Clock Repair

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Batlcry
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Joined: Sat Sep 10, 2016 11:27 am
Your car is a: 1981 Pininfarina

Clock Repair

Postby Batlcry » Mon Feb 12, 2018 8:30 am

I have an '81 Spider with the original clock. The second hand moves but the hour and minute hands do not. Does anyone know of a business or individual that can repair these clocks. I would rather fix my original clock than buy new one if possible.
Thanks for any info.
Lon

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RRoller123
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Your car is a: 1980 FI SPIDER 2000
Location: SAGAMORE BEACH, MA USA

Re: Clock Repair

Postby RRoller123 » Mon Feb 12, 2018 8:45 am

Palo Alto Speedometer is one.
'80 FI Spider 2000
'74 and '79 X1/9 (past)
'75 BMW R75/6
2011 Chevy Malibu (daily driver)
2010 Chevy Silverado 2500HD Ext Cab 4WD/STD BED
2002 Edgewater 175CC 80HP 4-Stroke Yamaha
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Batlcry
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Joined: Sat Sep 10, 2016 11:27 am
Your car is a: 1981 Pininfarina

Re: Clock Repair

Postby Batlcry » Mon Feb 12, 2018 8:49 am

Thanks for the reply.. I will give them a call.
Lon ✌

TX82FIAT
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Joined: Mon May 03, 2010 11:04 am
Your car is a: 82 Fiat Spider 2000 CSO
Location: San Antonio

Re: Clock Repair

Postby TX82FIAT » Mon Feb 12, 2018 9:26 am

I'll take the heat for saying this. The Veglia clocks will break over time. Three spiders over the last 30 years and all of them needed a new clock. Had one rebuilt by a guy on this forum many years ago and can not find a link to him now. That clock lasted about five years. I know we like original gauges. However, a new clock is easy to install, lights up much better in your dash, draws a little less power, last longer, cost a lot less. Only us Fiat and Italian car guys will know it is not original.

I know sacrilege!! sometimes practicality overrides heritage.
Buon giro a tutti! - enjoy the ride!

82 Fiat Spider 2000
03 BMW M3
07 Chevy Suburban

Batlcry
Posts: 18
Joined: Sat Sep 10, 2016 11:27 am
Your car is a: 1981 Pininfarina

Re: Clock Repair

Postby Batlcry » Mon Feb 12, 2018 10:12 am

Thanks for your response. As much as I would like to keep the original, cost of repair versus buying a new one is definately a factor. I live in eastern Canada so shipping to California (assuming I used Palo Alto) and return will no doubt be pricey without even factoring in the cost of repair. Think I'll call Palo Alto and try to get an estimated repair cost and go from there.
About 2 1/2 months out from getting on the road again.. lookin' forward to it!!
Lon ✌

scrapironchef
Posts: 155
Joined: Thu Jul 16, 2009 3:06 pm
Your car is a: 79 Spider
Location: Richmond, CA

Re: Clock Repair

Postby scrapironchef » Mon Feb 12, 2018 7:25 pm

TX82FIAT wrote:I know sacrilege!! sometimes practicality overrides heritage.


Am I the only one who thinks that the clock on my updated radio keeps better time than any of these units ever did? Couldn't that hole in the dash board serve a better purpose than giving us the wrong time in the fog?

Larry

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Nanonevol
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Your car is a: 1977 Fiat 124 Spider
Location: Medway, Massachusetts

Re: Clock Repair

Postby Nanonevol » Mon Feb 12, 2018 7:51 pm

Yeah, but they're retro-cool. Also adjustable on the back of the clock.
1977 Fiat Spider
1985 Jaguar XJ6
1967 Triumph Bonneville (hard-tail chopper)
1966 BSA Lightning

PhillySpider
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Joined: Tue Apr 26, 2016 6:51 pm
Your car is a: 1980 Spider 2000
Location: New Hope, PA

Re: Clock Repair

Postby PhillySpider » Tue Feb 13, 2018 7:34 am

I replaced the cloudy "glass" and love hearing that "tick tick tick tick" when i get in the car personally :)

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RRoller123
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Your car is a: 1980 FI SPIDER 2000
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Re: Clock Repair

