Classic/Antique Car Repair/1951 Mercury 1 T p/u

Advertisement

Expert: Paul Wilczynski - 10/13/2009


Question
I replaced the speedo cable in the truck but it still does not work. I drove the truck briefly with the cable un-done from the cluster. It wasn't spinning so can I assume the problem is in the transmission? If so how do I fix it?

Answer
Jim, before you do this, drive the truck with the end of the cable sitting out in the open where you can see it. If it rotates when you're moving, then you're OK and it's seated properly in the tranny gear , and the problem is in the dash head unit.

If it isn't rotating, find out where it enters the trans housing and undo the bolt securing the bracket which holds it in place. It should pull straight out. check that it's fitted into its gear, and then mesh the worm properly with the driven gear and bolt things up nice and tight.

Did you lube the cable? if not, pull it out of the casing and treat it to some Lubriplate or light-duty graphite grease.

Make sure also that it's properly engaged in the head unit before tightening up that fastener.

Then it's time for a drive test.

--Paul

Classic/Antique Car Repair

All Answers

Answers by Expert:

Ask Experts

Volunteer

Paul Wilczynski

Expertise

Most questions involving vintage car restoration, mechanical and body, paint and upholstery. Parts sourcing. Extensive experience in wood-bodied station wagons, British and French cars of the '40s through '70s. Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow, Sunbeam Alpine and Tiger, Citroen Maserati, VW Beetle, 1955-65 Chevrolet (especially Nomad station wagons), Corvair.

Experience

Wide-ranging and long-term. I owned a restoration shop in the 1970s, continue to dabble in vintage exotics. At one time, had a seven-car collection of contemporary exotics which I had restored and maintained myself. When I was 18 years old, I designed a woodie kit for the VW Beetle, which I developed into a product which was featured on television and in over 100 magazines and 25 books at last count. I still own and drive one of my creations. I owned a design and fabrication consultancy from 1982-2002, specializing in show car fabrication for manufacturers including Ford, Mazda, GM, Subaru, Mitsubishi, etc. Since 2003, I have been a department manager in Industrial Design, and a full-time instructor in automotive design and fabrication at the university level. My students go on to design automobiles as staff designers for major auto manufacturers worldwide.

Organizations
Western Automotive Journalists, Industrial Design Society of America.

Publications
Long list of magazines and books, including Playboy, VW Trends, VW Greats, Hot VWs, and European automotive magazines.

Education/Credentials
I teach design and fabrication at university level. My education is in Industrial Design, University of Illinois (1966-1970).

Awards and Honors
Many awards for restorations in local concours and shows.

Past/Present Clients
Mazda, Ford, GM, Subaru, Mitsubishi, Honda, Toyota, Chrysler, Mercedes, Porsche.

©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.