56 Speedo Cable

[Nick C]

Hello all. I'm new to the forum from southwest Oklahoma. My father-in-law and myself recently acquired a peacock blue 56 Tbird. I've been doing maintenance and repairs for the last couple of months and have enjoyed getting away from the computerized, digital and integrated circuit cars of today. My speedometer quit the other day and I recollect hearing a noise just before but didn't know where it came from. I can hear a small whine up at the speedo. I figure the cable is gone. Whats the best way to trouble shoot this. I have a lift and have tried to figure how I'll get my big hands up at the cable housing attachment and remove it to check it out. I had thought of removing the rear trans crossmember to get in there. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks for the help and having me on the forum. Nick C

 

[gbhrps]

NickC,

Before you go too far into this, you may find that the cable housing to the speedometer has come disconnected at the speedometer. The cable housing has a knurled nut at its end that screws onto the back of the speedometer. It may have come loose.

It is possible to lay on your back under the steering wheel and reach up through the wiring harnesses and brake pedal to find the cable and follow it to the speedometer head. Difficult, yes, uncomfortable, for sure, but doable. Check to see if its tightly screwed on.

You can unscrew it entirely and pull the cable back and down under the dash. You should see the inner cable (its squared off end that fits into the speedometer head) and be able to pull it out of the outer housing for lubing and checking for damage. At least, you can on many cars of this era and beyond. (I can't recall for sure, since I did my resto many years ago,) If its good, then your problem is either in the speedo head, or the drive gear end that enters the tranny. Good Luck!

 

[Nick C]

Thanks for the info. I'll be looking at it this weekend.