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Second question from the newbie: I took delivery three weeks ago and the speedometer does not work. I was told it has the wrong pinion between the speedo cable and the trans. The car was converted from an automatic to a 3 speed manual prior to my ownership. It retains the 3.54 rear end from the automatic. Is there a speedo pinion for the manual trans that will talk to the 3.54 diff? If not, what is the closest I can get and would it read fast or slow? I have ordered a parts book which is yet to arrive. Thanks in advance.

The parts book will not have a listng as standard transmission was not available in the '54 Convertible, Ultramatic was standard equipment. For those '54 models available with standard transmission and the 3.54 axle the pinion is #433777 (16 teeth).

If your speedometer does not function at all, chances are the problem is not the pinion.

Pinions may not be the entire issue. There are different soeedo cable and housing assys for the 51-4 cars -- Standard trans, Standard with OD, and since your car is a 54, there were two different Ultramatic cable assys -- the older Ultra vs the new in 54 gearstart. I believe the difference is the shape of the adapter that fits inside the transmission and the way it mounts and also the total length of the cable assy.

Since the car was changed from an Ultra to a standard, if it wasn't already done then depending on exactly how your car is now configured you may need to change the cable and housing to get the proper assy for the current trans and then get the proper pinion for that new cable assy.

Howard and Owen,
Thank you for the quick responses. Did all '54 cars use the same manual trans such that there was only one adapter? Will the adapter on the cable from an automatic fit into a manual trans? My cable, which looks new, has a large adapter with an o-ring for a seal which fits perfectly into the trans and is held in by a keeper and one bolt. I checked and there is enough inner cable to engage the speedometer head. It does not feel like the plastic pinion gear engages anything when I slide the adapter/pinion into the trans. If the cable/adapter from an auto will not fit into a manual box then by process of elimination it may just be the pinion and the 16 tooth #433777 that I need. Again, thank you very much.

Mark

Let me add that my trans also has overdrive.

Standard and standard with overdrive transmissions were both available. Whether the difference is the length of the adapter inside the trans or the length of the cable so it reaches farther back for OD I can't say.

If you already have a pinion and it is not engaging then the question becomes the length of the adapter -- or the length of the pinion shaft -- or the length of the inner cable. Pinion shaft length should be easy to check. Assuming the inner cable itself is long enough for the square end to reach the adapter, if the shaft is long enough then it should be engaging the square end of cable. Turning the pinion should turn the cable. If it doesn't then you need to determine where the issue is. Shaft, adapter or cable length.

I don't recall how much access there is to the trans but if there is enough for a small 6" rule you can pull the adapter out and stick the ruler inside to get an approximate length it needs for the pinion to mesh with the center of the worm gear. You could then measure your assy and see if it looks correct. If not then that would be an indication the cable is the wrong assy.

If the ruler won't work then perhaps call one of the vendors and ask if they could measure one of their cable adapters for the trans you have -- and maybe a pinion shaft too. That way you could see how it compares with yours to know if you have the proper assy or need another.

Howard,
All good information. I will do some more research. From pictures I have found the adapter seems correct. With the cable installed at the speedometer head there is enough inner cable to engage the pinion and with the pinion in place there is enough cable to engage the head on the speedometer. I am inclined to believe the pinion I have is too short to mesh with the worm gear in the transmission or if it is long enough that the gear has too few teeth (diameter) to engage the worm gear.

Mark

As a follow-up: The correct pinion/gear arrived and has been installed. Success. The pinion/gear that came in the car was plastic, too short and the gear was too small to engage the worm gear in the trans. Thanks for all the good advice.