Tom Boehm Posted March 25, 2022 Share Posted March 25, 2022 Bob's advertises in Hemmings and has a great reputation on this forum. I did a search. I sent a gauge cluster there from a very common 70's car. All I needed was the speedometer repaired. No cosmetic restoration needed. He said the speedo would be $500 to repair and the other gauges were needing attention so the final cost was in the $900.00 range. The other gauges seemed OK to me. I was shocked at how high the figure was and it seems I might be taken advantage of. Is gauge cluster repair really expensive? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Harwood Posted March 25, 2022 Share Posted March 25, 2022 I just paid $1200 to have the speedometer rebuilt in my '35 Lincoln with another rebuilder so I'd say yes, gauge work is expensive. I'd also say that you get what you pay for--are there even any cheap alternatives? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Boehm Posted March 25, 2022 Author Share Posted March 25, 2022 If Bob is on the level, I will swallow hard and accept it. Yes, I have learned many times on this car you get what you pay for. Like you, I want this car to be properly sorted and driveable. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Str8-8-Dave Posted March 25, 2022 Share Posted March 25, 2022 I had a temp gauge overhauled at Bob's, 175. New bulb, line, fitting gaskets and cal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloo Posted March 25, 2022 Share Posted March 25, 2022 A couple years ago I sent a mid 60s speedometer to Commercial Speedometer in West Sacramento, CA. I don't recall what the repair cost, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't $500. It came back working great and looking new. The guy who worked on it has been doing this since 1958. Worth a phone call I'd say. Prewar stuff IMHO is going to be completely in a different class than run of the mill Detroit stuff from the 60s and 70s. I'm not surprised @Matt Harwood 's was expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan G Posted March 26, 2022 Share Posted March 26, 2022 I have a speedometer which works, but reads low. It looks okay to me, appearance wise, not perfect. All these other gauges are okay. But when I talked to one shop they basically had one way of doing things: I send them everything and they do the whole thing right, or they don't do it at all. That wasn't Bob's I talked to. That's a good policy, really, but not all customers need or want that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloo Posted March 26, 2022 Share Posted March 26, 2022 Are you sure the gearing is right? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1912Staver Posted March 26, 2022 Share Posted March 26, 2022 Spray contact cleaner on the pivot points has worked for me in the past. As long as the face is ok it is possible to make a noticeable improvement just removing old , dried lubricant and very carefully applying a tiny drop of new. Similar , careful cleaning and lubrication have brought several pocket watches back to life for me as well. You need patience and a steady hand. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flivverking Posted March 26, 2022 Share Posted March 26, 2022 BOBBY'S repaired the temp gauge for the '27 Chrysler..The price was competitive with others and done in a timely fashion. I would trust them.....so far.😌 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old car fan Posted March 26, 2022 Share Posted March 26, 2022 Try Bill's in Bellbrook Ohio ,reasonably ,great to deal with. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesR Posted March 28, 2022 Share Posted March 28, 2022 Bob's Speedometer did an excellent job rebuilding my '54 Ranch Wagon speedometer. That was about 18 years ago...and the cost was $360 back then. I still consider it well worth the money today. No problems. Here's my speedometer...when the miles had just turned 66666.6.....👹. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5219 Posted March 28, 2022 Share Posted March 28, 2022 This kind of work is another example of a vanishing trade. As recently as 40 years ago, every decent sized city had one or two guys who repaired speedometers. You could walk in with your piece and he would give you a price on the spot. No shipping, no packing, no surprises. I guess that laws against odometer tampering and the advent of electronic speedometers, along with old age, put most of them out of business. Now there are just a few people nationally doing this who can charge whatever they like. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seedee Posted March 29, 2022 Share Posted March 29, 2022 http://dandmrestoration.com/ I had them repair my instrument cluster for my '49 Oldsmobile... speedometer gear was frozen. $225 with 2 week turnaround and they also calibrated the temperature, oil and ammeter guage while they were in there! They also do radio repair as well but haven't asked what they charged 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
West Peterson Posted March 29, 2022 Share Posted March 29, 2022 I second "Bill's Speedometer" in Bellbrook, Ohio. He repairs them, doesn't "restore" them physically. Very good at what he does. Talk to Pat Mescher. 937-848-8803 http://bills-speedometer.com/ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old car fan Posted March 29, 2022 Share Posted March 29, 2022 Also at Hershey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
