Got my clock working...

[peeeot]

It's surprising how much enjoyment I'm getting out of just hearing that little tick and the occasional click and watching the second hand go around. I think electromechnical devices are really, really cool.

Anyhow, I have a question about the fuse. The manual says to use a 1AG-1 fuse, and originally I had one in there that said AGA 1 on it. That one blew though, I think maybe the contacts were together too long or something, but now I have one installed that says AGA 2. The clock seems to be working fine. Do you think the AGA 2 fuse is okay to use?

Also, it sounds like the clock is rewinding every minute and 5 seconds, approx. Does that sound about right?

[Alexander]

RE: Got my clock working...

I would put the correct fuse on it. An original working clock is precious. The correct fuse is still available. It is made by Buss and by Little.

I though the clock runs about 3 minutes before it rewinds, but I might be wrong. I will check it next time I'm in the car.

Alexander
1959 Hardtop
1960 Golde Top

[peeeot]

RE: Got my clock working...

Hmm... 3 minutes is more like what I read for a clock on a Chrysler page. The drive spring on my clock was not installed at the end; someone had stretched it a little longer and put the spring anchor point through the spring coils. Maybe this is why it winds up more often. I've only had it hooked up a day, so I haven't been able to check yet whether it's running fast.

Edit: I just checked and the clock was a couple minutes slow. Not sure whether that means anything or not.

[JohnG]

RE: Got my clock working...

I believe they are adjustable. If you turn the clock back (due to it being fast, for example), a minor adjustment is autoatically made to slow it down a tad. The reverse is true if you turn it ahead. I think I had to make several adjustments, one per day, over a few days before I got it just right.

Now that you have it running, consider careful and strategic lubrication. I have an extensive article on old car clocks from Skinned Knuckles restoration magazine that I just ran across and could scan in and send to you (or anyone) interested.

john
'58 Hardtop

[peeeot]

RE: Got my clock working...

I hope I haven't already blown it on the careful and strategic parts of lubrication... I put wd-40 on several of the moving parts. It was critical to getting the clock to work; before the wd-40 it wouldn't run long enough to close the points every time. The article you mention could be handy for a lot of us, I expect. Maybe something for the squarebird technical page?

[6TB1RD]

RE: Got my clock working...

I know I would really like to read the Article on the old clocks, I have not checked mine out.

[JohnG]

RE: Got my clock working...

send an email to me at goulet@net1plus.com and I will scan the article in and send it to you as a PDF attachment, probably Tuesday.

John

[peeeot]

RE: Got my clock working...

I finally got around to taking my clock out and moving the anchor point of the spring to the end where it belongs. As expected, this has doubled the length of time the clock runs before rewinding. It's doing it just shy of every 2 minutes now.

That's still less than 3. Why might it be too frequent? If anything, the spring is now looser than it would have been from stock, allowing for a longer throw of the winder and a weaker pull to bring the contacts together.