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Stop! I learned the hard way when i restored my 50 clock...there was a tiny screw in that hole in the center of the button on the center of the face. Once i removed that, the hands came right off and i could repaint with the black light glowing paint.

Is your clock working or no? If not, i have some of the cleaner you soak it in (not the face, just the assembly behind it) and the oil that you use to lube the assembly in a couple spots. After that and soldering a wire, everything worked like new!

Thanks guys...cortcomp, The button on the minute hand definitely did not have a screw in it. Is the screw for the hour hand? I see a hole in the shaft where the hands attach to, but that would not have been exposed without removing the minute hand. Maybe an allen hole? I have no idea. I wasn't even sure if the hands were supposed to be unscrewed from the back of the clock instead of pulled off.

I got my clock working by using PB Blaster. I over did it and that is how I got oil on the face between the lens. That is why I'm trying to take it apart so I can clean it up.

If it starts working with WD40 or pbblaster, that usually means that the shaft holes are not wallowed out, and that the clock was just gunked up. However, if you leave it like that with pbblaster or wed40 on it, it will attract more gunk and dirt and dry out, and stop working again after awhile.

To test a clock, spray the workings with WD40 and try it. If the clock winds and works for a few hours, it's usually mechanically sound and doesn't need new bushings or parts or holes staked to keep things in line. (sounds like your situation, mechanically sound, just was dirty.) This lets you know if you need to service the clock, or just clean it and put it back in.

Next, you have to soak or clean the assembly with clock cleaner or something lightweight that will remove the wd40/pbblaster/oil and gunk but not leave a residue. You can use a very light brush if it's bad but don't mess up the spring.

Lastly, let the assembly dry or blow dry it and then use a needle oiler or something small to lubricate the couple points where shafts mount into one of the plates. The oil must be light and a very small amount so that it doesn't cause a ton of dirt to stick there again and cause the same problem down the road.

Here is the kit i used. More than enough to do 50 clocks really:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=380282784669#ht_500wt_1156

It was worth the $25 bucks to know i was using the right cleaner and oil. It would be a shame if you didn't get the PB off and the clock stopped working down the road.

I do knew there was a small screw...might have been on the adjustment knob now that i think about it. The hands definitely came off the face and not unscrewing the hands themselves.

If they weren't screwed on, I likely pried them off lightly at the base with a very small screwdriver, like one for a set of glasses. Then i removed the assembly from the face and dipped it in the cleaner, oiled it, reassembled and tested with a small 6v transformer with the clock sitting on the kitchen table. It ran for a week and kept time so i put it back in the dash.

It was pretty cool to be sitting there watching tv and hearing it click and reset every couple minutes :)

One problem with these style clocks is that, in storage, the battery gets low over time, and finally there's not enough voltage to use the motor to open the points. The connection to the motor stays closed, and then the wire from the points to the coil melts (like mine) or the points stay welded closed and the coil assembly can melt (like in my Pontiac).

I'd recommend cleaning the points with a tiny file or sandpaper if you can while you're in there.

From now on, i''ll be leaving a battery tender on my car or disconnecting the battery in storage to keep it from happening again. The good news is, on most people's clocks, it's a simple repair and some cleaning to get a long un-used clock going again.

Also, people make quart conversion kits. No clicking, and the second hand moves continuously with a little whirring noise. I did that to my Pontiac since the assembly was melted.

Thanks cortcomp. There was a small screw on the knob for the slower/faster setting that I removed (have to do that before it will come out of the cluster). So you think the hour handle will come off by prying gently? Maybe I was too aggressive with the minute hand?

That sounds right, i do believe it took some effort to get both hands off but after that they went on and off okay and stayed put fine. Think they were just stuck.

There is also a Borg Clock Manual listed at #35 in the Owner's Manual section.


Cortcomp,

Thanks for the link to the clock cleaning/oiler kit. I am going through an early 50's Sexton- Cribben Universal stove and I will be getting around to doing the clock in the next couple of weeks. Your tip is going to come in real handy. At least I have clock to practice on before I do my car's clock.

You're welcome!

When i took my clock out, tied to the clock with a string was a tiny owners manual for the clock...it was crumbling and rapidly deteriorating. But it was amazing that it lasted all those years tied to the clock with none the wiser!

After pulling the motor and tranny, and muscling manifolds around, it was fun to sit down and work on the delicate clock. Felt like i was working on defusing a bomb!

12-14-10

OK, I got it apart! Here is how I did it...

I lifted the tabs around the clock hoping it would give me enough room to clean the face with a thin shop towel, but no dice.

Then I tried to pull the mushroom shaped piece that the minute hand attaches to off with some pliers. Not working. Kept looking at that hole in the middle of it. At first I thought it might be a tiny allen hole so I tried a small allen wrench, but that did nothing. Then I got a great idea. I searched through my special Packard tools and came up with one that's not in the parts books. A small finish nail. I banged the sharp tip on some steel to take the point off. Then I put the mushroom shaped piece in between my linemans pliers where you would cut a wire with and held it. Put the nail in the hole and hit it with a hammer. At first, nothing happened. Then on the 8th hit...CRASH! The clock fell to the table. The tip was off and the face came right off.

The problem now is the clock hit the table with such force that a spring is sitting in the clock and I am not 100% sure where it goes. I think it goes on the shaft that holds the clock hands. It also fits around the slow/fast adjuster, but kind of snug. Not sure if it was there the force would have popped it all the way off of there. If anyone knows, please speak up!

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12-14-10 continued...

After separating the face from the clock, I took the face apart. There is a "sleeve" around the slow/fast adjuster shaft that needs to be slid off (shown in pic below). Next the silver center trim piece must come off. It is held on with tabs on the back face of the clock. Once that is off, the clear piece comes off the back. I was surprised to see the numbers were on the clear piece instead of the back. I thought the clear piece would have just been a cover.

Now that it is apart and I get the oil out of it, how do you recommend I clean it up? I was thinking of just using some polishing compound. Any thoughts?

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