Another dumb question...1948 "turtle"

34pickup

34pickup

Well-known member
My 48 coupe's speedometer did not work and in checking for the trouble I discovered that inside the turtle, the shaft that drives the cable was missing. Only the gear was inside it. So I ordered a new shaft and installed it along with a new cable and a speedometer gauge that I tested to see if the needle moved...it did.
Upon replacing the turtle, I noticed that it seemed odd to have the cable enter from the passenger's side, but thats where it was bolted when I first removed it.

So now, with new parts and turtle reinstalled with the cable entering from the passenger's side, the speedometer does not work. My question is; did the previous owner put the turtle on backwards? Should it go on with the cable entering from the driver's side? It fit this way but it may fit the other way around too.
 
When in a forward gear, the shaft that drives the cable should be going clockwise when viewed end on. The clockwise rotation is carried through the cable, into the speedo, which moves clockwise as speed increases. You should be able to work out which orientation would give a clockwise rotation by looking at the helix of the gears.

Mart.
 
Kube said:
The left side of the car is always the left side of the car.
Click to expand...
Depends upon where you are sitting or standing.:rolleyes:
"Aussiesteve lives in CO.The turtle should face the left as he said ."...that was a joke. Lighten up.
 
Turtle orientation no matter where you sit.
 

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34pickup said:
Depends upon where you are sitting or standing.:rolleyes:
"Aussiesteve lives in CO.The turtle should face the left as he said ."...that was a joke. Lighten up.
Click to expand...

Lighten up? Me?
Rest assured I am fine and enjoying a beautiful day. I'm waiting on another '40 coupe to be delivered in an hour or so. This one from CA. What's not to enjoy?
 
Kube, Don't know if you would need owner permission and it would take some extra effort but, do you think it would be possible for you to post threads with photos showing the steps you take as you progress through a 40 restoration from start to finish?
 
19Fordy said:
Kube, Don't know if you would need owner permission and it would take some extra effort but, do you think it would be possible for you to post threads with photos showing the steps you take as you progress through a 40 restoration from start to finish?
Click to expand...

I'll try to do just that on this next 40. In my ignorance of youth, I'd always figured "this is the only car I'm gonna restore" or "this is the last car I'm gonna restore". And, as such, didn't taker many photos of those first five or six cars. Duh. Now, after 16 or 17, I have learned to take a lot of before and after photos. Sometimes, I am slooow learner.

Hey, do I have to post my mistakes I make along the way or can I somehow "forget" that part of the process?
 
Your reputation speaks for itself. That being said, we learn more form our mistakes than our successes.
 
Wow! That would be great Kube. Thanks so much for being willing to give it a try. It will inspire many 40 owners and be a great learning experience for all Fordbarners as well.
(Plus, it will make your book thicker.)
 
Thanks again for everyone's help. I turned the turtle around correctly and now my speedo works. ( The one in the car, not the one I wear to the beach)....☺
 
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