ClassicCar

A little warning when sending out a pre-1951 speedometer for repair. Be sure the shop is aware of the different standard Hudson used for speedo cable drive speed. I've known for a long time that in'51, Hudson cut the speedo cable drive speed form 2,000 rpm at 60 mph to 1,000. I'd aways assumed this was an industry-wide change, but that's evidently not so. Apparently everyone else had been using 1,000 rpm since "way back when." I'm having an interesting discussion with a shop where I sent my '47 speedo recently. Though the principal "fixer" has been at it for 35 years, he's apparently never encountered one of the pre-'51 Hudson units, because he was totally unaware of Hudson's 2,000 rpm calibration standard. Thus when I got the speedometer back, I had the thrill of seeing over 100 mph on my local roads, and the odometer eating up the miles at twice the rate it should! I sent it back and we had a lengthy discussion about the source of the problem. I thought he "got it," but when I got the unit back again it was still running at twice the proper speed. I think I've now got him convinced that I'm not pulling his leg about the different drive speed. At least he's agreed to check with a couple of his contacts in the speedo repair business. Hopefully they'll set him straight and I'll eventually have a properly calibrated unit again.