September 2010

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SCENES AT THE GRAND NATIONAL RUSSELL CREASON’S GORGEOUS CONVERTIBLE WHICH WON 2 ND PRIZE IN 48-49 PRIMARY CLASS INTERIOR OF RUSSELL’S CAR 6167 COUPE OWNED BY STEVEN CHRISTENSEN OF SHAWNEE MISSION, KS
ALL THREE ‘49S ATTENDING, WITH A ’48 AND THE HOST HOTEL IN THE BACKGROUND SERVICING THE 1949 CADILLAC SPEEDOMETER HEAD By Dan Fisher Recently the speedometer head on my ‟49 Coupe de Ville developed a screeching noise that was loud and about as welcome as fingernails scratching a chalk board. If you follow the steps listed below you can fix your speedometer, also. Disconnect the ground cable from the battery. Wrap a towel around the steering column and secure it with tape. Apply tape to towel, not the paint. Lie underneath the dash with a good light. Remove the 2 wing nuts that secure the instrument cluster to the dashboard. Loosen the nut at the bottom of the dash for the trip odometer. Make sure there is enough slack in the oil pressure tubing to allow the cluster to move forward a couple of inches; if not, disconnect the oil pressure tube now. Push and wiggle the instrument cluster toward steering wheel about two inches. Be patient. It‟s been there for 60 years and it may want to stick. Return to sitting position in your front seat. Your back will appreciate this. Now you can lean forward and view the backside of the entire cluster. You can also pull the cluster a little closer to your body to have easier access to everything connected to it. You MUST mark all wires and bulb fixtures BEFORE unplugging them from the instrument cluster housing. I recommend using masking tape on each wire, numbering everything from left to right and writing those numbers down. Unplug all wires from the gauges, all bulb fixtures, and unscrew the speedometer cable nut and pull cable out. You must also remove the oil pressure gauge tubing. Use caution. Use an open end wrench to secure the gauge fitting as you loosen the tubing fitting so as not to damage the gauge. A 6 point tubing wrench is best for the tubing nut. Do not damage the nut. Unscrew the odometer reset cable at the speedometer housing and pull it out. With everything disconnected you can remove the entire cluster from the dash, while taking care not to bump any painted surfaces, and place it on your workbench face down against a soft cloth. Remove the 2 screws that go through the rubber grommets near the connection for the speedometer cable. Keep all screws and fasteners in a shallow pan or other suitable container since you don‟t want to lose anything! Remove 4 screws that hold the galvanized cover to the speedometer head. Gently place a thin screwdriver between the cover and main housing and pry it away from the head AS you hold the head downward. It may stick because there is a rubber gasket between the cover and head. SAVE the rubber gasket and grommets. Now you will be able to view the speedometer head. It is a delicate instrument so be careful handling it! You will see 2 tabs about an inch long that are bent over the edge of the head to secure it during assembly at the factory. Bend them sideways just enough to allow sufficient clearance for the head to be lifted out of the main housing. Before lifting the speedometer head out of the main housing REMIND yourself that you do not want to damage the pointer or the very delicate spring that is attached to the rotating part that attaches by a slender shaft to the pointer. Lift the head out of the main housing and place it on your work bench with the pointer side (front) facing your body. Write down the orientation of the indicator needle/pointer in relation to the left directional signal arrow. When reassembling you will want to place it back onto the shaft in the SAME position. Use two thin bladed screw drivers to get underneath the pointer. The ends of the screw driver blades should contact the shaft and be opposite one another so when you pry the pointer upward you do not break it. It does not require much strength, but you MUST pry with equal pressure. After you have removed the pointer you will see that it has internal splines that mate to the splines on the shaft. That‟s why you marked the orientation prior to removal.
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Page 5 and 6: After the wedding pictures had been
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September 2010

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