Reply To: Gauging Interest – Series 80 Speedometer Housing Reproductions

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Andrew:  As mentioned a month or two ago, I’ll take two of the repro housings.  And two of the clock retaining cups.

For S80 owners who have not looked behind their instrument panel, It might be a good idea to do so.  The speedometer assembly is in several parts:  The main mounting bracket with the 4 mounting lugs. The bezel and face of the instrument is fastened to this bracket.

The second main part is the speedometer itself. it mounts to the main bracket..  Third is the clock with it’s retaining ‘cup’.  This cup is frequently lost or broken.  Andrew is also making the clock retaining ‘cup’.

Most speedometers require some significant prying to get it off the 4 studs that are part of the steel dashboard/instrument panel.  I’ve had to resort to a crow bar more than once,  This is because of the warping and growing of the zinc/potmetal mounting housing. Once removed it often cannot be reinstalled.  I have on a few occasions put the housing in the mill and milled the mounting lug’s holes into slots to allow the bracket to  fit over the mounting studs..

Many times the clock and it’s retaining cup will fall out of the speedo and when an attempt to put it back into place, the holes for the two cup retaining screws are so swollen from metal distortion, that nothing will possibly work but a LOT of JB weld, and that is not a very good fix for this location and to retain the rather delicate clock in the speedo.

Greg Long