Has anyone tried this themselves? I want to do the clock in my '67 Delta, while I have the dash out for restoration. If someone has, were they happy with the result and was it worth doing?

 

I did this on a '75 Delta 88 I owned back in the 90s. The only thing is being able to get at the battery every year or so to replace it. I thought it was well worth doing, though. I manufactured some hands that looked pretty close to the original, and I doubt anyone casually looking at the car would ever have noticed a difference.

 

You can buy quartz conversion kits for some clocks, it depends on who makes them. I bought mine from a company called the CLOCK DOC about 20 years ago (still going just fine!) so who knows if they are still around.

 

I didn't use any sort of conversion kit. I just removed the entire, original movement from behind the clock and replaced it with one of those $10 quartz movements you can get for clocks in a craft store or in the crafts section at Walmart or Kmart.

 

A couple years ago I bought a "converted" clock for my 71 Cutlass on ebay. The guy took a clock movement out of a middle 80's full size Buick (Lesabre or Electra I think, they had a round clock) and put it in a Cutlass clock. I got it and saw it was rather crude with the ground wire soldered on to the back of it. But I put it in and it has worked perfectly since then. I don't know if it would work in your 67 but it seems like it would.I saw a whole Buick dash at a swap meet a while back for $10.00. Should have bought it. Maybe you'll want to check at some salvage yards. I'm happy with it, looks stock and unaltered from the front.

 

All good points! I appreciate the feedback. One thing I don't want to do though is replace batteries. I'll start doing some research....

 

Contact Instrument Serices. As previously stated, they make kits for many American cars. I don't know about a Delta, but I have coverted a 69 Vette, a 69 Grand Prix, a 70 Bonneville, and a 72 Cutlass. All replace the original guts, but use the same face, hands etc and the original wiring and lights plug right in. No batteries! And best of all they keep perfect time maybe forever. The Bonneville is nearly 25 years old and still works perfectly. Not difficult to do yourself, or you can pay extra to have them do it.

 

Awesome! I will look them up...thank you for the insight!

 

Bob's Speedometer in MI replaced my electro/mechanical clock with a quartz unit and it still won't keep time.

 

I have done the quartz conversion on the '70-'72 Cutlass clocks with great success. Pretty easy to do & keeps perfect time. I don't remember who I bought them from & on the Cutlass clocks, only the Borg clock can be converted. The general time clock can't be. One or the other name will be stamped on the back of the clock, not sure if that applies to earlier years. No batteries to be replaced either.
Good luck.

 

I finally got a chance to convert the clock in the Delta this weekend. I got the kit from Instrument Services....other than the fact that working with such tiny parts was a little difficult, came out great! Runs like "swiss time"...as long as you follow the directions carefully, it goes very easily!

 

did you get the kit for the pontiac /gto or did they have one specific for cutlass

 

I bought a new non quartz movement for my rallye pac. Still in the box. I can check the name of the seller if you're interested. It was a company that restores old and also sells quartz ones IIRC.

 

I don't know if it would work but you might try and get the clock out of some of the later model Lincolns and see if you can adapt it. They are 12v but you have to hide the "set" switches.