Postby RRoller123 » Tue Feb 13, 2018 8:06 am

Mine keeps near perfect time since I had PA Speedo repair it, but it is expensive. :!:
'80 FI Spider 2000
'74 and '79 X1/9 (past)
'75 BMW R75/6
2011 Chevy Malibu (daily driver)
2010 Chevy Silverado 2500HD Ext Cab 4WD/STD BED
2002 Edgewater 175CC 80HP 4-Stroke Yamaha
2003 Jaguar XK8
2003 Jaguar XKR
2021 Jayco 22RB
2019 Bianchi Torino Bicycle

FiatJim
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Your car is a: 1973 spider refurbished
Location: Greensboro, NC

Re: Clock Repair

Postby FiatJim » Thu Feb 15, 2018 8:29 pm

Is there a option to replace the original clock with a battery operated one? I was thinking about the kind used in cheaper wall clocks. I could solder on a longer battery lead/clip and then not have to worry about the dang thing breaking. I just need to change the AA battery.

TX82FIAT
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Joined: Mon May 03, 2010 11:04 am
Your car is a: 82 Fiat Spider 2000 CSO
Location: San Antonio

Re: Clock Repair

Postby TX82FIAT » Fri Feb 16, 2018 2:54 pm

FiatJim. Since it is 12 volts with limited draw I'm sure you could get it to work off a battery with a longer lead to the power source. I'm not sure that is the best way to preserve clock life. You would need to reset the clock each time you replaced the battery or put a battery in. Seems if that is the way to go you would just extend the circuit and install a switch so it would work off the car battery as designed unless you did not want it too via the switch. Depending on your radio type. To preserve car battery you may consider a green knob at the negative battery cable. It would shut off all electrical draw to the car stopping the clock when not in use as well as preserve against any unknown parasitic draw.

I installed a VDO clock with 12Volt Operation, 52mm Diameter (2 1/16") Mounting Hole. Unless your looking for a veglia clock you would not notice. $39 new. I saw an LED dash clock for 21.99 but did not like the style.
Buon giro a tutti! - enjoy the ride!

82 Fiat Spider 2000
03 BMW M3
07 Chevy Suburban

spider2081
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Your car is a: 1981 Spider 2000
Location: Wallingford,CT
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Re: Clock Repair

Postby spider2081 » Fri Feb 16, 2018 6:30 pm

I purchased a 2 inch clock in a crraft store similar to this one.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Quartz-50mm-2- ... SwX61ZBW1U
Took apart the in-op original clock and the new one. Installed the original mask (numbers) in the new clock. Installed a grain of wheat light bulb. Reused the connector from the original clock for the light wires. It used a AAA battery for power and lasts a few years. Painted the gold bezel flat black. I don't have a photo but can tell you no one ever noticed it was not a stock clock. I think al together I spent $10

FiatJim
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Re: Clock Repair

Postby FiatJim » Fri Feb 16, 2018 8:48 pm

Yep, the AAA battery one is the kind of thing I've been thinking about. Seems self-contained, easy to put the battery in an easy, but unseen spot when it needs to be changed.

spider2081
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Re: Clock Repair

Postby spider2081 » Sat Feb 17, 2018 7:42 am

Mine has friction clips on the side so it fits the stock opening firm enough to stay in place and I just plug it in and push it into the dash. I have to pull it out to change the battery and set the time. Daylight savings time means I change the time 2 times a year.

ccblunt
Posts: 10
Joined: Thu Nov 16, 2017 8:46 pm
Your car is a: 1975 Fiat 124 Spider

Re: Clock Repair

Postby ccblunt » Mon Feb 19, 2018 6:18 pm

I tried replacing my busted Veglia clock with one of the expensive Italian aftermarket clocks that multiple Fiat parts vendors carried. It looked fantastic, but only lasted a few months. Didn't keep good time, and the hands literally fell off of it while I was adjusting it.

Second time around, I opted for a VDO Viewline Onyx clock, with optional chrome bezel (could've gotten black, but I'd already added chrome bezels to my other gauges). It's a nice match with the other gauges, because it has white lettering on a black background (many other aftermarket clocks use orange on black). It only looks mismatched at night, because it lights up differently than the other gauges.

I just did a quick check, and see that the Fiat parts vendors are now carrying genuine Veglia replacement clocks, instead of the kind that fell apart on me. If these had been available last summer, I might have tried one instead of the VDO. And if the VDO fails, I probably will. But for now, I'm really happy with it.


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