usnavystgc Posted March 29, 2022 Share Posted March 29, 2022 Pardon me if I'm being naive but, why not just do it yourself? Are these gauges and speedometers that complicated? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dl456 Posted March 29, 2022 Share Posted March 29, 2022 If you need mechanical restoration with no cosmetic issues contact Bill’s in Bellbrook, Oh. (Pat). See West’s post Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m-mman Posted March 29, 2022 Share Posted March 29, 2022 (edited) 2 hours ago, usnavystgc said: Pardon me if I'm being naive but, why not just do it yourself? Are these gauges and speedometers that complicated? Yes some can be. My 1929 Cadillac fuel gauge. weird circuit (zero resistance at the middle and high Ohms at either end) Anyway it had a ring/flange crimped around the edge. I have no idea how Bob got inside of it (maybe cut it and had another to recrimp?) $500, but now it works like a champ. I had a 59 Lincoln speedo that squealed and the needle would pop back and forth at random. Took it to a local shop (there still is one in LA) they disassembled it and machined and fitted two new "jewels" for it. (bearings in any other description) $100 and now it works. Yeah they are simple mechanical devices, but they are small and if you dont have the tools and experience (such as watch repair skills) you will not be successful. The LA shop cant reset the electronic odometer in my junkyard tachometer cluster for my 2013 Nissan Versa. An eBay vendor can, but you send it to Texas and its $100 or so dollars. Edited March 29, 2022 by m-mman (see edit history) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloo Posted March 29, 2022 Share Posted March 29, 2022 3 hours ago, usnavystgc said: Pardon me if I'm being naive but, why not just do it yourself? Are these gauges and speedometers that complicated? Because speedometers are one of the most frustrating things you will ever encounter on a car. Gauges might not be so bad. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8E45E Posted March 30, 2022 Share Posted March 30, 2022 A rebuilder in Portland. Craig 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Restorer32 Posted March 30, 2022 Share Posted March 30, 2022 We had a Chrysler gauge cluster identical to the one shown above done by the folks in Portland. Beautiful work. We were very impressed. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Century Eight Posted March 30, 2022 Share Posted March 30, 2022 (edited) About five years ago, I used John Wolfe & Co. in Willoughby, OH for five gauges in a ‘40 Buick. I don’t recall the price except it was not cheap. I do know they work well and I am most excited to know how much (or little) gas I have. Edited March 30, 2022 by Century Eight (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dalef62 Posted March 31, 2022 Share Posted March 31, 2022 Not to derail this thread but does any of the mentioned shops work on digital dash clusters? 1987 Lincoln Mark VIII Thanks Dale Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Durant Mike Posted April 4, 2022 Share Posted April 4, 2022 Just like all other repair specialty shops they all charge just about what they want to. Your at their mercy since the people that rebuild engines with babbit bearings, rebuild generators, transmissions gauges etc are just not there anymore. The original craftsmen have died, their children are retiring and passing on and very very very few younger generation are picking up the trades like that. I just sent some small parts of to a well known chrome plate shop. Nothing large, just some hood hold downs, an emblem, some other small parts, Price quoted $1,500. Ouch. When asked I was told that the major supplier of nickel now is the Ukraine and with the war going on now, prices for plating has just about doubled. What are you going to do? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walt G Posted April 4, 2022 Share Posted April 4, 2022 Durant Mik4e, thanks for the information it gives a better picture of what the people working on the parts are facing and not just trying to play you for a fool on a price. This is true ( or was) with the pandemic and the paper supply when shipping got caked up and ground to a halt. It was hard to get a certain level or type of paper to print magazines on. It just puts a stone wall up against other things : binding, mailing etc. All of us are focusing on what we need for us, our projects, but the bigger picture comes into play and is like a domino set, once one falls over the ripple affect starts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JACK M Posted April 5, 2022 Share Posted April 5, 2022 On 3/29/2022 at 5:18 PM, 8E45E said: A rebuilder in Portland. Did JC move to Portland? Its been awhile but he was up north of Seattle last I worked with them. Lynnwood I believe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloo Posted April 5, 2022 Share Posted April 5, 2022 I saw that cluster and figured that is who it had to be. He was in Lynnwood or somewhere close when I last talked to him, but that was decades ago. Highly recommended. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8E45E Posted April 5, 2022 Share Posted April 5, 2022 5 hours ago, JACK M said: Did JC move to Portland? Its been awhile but he was up north of Seattle last I worked with them. Lynnwood I believe. I suppose I should have added the words "A rebuilder who had a table in Portland" at the annual swap meet. Sorry for misleading some, but Lynnwood is not all that far from Portland. Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c49er Posted April 6, 2022 Share Posted April 6, 2022 JC Auto Restoration is still at his same place in Lynnwood right next to I-5. Does a lot of instrument work and complete dash restorations. Mainly 1955 thru late 60's...specializing in Chrysler's...but does others as well. Has a lot of parts inventory too for the above same years of MoPar cars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1906 lozier Posted April 8, 2022 Share Posted April 8, 2022 j.c. re-calibrated the speedo in my 1930 Springfield Rolls-Royce.. highly recommend him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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