The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk My '49 speedometer

Odometer works. Needle, shaft, and return spring are all intact. However, the shaft is loose where it enters the spring housing and is easy to wriggle with my fingers. Should there be a bushing at the spring end of the shaft? I don't know if the speedometer works, but I doubt it. When I turn the needle by hand, it does not spring back to the same stop every time. Thoughts on this? Does it just need a shot of light oil, or something more major? Is there a shop in the U.S. that works on these, or should I pick up a different one on e-Bay?

I had the same problem with mine a couple of years ago. Fortunately, my dad worked on this stuff in the 1950's and he knew exactly how to fix it. Problem is, I wasn't watching too closely when he fixed mine, and he passed away this spring. I want to say he did add a drop of oil and kept testing the needle by turning the needle and finally it was consistent returning back to its proper resting position. He must have played with the needle a hundred times until it was returning consistently. Mine is still off by 3-5 mph, (+ new speedo cable) but I can live with that, at least I have a pretty good idea as opposed to hoping their wasn't a Kojak with a Kodak hiding behind a tree. Good luck, keep playing, and if you break it, then pick one up on e-bay. Lol.
Wada

Anybody out there with an AD speedometer handy? Do me a favor. Grab the needle shaft with two fingers or needle-nose pliers and wriggle it. Is the shaft firm at both ends (does not wriggle), or sloppy at the spring end (does wriggle)?