1968 Clock

[mbsf1970]

Part of buying a car sight unseen is that there are ALWAYS surprises.

My newly acquired Gt/Cs has more than its fair share but the most pleasant one is that it has a clock in it! I was really quite surprised and thrilled to see it. It doesn't work though. Are the repairable? I've heard that they can be converted to quartz movement. If you convert, is it still powered by the car battery?
How difficult is it to pull gauge cluster off?

What would you do? Leave it? Fix it?

Stephen

 

[stangfan]

The clusters are not that difficult to remove. If I can do it, you certainly can. :wink: IIRC, the clocks often quit working due to dirt on the insides. Yes, the clock receives it's power from the battery. I think the best fix of all is to just have them quartzed. Nice option to have on your car. I wish mine had one. :grin:

 

[x-codegtcs]

Steve - I have an extra clock sitting here - let me know if you want it.

 

[Ruppstang]

It is not very hard to convert them to quartz movements. I have done 3 or 4. I takes about a hour.

 

[sam]

I've got a clock in mine I got from a Shelby Mustang. Sent it to a place in Chicago to be updated/quartzed and works fine. Nice to see the 2nd hand sweep.
Sam

 

[dalorzo_f]

The shop that did my cluster cleaned the clock, adjusted it and it works fine. They are pretty reliable.

Not sure about costs there but the cost to convert here was about the same as cleaning and restoring, so I'd suggest looking into keeping it original as once they are converted no real difference to an after market... save the OEM's for those that want them that way??? Unless they are just too far gone to fix.

 

[Ruppstang]

It is easy to spot the qurtz the second hand is in a constant sweep, the original ticks in jerks.

 

[sam]

Mine sweeps and was converted to quartz movement.......cost about $52.00 if I recall........works like a charm
Sam

 

[mbsf1970]

It is easy to spot the qurtz the second hand is in a constant sweep, the original ticks in jerks.

Wouldn't it be the other way around? Quartz jerks while electric is a smoothe sweep? Everything I own that is quartz jerks while my electric clock in the kitchen has a smoothe and quiet sweep. Is a cleaning likely to cause it to work once more? I suppose that would be pure conjecture.....
Stephen

 

[dalorzo_f]

On cleaning all I can say is mine worked/works great. It does take a few days to adjust speed, that part is fiddly. And they don't keep great time, and will stop if the cars sits off for a while. But that is part of the charm of a 60's car!

On the quartz, depends on the movement, the OEM;s do tick-tick-tick, some quartz do, some don't...

 

[franklinair]

I rejuvenated one many years ago. The basic failure was the contact points that had surface oxidation (after 25 years). The clock is basically an electro/mechanical device. The points close, causing a winding device to tension the clock mechanism, and then open the points. As the winding device winds down the points close again to 'wind' the clock. I burnished the contact points surface, cleaned the mechanism, and the clock functioned another 2 years. Then I converted it to quartz. Smoother, trouble free.

Neil

 

[sam]

Yea, mine is smooth and trouble free. Only problem is I can't see it very well.......which is my poor eyesight I suppose. But I agree, I have it just for the charm of a 60's vehicle.
........doesn't take much to get me excited!
Enjoy Thanksgiving everyone.
Sam

 

[68 special]

Like Marty stated, it takes about an hour to do the quartz update, plus the time to remove the cluster. I did mine for about $50 also.

Bret

 

[DLedin]

Speaking of these clocks, does anyone have a spare knob that goes on to the end of the adjustment stem that sticks out of the front of the clock?

I could search for a replacement clock but thought I'd check here first.

 

[Ruppstang]

You can buy them separately from NPD.

 

[dalorzo_f]

And it is actually a pretty good repro....

http://www.npdlink.com/store/products/knob_clock_adjusting_repro-102086-1.html

 

[DLedin]

You can buy them separately from NPD.

And it is actually a pretty good repro....

http://www.npdlink.com/store/products/knob_clock_adjusting_repro-102086-1.html

Perfect. Thanks for the info guys. I should have checked there first.