Clock Replacement 1959 Series 62

[billviper]

Is there an easy way to replace the dash clock, other than removing the entire pad and gauge cluster?  I have never seen a car so hard to wiggle your hand up behind the dash!  Thanks for any tips.
Bill Wilkerson

[76eldo]

You have to loosen the dash pad by removing all of the screws. Also remove the lower dash plate under the steering column. Disconnect the shift indicator at the column.
Now you can lift up the dash pad and put a couple of Two by Four spacers in there to keep it raised. There is a bracket with a wing nut behind the clock.  Remove the wing nut and the clock will come out from the front. Lube the opening a little with some vinyl dressing so that you don’t tear the vinyl when you pull the clock out.

In 1960 they got smart. A quarter turn to the left (I think) releases the clock.
Don’t forget there is a bulb and a wire or two powering the clock.

Make sure to check the plug on your ignition. Key switch when you put the dash pad back down. They have a tendency to loosen up and come off when the dash is moved.

Important note, be very careful and do not put too much pressure on any part of the dash pad. You don’t want to flex or and create a crack. Also do not do this in cold weather. These dashes get more brittle in the cold.

[spolij]

Wow lot of work.
On my 66 there is a clip on top and a bolt undernieth the clock. Loosen the bolt pull the bottom out and the clip will slip free. Putting it back is another story! lol   Do you have a shop manual?

[76eldo]

The shop manual is a must and gives all the details on most jobs.

[gkhashem]

If you have small hands you can get up to the wing nut to remove the clock.

Hard to explain but got my hand up there by bending arm at elbow at 45 degrees where elbow was against the firewall. My  wing nut was frozen on the threaded stud but it came out. Then you push clock forward through dash into the interior  towards the drivers seat.

Then the wire was very short not a lot of extra wire on it since I figured I would connect it then push clock back into its opening. No way the wire was too short to I had to connect it from under the dash after pushing the clock back in!!!

[Daryl Chesterman]

Brian, if you are going to raise the dash pad up, you will also need to disconnect the trip odometer reset cable from the lower part of the dash.  I don't think the cable is long enough to allow you to raise the dash pad much without disconnecting the knob end of the cable from the dash.

Daryl Chesterman

[76eldo]

It’s been a while since I have done one.
The manual probably details the procedure.
Good info about the cable.

[billviper]

Thanks guys.  I got the car about six months ago and have just been enjoying driving with it before I started doing a little housekeeping.  I have never had trouble figuring out a car without a shop manual until this one.  The complexity of the way Cadillac did things for 1959 is pretty impressive.  I sure don't want to damage anything, because we all know how hard it is to find parts.  I have ordered a shop manual, so should be sitting pretty soon.  Thanks for your help.

[Dan LeBlanc]

While you have the clock out, put in a 1 amp fuse in the power feed.  It's currently fused off the 20amp body feed at the fuse box, but, if the points get stuck, or the clock goes into a winding frenzy, it will burn out the coils.  At least with the lower amperage fuse, you have a chance at preserving the coils.

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

I can attest to the need for a separate fuse for the clock, as I repaired the wiring in the clock in my '60 CDV, bench-tested it, and put it back in.

Went for a drive to a Club event, and parked.   Returning to the car a half an hour later, I could see smoke rising from the dash, and immediately removed the battery cable from the terminal, and felt the top of the dash, above the clock, and boy, was it hot.

Gave the clock the push in and turn to the left, and popped it out, and removed the plug, and all was well.

Turns out that as the clock had been stopped for such a long time, because of a broken coil winding wire, my re-connection, without re-lubricating the mechanism, somehow caused the points to lock, allowing the coil to overheat.

As my car had been converted to RHD, using a Fibreglass Dash, I was lucky that the resin hadn't reached the flash point, or I would have had an Insurance claim.

An inline fuse might have simply blown, protecting everything.

Bruce.

PS.   The secret of installing an inline fuse is to place it somewhere where it can easily be reached.

[gkhashem]

The manual says you can reach up there and remove it without removing the dash.

I have a shop manual. Can be done but not easy.

[spolij]

Bill i had my clock converted to a quartz movement. Works great.