Applying new spedometer numbers

SeaSlugs

SeaSlugs

Well-known member
Well i got a new decal set for my spedometer. on my desk it apears to function, speedometer moves a tiny bit when i spin the input shaft, tripometer works as it should, and odometer turns as it will( show si put one mile on it so far just spinning it and cleaning it)

what is the best method on putting the decals on? it has crude instructions on the sheet which sound reasonable but didnt know if there were any tricks of the trade...
 
Hi I rebuild speedometers and The best way to put them on is to remove the wheels from the bar and mark the center point on each wheel at (0). Then you will need to remove all the paint on the wheels. You will need to cut off each set of numbers from the new pack of decals. Then start at the center point mark on the wheel with (0). Place the decal on . It is very hard to get each one to line up. But you have to try to. Hope this helps. jr,
 
papanick said:
Hi I rebuild speedometers and The best way to put them on is to remove the wheels from the bar and mark the center point on each wheel at (0). Then you will need to remove all the paint on the wheels. You will need to cut off each set of numbers from the new pack of decals. Then start at the center point mark on the wheel with (0). Place the decal on . It is very hard to get each one to line up. But you have to try to. Hope this helps. jr,
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Yup..........
 

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papanick your a good guy and will get any speedo work i cannot handle
i was hoping pluck can add you to the speedo repair category in the sticky up top. maybe you can pm him to do it
mitch
 
I've only applied one set of numbers, and it turned out OK, but after a few years the decals bubbled up a little. I know hobby shops have something called "decal set" or some such, but I've never tried it. It's supposed to keep decals from lifting.
 
If speedometer wheels are removable, looks like someone may be able to market wheels with numbers already applied.

On second thought, it probably would be a more lucrative endeavor to sell bananas on a street corner.

Who knows?
 
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There is a guy in south Minneapolis that restores gauges and paints the numbers on, as original, but it is very expensive. My friend had his instruments done by him for his 29 Stutz and it was hundreds of dollars.
 
H. L. Chauvin said:
If speedometer wheels are removable, looks like someone may be able to market wheels with numbers already applied.

On second thought, it probably would be a more lucrative endeavor to sell bananas on a street corner.

Who knows?
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that'swhere you get into that grey area of legality issues (its not hard at all to roll numbers back on analog odometers) it is legal to do IF you inform the buyer in writing that it may not show the true mileage, OR if you set the new gauge to the old numbers so there's no gap in there.
 
You know I thought I could apply those decals no problem. I remembered cuss words I hadn't used in years when I attempted this. The decals I tried to use were so thin that they tore almost by breathing on them.
 
There is a supplier selling very thin self adhesive speedo decals. From memory Mac's. The original paint must be removed. The job of attaching the decals to the wheels is easier said than done, and the positioning of the decal so that zero sits exactly on zero is not easy. Far better to give it to an expert.
 
The vinyl style decals that I have used are much thicker than the water transfer decals. This makes the over lap seam much more visible. Also make sure that the wheels and your hands are clean, makes them stick much better. Let them sit for a while then press them down between your fingers to iron out the stickum. I have done a couple hundred of them this year, tis the most tedious part of the speedometer restoration.
 
Yes they do make a better decal set for the Stewart Warner and the North East but for the Waltham they don't. I have used them all and find that the waltham are very hard to do. They are still did with water. But you will need to trim each wheel to make them set right and look clean for the clean looking job. papanick.
 
I have given some thougth to how to paint the numbers on the wheels. It seems to me that the best way to do it would be using an etched plate. The numbers would be etched into a plate. The plate would be primed with paint/ink. A soft rubber roller would be run over the plate to pick up the paint. lastly the rubber roller would be run over the wheel to transfer the paint to the wheel. Below is a simple drawing of what I am thinking about. For it to work there would have to be a way to make sure that everything remained lined up during the transfer. My thoughts on that are to have the roller and wheel assembly mounted on a fixture that would keep them lined up with the plate. In addition the axles that the roller and wheel are riding on could be connected with gears that would keep them lined up. I have not experimented with this and undoubtedly there would be need to be modifications to get it to work correctly.

Bob

speedowheelpaint01.jpg
 
Hay Bob let us know how that turns out. But I always had good luck with the new decals. You just have to take your time when you put them on. papanick
 
Bob: Also you need to clock the numbers with the single tooth gear on the side of the wheel. The white backround could be applied, then the black numbers done later. It would take some extra fixturing to do the 1/10 wheels for the oval and round units. Great idea, beats anything I have come up with. Would you do one at a time, or try to gang several together?
 
I agree, PappaNick does a WONDERFUL job on rebuilding!!
It cost me $150 to rebuild mine and it was worth every penny!!! I actually think i got the better end of the deal! He does GREAT WORK!!
 
So far it is just a thought experiment for me. I have not immediate plans to build it. I think the hard part is to get the numbers to print on the correct location on the wheels so they will line up in the correct places when they are installed. I think it would be easier to do one at a time and not to gang them together.

Bob
 
Has anyone looked into dry transfer for the numbers?:confused:

I'd suppose it might be hard to find the correct size and style of numbers, but haven't looked into it.
 
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