[Parkman51]

Good news today! I took a short drive around the neighborhood, and almost everything worked properly.

Two things did not: first, the speedometer (which for obvious reasons has been heretofore untested) - it bounced/jittered around wildly instead of reading a consistent speed, like it was partially sticking.

Second, the car has to be cranked for a long time before it starts. I don't mean it thinks about starting for a while and just needs to get warm, no, when it gets gas it catches and comes to life with an endearing enthusiasm - but it takes a good ten seconds at least of cranking for it to get there.

Update on the clock: it's not all-the-way fixed, because it still stops sometimes, but it did run for five hours straight last night, and a tap on the face started it again. So that's close enough for now, and it'll go on the longer-term project list. Bill, the mechanism looked simple enough not to have the auto-increase/auto-decrease ability, but I can't be sure.

Update on the wiper motor: the 55 and 56 switches seems to be one of those odd parts that no one really seems to have. I think I'm first going to see if I can figure out a way to run the electric motor off the original analog extension wire, but that is quite far out of my wheelhouse, so we'll see if I come up with a better idea after sitting on it for a few days.

Today's two questions:
1) How do I fix the speedometer?
2) What's going on with the long crank, and what should I do to address that?

[Jack Gifford]

1) Look first at the speedometer cable. Maybe first disconnect the cable from the speedometer and drive the car (or jack up a rear wheel and run it in gear) and feel whether the cable's speedometer end rotates smoothly.
2) Does pumping the throttle affect the long cranking time?

[Safari Larry]

Good suggestions by Jack. Regarding speedometer, see Shop Manual, page 12-42. Understand how the speedometer works. Under the heading PERIODIC SERVICE, see instructions for lubricating the cable. That will likely cure your problem.

You can remove and lubricate the cable without removing the cable housing. You should be able to pull the cable out of the housing from either end, at the speedometer or at the transmission. Lubricate the cable and reinsert. You can test that the cable turns freely at the transmission by turning it.

[Bill Hanlon]

Originally Posted by Parkman51

Bill, the mechanism looked simple enough not to have the auto-increase/auto-decrease ability, but I can't be sure.

If the clock has an adjustment screw on the face it does not auto adjust. Is that a tiny screw on the outer rim at the 6 o'clock position?

[Parkman51]

I removed the speedometer cable from its housing to lubricate it, but before doing so, I used the shop manual's recommended test to see if there was a kink. While no kink was apparent from a visual inspection, the cable has an unambiguous "flop" to it, in that it has one orientation in which it plainly prefers to lie. I take this to mean that the cable is in fact kinked and should be replaced. Thankfully, there seems to be a suitable replacement in stock at a nearby store, so I'll pick that up tomorrow as well as some white lithium grease to lubricate it as I replace it.

The clock is going strong - a full day of nonstop running after I bolted it back in, and it only lost about an hour. So, I tweaked that tiny adjustment screw located below the 6 on the face, and we'll see what happens.

Plus, I have a very interesting idea on how to run the windshield wiper with the original switch. I'll update you if that plan matures.

Today's two questions:
1) Anyone know off the top of their head what size bore the front wheel cylinders are? The front passenger brake is the one that's not working (the one that didn't bleed when I was bleeding the brakes), and I figure replacing the wheel cylinder is a good starting point. And if the answer is "it varies," I assume I'm to measure the diameter of the rod that exits the wheel cylinder, correct?
2) What insurance companies do you use? Are there companies that will insure both classic and non-classic cars?