The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Interiors speedometer needle stuck

i'm trying to restore a speedo on a 50 1/2 ton chevy. i cannot remove the speedometer needle, so i can take the face plates off. am i correct that it should just pop off? any ideas for taking it off without breaking the spindle underneath? i've tried with my fingers and a couple of screwdrivers but it won't budge. thank you.

Don't give up. I'm sure that a Stovebolter has had your same problem and solved it. While you're waiting, you might try a Stovebolt search with
+speedometer +needle

The gauge cluster and speedo housing often got wet because of leaking windshield seals. Perhaps yours is rusted on. (?)

The only advice that I can give is to be careful when removing. I tried to remove the needle on a donor speedometer for my '54 and promptly broke the shaft. I put very little pressure and did not twist. But it still broke. The shaft was very brittle.

Then I pried the needle off of the shaft of my "real" speedo. Gently pulled straight up. No problem. Whew!

thanks lonnie. i did another search and found a thread. it sounds like the needle has to be gently forced off the spindle. i'll try it and hope for the best.

this old speedometer had a lot of rust on the face place so i assume that speedo needle was rusted on too. after reading some posts here, i put some machine oil on the underside of the needle where it attaches to the shaft. i let it sit over night. then i moved the needle counterclockwise until it stopped. then with a twist to the left and an upward motion, the needle came right off without breaking the shaft.

Congrats. < sigh of relief >