Bye-Bye Malaise Era Speedometer

[focodave]

Today I swapped my original 85 mph speedo in my 1980, to a 140 mph unit.
Now as I drive my car, I have one less thing to remind me of perhaps the worst period in American Automotive history -- the Malaise Era ----- 55 mph max speed limits, 85 mph max speedometers, etc, etc.
In Colorado, most of our highway speed limits are 75 mph, so I often have to go 85 to keep up with traffic.
Lovin' it......

[81SPIDERMATT]

nice .... and it looks like you picked up some free miles ... now is when you should check your mpg .... "last tank got 600 miles"

however you now can not use the line with the cops (I have used it twice) " no I don't ... how fast was it my speedo only goes to 85"

[focodave]

Haha!
Yes, I set the new one to 24500 when I got it, to match my old one (at that time) but then I waited a couple of months to put the new one in while racking up a few hundred miles on the old one.
Too lazy to get out the drill this morning to run the new one up to 24833 before installation.
I kind of like the feeling of getting a few hundred "free" miles.

[joelittel]

I have a 140 mph unit that I'd like to swap for my 85 mph speedo, but I thought I read the 140 mph units would not show accurate speeds on an '80 because of the ratio difference between the '80 and the donor car.

Have you noticed any issues with yours yet? To tell you could hunt around school zones for one of those digital signs that flash your speed and warn you to slow down.

I also noticed that the cable connection between the 85 mph and the 140 mph speedo is different. How did you get around this?

[bobplyler]

how fast was it my speedo only goes to 85"

A friend of mine got pulled over doing 105 in a 55. He told the judge "my speedometer is broken".
The judge took his license.

[focodave]

I have a 140 mph unit that I'd like to swap for my 85 mph speedo, but I thought I read the 140 mph units would not show accurate speeds on an '80 because of the ratio difference between the '80 and the donor car.

Have you noticed any issues with yours yet? To tell you could hunt around school zones for one of those digital signs that flash your speed and warn you to slow down.

I also noticed that the cable connection between the 85 mph and the 140 mph speedo is different. How did you get around this?

RPM-to-speed relationship is exactly the same on my new one vs the old one. 70mph = 4000 rpm in 5th gear. 40mph = 2500 rpm in 4th gear.
I bought this one on ebay, so I don't know what year it came out of but it has to be from a late 78 or a 79 (just before the ridiculous 55mph max speed limit law was introduced in 1979).
My 140 unit has the same cable attachment as the original -- the plastic spring fingers with cinching collar.

[So Cal Mark]

if the cable end doesn't match, merely change the cable to the appropriate style. Dave, your dash looks really nice!

[focodave]

Many thanks, Mark.

[Exit98]

Now your Spider's top speed is 140 MPH instead of 85. Pretty cheap way to get all that extra power.

Really, Fiat wasn't the only one to have silly speedometers.

Its kinda like having a baby thermometer with a max temp of 212 degrees.

A young boy once sat in my car. "Wow, this car goes 140 miles an hour!" I didn't burst his bubble.

[So Cal Mark]

"Its kinda like having a baby thermometer with a max temp of 212 degrees."

I've yet to see a baby reach 212, they usually melt down before getting that hot

[focodave]

Now your Spider's top speed is 140 MPH instead of 85. Pretty cheap way to get all that extra power.

Really, Fiat wasn't the only one to have silly speedometers.

Its kinda like having a baby thermometer with a max temp of 212 degrees.

A young boy once sat in my car. "Wow, this car goes 140 miles an hour!" I didn't burst his bubble.

Haha.
Before I changed the speedo, I had a couple people, on different occasions, look at my car and say "85 is all the faster that thing will go?"
Hmm.
I calculated that if I red-lined it, it would go 105. I'm not going to try that.

[SunnySideUp]

Has anyone tried swapping out an 85 MPH speedo with a 120 MPH speedo from a Fiat 850? If so - was it a direct swap or did you have to change out anything other than the speedometer cable?

Example: http://www.ebay.com/itm/FIAT-850-SPIDER ... 7c&vxp=mtr

[Tobi]

I installed a 120 mph speedometer without changing the cable or the gear. I had a hard time with the cable but some how got it hooked.
With the speed I am right on but I do have small diameter tires and guess I was lucky.

[Wolfman2332]

Love the 140 MPH Speedo - Want one in the worst way. Will if fit in an 84 Pininfarina?? Also, where did you source it?

[focodave]

Love the 140 MPH Speedo - Want one in the worst way. Will if fit in an 84 Pininfarina?? Also, where did you source it?

Hello Wolfman.

Wow -- this is an old thread -- I had forgotten I created it.
Yes, the 140 MPH speedometer from a 1978 or 1979 car will work in a 1984 car.
The numbering font in the older speedometer will not match your 1984 speedometer font, though.
Not sure if you are concerned about that or not.
I sourced my 140 speedometer from Ebay, 8 years ago.
I paid $50 for it back then.

Best regards,
Dave