When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
....And here I was looking into why the speedo in my rolling living room isn't working, now that I have fixed my ignition nightmare....and now this? It's driven through the spindle and dust cap on the left front hub? Are you F***ing kidding me? Seriously? Not on the tailshaft of the trans like everything else known to man?
I am really trying not to cut up the car (ex. aftermarket gauges, etc) I just want the damn speedo to work.
Combine this with brake rotors that are made of unobtainium .. yea maybe I need to rethink just how "original" this car will be. An HEI immediately solved one unexplainable nightmare recently - guess this design was for S*** too. Wow. Especially when GM had loads of off the shelf stuff that would have worked, like a tailshaft driven speedo.
Jezuz **** man, I always loved GM for the ease of interchangeability and available parts - but this is getting ridiculous.
Start with the simplest thing first and hope you find the problem quickly. I've seen the housing damaged where part of the steering rubbed up against it and wore the coating off the housing. Then the metal spiral allowed water to get in and rust the cable inside. Visually check for damage like this. You can pull the dust cover and see a brass fitting in the cover that the speedometer cable end fits into. If the brass fitting is good can you rotate the cable end easily? If the cable got dry it may have grenaded inside the housing somewhere. Once you've identified the problem area you can start looking for replacement parts. I believe 1965-70 full sized Olds used this setup, not sure about anything else GM. Yes these are getting hard to find but they're out there. I've had several cars that used this design, and if maintained it will function just fine.
I'm not aware of any spindle swaps available to get away from this setup. You'd also have to swap out the transmission or go to a magnetic pulse for a newer aftermarket speedometer.
Are you needing rotors now or just expressing concern that if you need to replace one it will be hard to find?
2 Blu442- I am thinking since the brakes are already a completely unavailable item, maybe a spindle swap and a different speedo setup might be the ticket. I am tossing ideas at the wall here.
Since these are rear steer, I am going to lay hands on a C3 Corvette Spindle and see just how far off things may or may not be - I'd be tickled with 4 piston calipers and readily available off the shelf parts. I have to look at suspension geometry and such - but it's an idea.
The speedo thing I am learning there are GPS solutions that will drive a cable speedo that will also solve this problem, but as an added bonus changes to rear gear ratio and rim and tire size wont affect acuuracy...so I may go that route.
It sounds like you've got a cool car, its just a matter of getting past these small but important issues. Joe Padavona (joe_padavano on the site) has a 1967 that he's been looking at this on. You might get in touch with him to see what he's tried already to save you some time. Joe is one of the top guru's on this site, maybe the top guru and he knows a lot about these cars.
Good Luck with your project!
...and now this? It's driven through the spindle and dust cap on the left front hub? Are you F***ing kidding me? Seriously? Not on the tailshaft of the trans like everything else known to man?
Originally Posted by Chris98Buffalo
I'm still incredulous - who thought of this? It reminds me of putting a speedo on my bicycle's front wheel in 1977.. Jezuz this is ridiculous
Yes, it's exactly like putting on the bicycle's front wheel.
Advantages:
Shorter cable run
No need to use different components with different rear-end ratios
Can use the same parts whether front- or rear-wheel drive
Always reads accurately, even if your rear wheels are spinning
Originally Posted by Chris98Buffalo
Time to find a spindle swap and a different speedo solution
So I should just ask:
Have you removed the left front hub cap and looked at the drive?
Have you tried to spin the cable?
Have you removed the cable from the back of the speedo and spun the input fitting with your fingers to see whether the speedo works?
How do you know that the problem has anything to do with the cable drive?
So I should just ask:
Have you removed the left front hub cap and looked at the drive?
Have you tried to spin the cable?
Have you removed the cable from the back of the speedo and spun the input fitting with your fingers to see whether the speedo works?
How do you know that the problem has anything to do with the cable drive?
- Eric
All of this... should be an easy check starting with the hub bearing cap and working your way back...
Wow, six posts in 90 minutes (including the one in the other thread that the OP resurrected) to complain about the Olds full size cars.
We've discussed these issues MANY times here over the years. These cars are half a century old and not popular with restorers. The replacement parts industry does not support these cars very well. That's life, get used to it.
Rare Parts sells the otherwise unobtanium center link and idler arm.
Kanter sells Chinesium drums that are not exact but will work.
Kanter MAY be able to supply rotors - ask them.
The upper ball joints are available as Chinesium replacements from Kanter. NOS originals or NOS Moog/TRW replacements can be found on ebay or from Mobileparts.
The speedo outer sheath (if that is, in fact your problem) is not available. The rare and expensive NOS part or good used are your only options. The actual speedo cable can be replaced with a generic cable cut to length.
The most likely cause of a problem is the incorrect dust cap on the LF hub. The correct cap has a plastic drive feature that fits over the speedo cable. It is not uncommon for this to be broken. Replacements are not available, but you can fabricate one from an old speedo driven gear and some sheet metal pieces spot welded into the cap.
