1948 Station Sedan; Speedometer Issue

Posted by Jon Kanas On 2023/3/31 15:45:40

I just got my 1948 Station Sedan running this week (first run since last used in 2010). The speedometer produces a significant howl and very erratic needle behavior at all speeds.

I have disconnected the speedometer cable from the back of the speedometer head. I observed foul, sticky lubricant residual on the cable, therefore I have lubricated the cable with Automatic Transmission fluid and left the cable positioned such that the lubricant will drain into the cable.

I have not driven the car since I disconnected the cable, so have not isolated to noise specifically to either the cable or speedometer head.

I request assistance / advice on the following items:

When I removed the cable from the speedometer head, the internal part of the cable did not come out of the head immediately, so it is now about 1/2" longer than it should be, and is preventing me from reinserting the cable onto the back of the speedometer head. Is the speedometer cable separate from it’s housing, and should I be able to pull the cable completely out of the housing for inspection and lubrication?

Is it likely that the inner cable has pulled out of it's home at the transmission end, therefore need to remove the cable from the transmission and reseat the cable?

If I determine that the cable should be replaced, is it typical to replace the cable and housing as a unit, or replace only the inner cable?

If I determine that the speedometer head requires a rebuild, how do I remove it from the instrument panel? Is the panel that contains the speedometer, instruments and clock removed from the dash, or do I remove the speedometer from under the dashboard?

Thanks in advance