38 before reinstalling the valve cover. I had set the lash to 0.019" cold, with 0.020" as the 'NO-GO'. Good news is that most were still as I set them. Only a handful required minor 'tweaking' (roughly ~0.002"). Next, I pulled the distributor to replace the gasket due to an oil leak that appears to be coming from under the distributor. The cork gasket was very hard, shrunken and partially twisted/deformed, so it's very likely to have been leaking. I didn't have a new gasket and the gasket material I had was too thin. I thought about stacking two or three layers, but decided to check my O-ring stash first. Fortunately, I found an O-ring that seemed to be the right size and two of them stacked together was the right thickness, so I decided to install them and see if that stops the leak. Since it was 72* F today, I had the chance to take the car for a drive. Good news is the valvetrain sounds good. After about 8 ~ 10 miles returned to my driveway and noted a pretty good oil leak, which I feared was coming from the oil fitting to the valvetrain (the fitting I had received from Leif). After a few minutes of troubleshooting while running the engine at a high idle I concluded the oil fitting was fine - the leak was coming from the valve cover gasket. The long story short is I think I have been to gentle with those 3 acorn nuts holding the cover on. The acorn nuts (which were 'snug' when cold) were loose when the engine was hot (I could take almost a full turn with my fingers...). So, I tightened them down with more gusto; both ends first and then snugging the center bolt (in order to avoid spreading the cover in the middle). After that, the oil leak appears to have ceased. I'll keep an eye on it, but just running at a fast idle the gasket seems to be holding now. Hopefully I'll get the chance to take it out again this weekend to give it a proper test. 9 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dibarlaw Posted April 2, 2022 Share Posted April 2, 2022 EmTee: Well that leak is a good indication that the rocker shaft is getting plenty of oil under pressure! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary W Posted April 2, 2022 Share Posted April 2, 2022 On 3/31/2022 at 9:07 PM, EmTee said: I think I have been to gentle with those 3 acorn nuts holding the cover on. Thanks for the tip! I just came in from a 12 mile run.... all three acorns took a full turn +++ to tighten up! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted April 6, 2022 Author Share Posted April 6, 2022 Went for a nice ride this afternoon. Ran about 30~40 minutes at speeds from 30 to 55 mph. Car is running well. Once up to temperature the valvetrain seems pretty quiet (to me anyway). Best of all, it looks like I have stopped the valve cover oil leak! I ran with the air cleaner reinstalled for the first time since overhauling the choke. Next tasks are to remove the dash to clean and lubricate the speedometer and mount my new Firestone 7.00-15 whitewall tires... 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted April 6, 2022 Share Posted April 6, 2022 14 hours ago, EmTee said: Next tasks are to remove the dash to clean and lubricate the speedometer and mount my new Firestone 7.00-15 whitewall tires... What?!?!, you have to remove the dash to mount the new tires?...just kidding...did you say that wiring harness has already been replaced? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted April 7, 2022 Author Share Posted April 7, 2022 (edited) 22 hours ago, JohnD1956 said: What?!?!, you have to remove the dash to mount the new tires? Yeah, things were much more difficult in those days... Yes, the wiring harness was replaced with one from Rhode Island Wiring. The dash (actually the sheetmetal cover) has to come off to get to the fasteners that hold the gauge cluster. I need to remove the cluster in order to service the speedometer. Based on my inspection of the spare speedometer that came with the car, I'm expecting to see some old, hardened grease that I believe is responsible for the sporadic jumping of the needle. Also, the trip odometer reset mechanism is likely in need of cleaning and/or lubrication. As you suspect, none of that has anything to do with mounting the new tires. The only additional work I need to do there is repainting the rims after dismounting the current tires. I want to apply a skim coat of body filler to the rims in order to fill some rust pits that are now just painted over. I'm planning to stripe the rims around the hubcap, as was popular at the time. Edited April 7, 2022 by EmTee typo (see edit history) 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonMicheletti Posted April 7, 2022 Share Posted April 7, 2022 (edited) EDmTee, You are incorrect about having to remove the dash sheetmetal to get the speedometer out. The speedometer, itself, can be removed from the gage cluster by taking out the 3 screws, as in the photo, while it is still in the car. I did it in my "38 Roadmaster...it is not fun ! Edited April 7, 2022 by DonMicheletti (see edit history) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted April 7, 2022 Author Share Posted April 7, 2022 Thanks, Don - Matt Hinson PM'd the same info to me a few minutes ago. I know it's possible, based on my dissection of the spare cluster that Matt included with the car, however, I had assumed it would be too difficult to remove in-place - so I hadn't bothered to actually look. That said, I will go out to the shop and take a look at the situation based on what you and Matt have told me. More to come... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary W Posted April 7, 2022 Share Posted April 7, 2022 Be sure the battery is disconnected first. There's a lot of hot wires and a lot of metal to ground to.. and not a lot of space. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonMicheletti Posted April 7, 2022 Share Posted April 7, 2022 I'll admit that taking the speedometer out while the cluster is in the car is really difficult. But in removing the sheetmetal, you'll have to take a ton of dtuff out and it will take a lot of work and time. Getting the 3 screws out is pretty easy - getting them back in cna be a real challenge. 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MCHinson Posted April 8, 2022 Share Posted April 8, 2022 6 hours ago, DonMicheletti said: I'll admit that taking the speedometer out while the cluster is in the car is really difficult. But in removing the sheetmetal, you'll have to take a ton of dtuff out and it will take a lot of work and time. Getting the 3 screws out is pretty easy - getting them back in cna be a real challenge. Getting them back in is much easier if you place a small magnet on the shaft of the screwdriver. With the magnet holding the screws on the screwdriver, you will probably spend about 10% of the time searching for the screws that you will without the magnet. When you are basically standing on your head under the dash it is not fun trying to find dropped screws. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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