I have a Stewart Warner round speedometer out of a 1930 closed cab pickup. Was working fine when I took it out to paint the cab. Now the cable won’t reinstall in the back of the speedometer. Can’t get it to seat. I have tried filing it down just to be sure there’s no burrs. But it just won’t seat properly. Prior to dismantling it it worked perfectly. Any suggestions Or things I might be missing?
Model A Speedometer cable issue
- Thread starter gsparkman
- Start date
Gary WA
Well-known member
not to be smart but do you have the right ends in proper location?
Attachments
Just guessing that you might be trying to make this happen with everything inside the car. Well known fact that anything involving attaching "anything to anything" in that tight working space, at best, usually invokes the use of curse words .............. or at least lots of head scratching and wondering as to "how they did this at the factory. Since "it worked fine before I had the car painted" is your mantra, do yourself a favor and take the speedo (or the entire instrument panel) and the cable out of the car, go to your favorite work bench, have plenty of good light, and see if you can figure out what the issue is.
If you've beat me to the punch, try probing the inside of the speedo fitting hole with a safety pin or dentist probe to see if some form of debris found its way inside between "working fine", disassembly for paint, and reassembly now.
good luck
If you've beat me to the punch, try probing the inside of the speedo fitting hole with a safety pin or dentist probe to see if some form of debris found its way inside between "working fine", disassembly for paint, and reassembly now.
good luck
Marshall V. Daut
Well-known member
If the cable housing is secured against the inside of the firewall by a clamp - as it is supposed to be - loosen the clamp bolt and pull the housing out of the clamp. This will give you an extra inch or so up top at the instrument panel to pull the cable housing up and back. This little extra bit of housing up top will make it easier to start the bezel/nut that screws into the back of the speedometer head. The nut has to be at just the right angle to get the threads started inside the speedometer. It's tricky and awkward, but it can be done with some patience and dexterity. Just do NOT force the threaded nut or you'll strip the threads in the speedometer head. When the nut is started correctly, it will be easy to turn several threads before you need a pair of pliers to seat it. If you cannot easily turn the nut in the threads, STOP! Back the nut out and line it up again for another try. It'll go.
If for some reason you still do not have enough cable up top to start the bezel/nut, take off the speedometer cable housing bracket from the top frame rail just below the floorboard on the passenger's side. That will give you a lot of extra housing up top to line up the bezel. The limiting factor then will be if you have an original popout ignition switch and cable. There's very little give there, but you just might have enough to start the nut.
Marshall
If for some reason you still do not have enough cable up top to start the bezel/nut, take off the speedometer cable housing bracket from the top frame rail just below the floorboard on the passenger's side. That will give you a lot of extra housing up top to line up the bezel. The limiting factor then will be if you have an original popout ignition switch and cable. There's very little give there, but you just might have enough to start the nut.
Marshall
I appreciate everyone’s input. I have taken the speedometer and cable out and have played with it on the bench. The female connection on the speedometer doesn’t appear obstructed. It’s a square opening as is the male end of the cable. I have been reluctant to take apart any the speedometer as I’ve heard they can be finicky. Sounds like that’s what I’ll end up doing. I was thinking about just filling the end of the cable till it slides back in. It fit before so no reason it shouldn’t go back together. Thanks for you input!!