47 car clock

coolcoupe

coolcoupe

Well-known member
My clock in my 47 car just up and quit working today. Might it be a quick fix ?
What could be wrong that an amateur person could fix ?
 
coolcoupe said:
My clock in my 47 car just up and quit working today. Might it be a quick fix ?
What could be wrong that an amateur person could fix ?
Click to expand...

Most likely, it's just dirty. The last time I had the clock in my '51 cleaned and oiled, the local clockmaker charged me $20. Unless you're a skilled clock repairman, that's the best $20 you'll ever spend over fooling with it yourself. If you don't have a local clockmaker, try a Jeweler
 
The clock in my '46 Super Deluxe quit a year after being repaired by an expert. I took it on to try repairing it myself, and it is still operating five years later. I removed the clock, pried the crimps on the chrome trim to separate the case and access the works. If your clock is the same as mine, there are a set of contacts that when made, cause a small solenoid to pull the winding arm back on a ratcheting gear to put tension on the drive spring. (Think of taking repeated turns on a bolt with a socket and ratchet.) The spring will drive the mechanism until contact is made and the cycle repeats. I got a small amount of clock oil from a local clock shop, used the tip of a toothpick to oil the rotating points and cleaned the contacts. Before I reassembled the clock, I ran it for a week on the bench using a 6V battery, and adjusted it with the adjusting screw to keep accurate time. (As good as it can be with an old clock)
Unfortunately, I took pictures when I repaired my speedo/odometer, but not when I worked on the clock, but I hope these help a bit.
PM me if you want, and I can give you more info.
 

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51woodie said:
The clock in my '46 Super Deluxe quit a year after being repaired by an expert. I took it on to try repairing it myself, and it is still operating five years later. I removed the clock, pried the crimps on the chrome trim to separate the case and access the works. If your clock is the same as mine, there are a set of contacts that when made, cause a small solenoid to pull the winding arm back on a ratcheting gear to put tension on the drive spring. (Think of taking repeated turns on a bolt with a socket and ratchet.) The spring will drive the mechanism until contact is made and the cycle repeats. I got a small amount of clock oil from a local clock shop, used the tip of a toothpick to oil the rotating points and cleaned the contacts. Before I reassembled the clock, I ran it for a week on the bench using a 6V battery, and adjusted it with the adjusting screw to keep accurate time. (As good as it can be with an old clock)
Unfortunately, I took pictures when I repaired my speedo/odometer, but not when I worked on the clock, but I hope these help a bit.
PM me if you want, and I can give you more info.
Click to expand...
567820


567821


567822
 
Obvious or maybe not so obvious is first check the fuse. I sent mine out to a forum member here to be cleaned and adjusted. Worth the cost.
 
Thanks for the replies, I will give a try as I couldn't find any clock guys that would even look at it. What's the worst could happen, if I can't fix I will reinstall,
I have to try and annoying to have it not working.
 
I think that if you're careful and use the proper cleaners and lubricants you can probably go through it yourself and not do any harm. As a matter of fact, I'll bet there are a slew of videos on YouTube that would be very helpful. I think there are a lot of clockmakers won't touch a car clock because there's not enough money in it for them. The time is minimal, the supplies are already on hand, and it's "walk-in" business. Not like restoring Grandma's heirloom and bringing it back from the dead. I'm lucky that I live in a small town and know the "clock guy" (who happens to also be a car guy).

(Plus, he also already got me good on grandma's heirloom.):D
 
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