The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk 50 3100 Speedo Cable Question

Go a 50 3100, all stock. Early this year the speedo started making a loud sound and subsequently stopped working. Got the cable off and found the cable broken off at the spot where the cable enters the trany. Speedo was shot, so I sent it off to be rebuilt. I ordered a replacement speedo cable from Classic Chevy in KC. Installed both this weekend and still can't get the speedo to work.

It appears that when the cables are tightened, the end that fits into the back of the speedo slips out and becomes disengaged, leaving the cable spinning. The new cable has some sort of red lock spacer on the speedo end leaving about 3/8" of end engaging into the speedo. The cable end also appears tapered. The cable doesn't seem to fit into the speedo correctly. When the cable spins, the inner cable slides further into the tranny end as there is no lock to limit the cable engagement into the transmission. So basically the cable keeps slipping out. Classic says this is the correct cable. I know this is a poor description.

Anyone purchase one of these cables from Classic? Any ideas on this issue? Thanks.

if you still have that original broken cable, you should be able to see the difference in the ends and the length of the inner piece - yours may have been changed at some point in the last 50 years .... also you should be able to find a "universal" match for the original at a FLAPS

Bill

I think your problem may be the placement of the lock collar on the speedo end. The one I got from the Filling Station is 7/8" from the cable end. I would try to slide the collar further down the cable to allow it to fully engage the speedo drive. Note that on 2 spare speedos I have the depth of the hole is 7/8" so the 3/8" setback on your cable is not sufficient.

I purchased one from classic a few years ago, but had a diffrent problem. The collar was swedged to far back
...pic...

so when It was inserted it would bind
..insert..


I pick one up from carquest
..part number...

...3/4 set back...
...pic...
...pic...

and its been working fine.
Good Luck

I agree with Gus - get another cable.

I replaced the old speedo cable in my '54 with 4-spd tranny with a 70" metal case cable from American Classic Truck Parts. It fits and works fine. I believe that the original metal cable from the factory was 68" or 69".

> 70" metal case speedo cable - American Classic Truck Parts part #SPC-2
> Dual clip for mounting speedo cable and wiring harness onto firewall - American Classic Truck Parts part # FA-113

The old vinyl covered speedo cable had a plastic tip that inserted into the speedo head. I had removed and reinserted it a few times. When I finally removed it to lube the speedo, the plastic was twisted like a screw. Also, the old cable was barely long enough.

I find that the metal case cable is a lot easier to work with & fits better then the plastic ones.