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Classic/Antique Car Repair/SPEEDOMETER GEAR TEETH

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Expert: - 2/6/2010


Question
I WAS WONDERING, HOW MANY TEETH ARE ON THE SPEEDOMETER GEAR OF A 1973 OLDS.CUTLASS 350 SUPREME?  THANKS!

Answer
There were a dozen different speedometer driven gears used depending on the tire size and differential gear ratio. My dad, who was a mechanic and shop owner, used to change the speedometer driven gear on his Pontiac before he and my mother headed on their annual winter trip to sunny Florida. He installed a gear that would read 10 to 15% slow on the speedometer so that he could drive fast and mother, looking across at the speedometer, though that he was driving slower.
Brad

Classic/Antique Car Repair

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Brad Sears

Expertise

All automotive including antique and collectible. However if the car has been modified I can only answer in general terms and maybe get you pointed in the right direction.

Experience

Automotive tech instructor. Syndicated auto columnist 1970's though the early 1990's. Syndicated auto radio talk show, Ask Brad About cars, CBS Radio 70's through 90's TV Show "Last Chance Garage" 1980's PBS-TV syndicated. Auto instructor for the following companies: Fram Autolyte Holly Carter AMF Ford Motor University Of Conn Blue Hills Technical School Sugar River Technical Center Grew up in a family garage in Needham Mass and turned wrenches from the age of 14.

Publications
Manchester Union Leader, Nashua Telegraph, Motor Service Magazine, Yankee Magazine, Popular Mechanics (Saturday Mechanic early 80's), Los Angeles Times, New York Times, and lots more.

Education/Credentials
More than I care to remember. Basically Franklin Technical Institute in Boston, Northeastern University, Fitchburg State Teachers College, Tufts University, and a lot of factory schools along the way.

Awards and Honors
Moto Award winner. And much more.

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