You can also get an expensive GPS speedo unit that has a cable output to drive your existing speedo.
The advantage of the front-wheel-driven speedo is that it is not affected by rear axle ratio. The disadvantage is that is cannot be adjusted for tire diameter.
The correct cap has a plastic drive feature that fits over the speedo cable. It is not uncommon for this to be broken. Replacements are not available, but you can fabricate one from an old speedo driven gear and some sheet metal pieces spot welded into the cap.
And for what it's worth to the OP, I have seen two versions of this cap:
One with the nylon drive piece sitting under a piece of spot welded metal, and another with the nylon drive piece held in place by a sort of brass or spring steel (I forget which) spider.
As you note, it can be fabricated.
Wish I hadn't sent one to the junkyard years ago...
OK, my memory isn't as good as it once was. I only remembered the one with a brass spiral springy thing. But I've come up with pictures to use as references. I believe the brass springy one is earlier and the flat piece of plastic is newer, likely what was on your 1970. They both have a bump on the outside of the dust cover. Joe, if I have any of this wrong please comment to correct the record. John
The spring is a static suppression contact that grounds the drum and hub to the spindle to avoid static in the radio. All 1960s Oldsmobiles had then inside the caps - though many were lost or damaged.
For what it's worth, I strongly suggested to the Fusicks's guys at Carlisle that the speedo cable sheath for these full size cars should be one of their next reproduction products.
I learned years ago tuning and racing my Grand National that these message boards are better than anywhere else for info - and you guys surely do not disappoint!
As for my OP, I was just pissed and venting, as I have never seen this in 30 years of playing with GM cars, but all but one of them were intermediates. (exception, 75 Electra 225, donor car for a 455 swap)
No, I have not pulled anything apart yet, I am happy the damn thing finally shook it's no spark gremlin that still to this day has no real good explanation; and to that point you guys were great on that post also. I started on here looking at speedo posts and learned about the hub drive thing and my head exploded. lol
As for the rotors made of unobtainium, I was just thinking ahead.. for now the brakes are working but I have yet to pull a wheel off of the car. I like to get things tip top and then keep them that way; cars are machines that need to be in top working order to deliver satisfaction and reliability.
One the weather here isn't like standing on the deck of the boats on "Deadliest Catch" I will pull the LF apart and have a peek. You guys are right, it may be something really simple. If those parts, cable, dust cap for hub, etc have gone out to lunch, it seems the $400 GPS solution makes the most sense.. instead of trying to rebuild 50 year old technology, embrace the new. I want to keep the original speedo intact, as I am going for a survivor car look and feel, with some modern tech hidden away for functionality and reliability.
I was successful in finding a really trick way to add good tunes ( 5 speakers) and hands free phone to the car without cutting a single thing up, and it's nearly totally hidden. I will add a few pics, and happy to provide details for anyone that wants to copy it. I figured I better share something positive lol...
Last edited by Chris98Buffalo; May 2nd, 2017 at 07:58 PM.
Chris98Buffalo, sure is a novel idea setting the tunes in where the ash tray was. I did something similar to that, a CB in the ash tray slot in our 73 LTD coupe back in 1974.
I sure would like to have that AM/FM radio for my 67 Delmont 88 425.
Very cool idea hiding a radio in the ashtray. I also like the mounting board you made for the two speakers. Let us know what you find out about the speedo.
Thanks guys! I was on a rant so I decided to share some success on a different note.. (pun intended)
The Tunes you see slide directly in the ashtray opening, nothing was cut, no holes drilled. I just removed the metal ashtray itself. (https://www.crutchfield.com/p_108K5/...-Kappa-K5.html) It's almost like it was meant to be there. It connects to any bluetooth equipped device. I use my phone and it also provides hands free cell communication (In NY it's a costly ticket to be on your phone not hands free) so I killed two birds with one stone. I can play anything stored on my phone, or stream Pandora, etc.. kinda slick. No broadcast FM, but I'm sure there's an app for that.
The are 5 speaks; (4) 3 1/2" kickers that were less than $100 for all four - one hidden in each floor vent up front provides a halfway decent stereo image, two in the baffle I made for the rear seat, and then one 12" sub in the trunk, which is also where the amp/controller reside. It even sounds halfway decent at highway speeds with the top down... well at least you can hear it! LOL
* As for the speedo - I have had zero time to mess with it, but it decided to start working mysteriously for 2 miles once and another 9 miles one other time. That being said, maybe all of the unobtainium parts are still in place, I will tinker with it one day soon. In the meantime, if local law enforcement asks me, "Do you know how fast you were going?" I can honestly reply, "With all due respect, I have absolutely no idea officer."
LOL more to come!
Last edited by Chris98Buffalo; May 31st, 2017 at 08:04 PM.
Chris if your speedo works intermittently it might just need to be lubed. You can use the dry graphite you can buy at the hardware store to lube the speedo cable inside the sheath. Let us know what you find out.
April 27th, 2017, 09:09 PM
