67 Dash/ gauge resto

[JohnC]

I’ve been working on putting components back together as I slowly work on my 67. Recently fixed a couple things on the dash and recleared it so time to reassemble.

I’ve been working on installing “SS” gauge so I can get rid of the VDO gauge pods I had mounted under the dash. Car’s been apart for a while so I kind of forget a couple things.

Emanating from the actual speedo is a black and a red wire. The origin of the red wire is seen in one of the pics. This seems to clip into a stud that passes through the back case of the cluster. The black one is screwed the the side of the gauge and I assume is a ground and the red is power, but for what? I wasn’t sure where the black wire connected to. Any idea. There is a dimple in the back of the gauge case with a hole so maybe it connects to the case there to provide ground but the hole doesn’t look to be threaded.

What’s weird is looking online, the few pics I can find of an open gauge cluster, I do not see this red and black wire. I also do not see this stud that passes through the case. Also on other speedos that have the dimple (not all have this, I assume a 66 vs 67 thing), I’ve never seen one with a hole in it.

Any ideas?

 

[JohnC]

This pic shows the red and black wires peaking up over the speedo. The red has a clip that snaps onto a metal stud which I speculate passes power through the case. The dimple with the small hole can seen just above the speed.


This shows the back of the case. The little “button” looking thing I tried to highlight is the stud that the red wire is connected to on the inside of the case.

I think maybe the hole in the dimple somehow allows ground to pass to the back wire on the inside. That is pure speculation.

 

[JohnC]

Here is the origin of the red wire. Not sure what this is for because other than lights which are powered separately I don’t think the speedo needs power.

 

[cheveslakr]

You sir have a very rare speed limiter speedo. Never seen one before but check out the little white needle next to your orange speed indicator, that's designed to be set at a particular speed and a buzzer or light will go off when that speed is reached. By what I see there, it's a light, not a buzzer?? The little rectangular black thing must be a light filament??

 

[JohnC]

Thanks. Never heard of that before. I’ll take the speedo out tomorrow and take pics of the backside.
Never realized such a think existed. I thought the white needle was just adjusted to the speed limits and would be a visual reminder that you were at the speed limit.

 

[cheveslakr]

RPO U15, actually not that rare, 5xxx were ordered.

 

[kmakar]

Never realized that was even an option back then. Interesting.

 

[Shovelrick]

Were hwy speed limits still 75 mph in 67/68? or was that around the time 55 mph started? I started legally driving in 75 and seem to remember 75 mph on highways and that option probably saved people a lot of speeding tickets but I never knew they existed either, seems like a Caddy or Lincoln thing

 

[kmakar]

Were hwy speed limits still 75 mph in 67/68? or was that around the time 55 mph started? I started legally driving in 75 and seem to remember 75 mph on highways and that option probably saved people a lot of speeding tickets but I never knew they existed either, seems like a Caddy or Lincoln thing

Speed limit was 55 mph in '72.

In 1972, the Congress, responding to the oil crisis, enacted a nationwide 55 miles per hour speed limit. In his first Presidential campaign, Ronald Reagan promised to lift it and to return the power to set speed limits to the states.

https://www.nytimes.com/1986/10/18/opinion/keep-the-nationwide-speed-limit-at-55-mph.html#:~:text=In%201972%2C%20the%20Congress%2C%20responding,speed%20limits%20to%20the%20states.

 

[Nashville Cat]

RPO U15, actually not that rare, 5xxx were ordered.

My 68 Camaro has a speed limiter buzzer

 

[JohnC]

I assume the thing bolted to the back of the case that looks like an old style relay is the buzzer. I see that this option was available on other models including Novas and Camaros as Nashville said.
Looking for this option under Camaro and Nova it appears reproduction parts are available and I assume are similar to the Chevelle version. I honestly can’t prove this speedo was the original for my car as I don’t see a provision to mount the adjuster knob. I know many moons ago when you could still find these cars in junkyard I got a dashtop so maybe that’s where I got this. Can’t remember.

 

[JohnC]

Back of the speedo has a cream colored plastic extension that has a square hole in it. Turning this adjusts the white needle.

 

[JohnC]

Anyway, enough of that nonsense.
The gauge kit I bought used a templet to open up the holes in the back of the speedo gauge cluster. Even though I was very careful and precisely located the templet when I test fit the gauges, the gauge bezel and the stock instrument cluster face plate, nothing lined up. Not even close. Plus, backing plate that the gauges were mounted to did not cover the entire hole that you had cut to fit the gauges. Plus, when you lined up the gauges so they fit, some of the screw holes were located over the hole, so there was nothing to screw it to. In other words, the kit sucks.
So I carefully cut sheet metal and welded in filler pieces so the gauges fit and there were no open gaps to allow dust and spiders in.
Templet

Cut per the templet, now the holes are too big

 

[JohnC]

Sheet metal crudely welded and and smoothed over with JD Weld. I sanded them to make them look nice later

Gauge bezels located so that they aligned with the openings in the gauge cluster faceplate. They were also JB Welded in.



I polished the clear acrylic with a small rotary buffer and Maguires Machine Glaze. Came out pretty well

I’m gonna have to pull it apart again to sand the holes where the lights plug in. I assume the lights ground through the case and I suspect they won’t make good contact unless I send a little paint off.

 

[JohnC]

Mounted in the dash.
I’m gonna use my old Custom Autosound Cassette player and use one of those cassette adapters to allow me to hook up my phone. This stereo has no aux input unfortunately.

 

[Nashville Cat]

I'm going to put my 67 back to how my 66 SS was setup.
I had a Sun tach on the column and three 2-1/16" gauges (Stewart Warner) under the radio.
I would bet most people did it that way back in the day.

Your dash looks nice !

 

[JohnC]

This is what I had hose clamped to my column. Haven’t decided if I’m going to use it again or try to put a tach in the auto console where the clock would typically be located.

I’ve gotta get a new cigarette lighter to plug in a USB adapter. Mine was pretty crusty.

Gotta get my ashtray cleaned up. The tray itself is solid but a little pitted. Prob JB Weld the pits and use some “cast” metal paint or Tank Tone to make it look metalish looking.

Our own board member Cheveslakr was kind enough to do me a solid a couple years ago and sell me an ashtray receiver or “slider” for a very fair price. These thing have become hard to find.

 

[JohnC]

I had been second guessing whether this speed limit indicator speedometer actually came on my car because I see no adjustment cable etc.
Digging through my old harness I found the stock wiring harness.

 

[cheveslakr]

IIRC, there's a square hole under the left side dash that accepts the cable/knob and has a 5/16 threaded hole right next to it????

 

[Nashville Cat]

This is what I'm using. I think the one you have came along 20 years later