SPEEDOMETER options on an older truck....???

My uncle wanted me to ask you guys about this. He drives a smaller
style, 1969 bread type truck. I forget the brand of truck it is but
anyway, the SPEEDOMETER doesn't work.

His boss is rather cheap and says he won't get it fixed because it
would cost at least $200 and would be a pain in the butt to have done
on such an old truck.

Now... assuming this is the case, are their any alternatives to
this? Do they make any kind of add on, "ELECTRONIC" type of
speedometer that you can somehow use?

Maybe this is wishful thinging on my part, but they actually make
baseballs that can give you a digital readout as to how fast they were
thrown I was hoping that perhaps their are products that maybe you
could put on the dash or elsewhere that are made for vehicles that
have broken speedometers.

Do they make anything that might help this situation? An aftermarket
SPEDDOMETER gadget?

Thank you in advance!

Leesa (I)

> wrote:
>My uncle wanted me to ask you guys about this. He drives a smaller
>style, 1969 bread type truck. I forget the brand of truck it is but
>anyway, the SPEEDOMETER doesn't work.
>
>His boss is rather cheap and says he won't get it fixed because it
>would cost at least $200 and would be a pain in the butt to have done
>on such an old truck.
>
>Now... assuming this is the case, are their any alternatives to
>this? Do they make any kind of add on, "ELECTRONIC" type of
>speedometer that you can somehow use?

No. And the reason is that there isn't any electrical signal you can steal
that is proportional to speed.

If he wants a tachometer, he can pull a signal off the coil which has a
frequency proportional to the engine speed. That's useful, but that isn't
what he wants.

On a lot of modern cars he could pull a signal off the anti-lock
brake sensors or off of the automatic transmission controller. But he
doesn't have that stuff.

>Maybe this is wishful thinging on my part, but they actually make
>baseballs that can give you a digital readout as to how fast they were
>thrown I was hoping that perhaps their are products that maybe you
>could put on the dash or elsewhere that are made for vehicles that
>have broken speedometers.

Sure, you could build a radar device... but it wouldn't be very accurate
because the radar return wuld vary a lot with the road surface, and it
would be much more expensive than a conventional speedometer.

>Do they make anything that might help this situation? An aftermarket
>SPEDDOMETER gadget?

Just fix the damn speedometer. He has a gear in the transmission that
drives a shaft that goes up behind the dashboard and goes into the gauge.
All the parts are fairly cheap and because it's an old truck they are
all very easy to get to. Even the gear in the transmission. With junkyard
parts it should be a lot less than $200 for anything if he does the labor.

Oh, also, he can tell his boss it's illegal. Or deliberately get a speeding
ticket and go into court saying the speedometer is broken and his boss won't
fix it. THAT will get it fixed really fast.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

All in all $200 isn't that much too fix it but you could buy an
inexpensive GPS. The ones without maps can be found for less than $100
and will give you speed in MPH.

Mitch

wrote:
> My uncle wanted me to ask you guys about this. He drives a smaller
> style, 1969 bread type truck. I forget the brand of truck it is but
> anyway, the SPEEDOMETER doesn't work.
>
> His boss is rather cheap and says he won't get it fixed because it
> would cost at least $200 and would be a pain in the butt to have done
> on such an old truck.
>
> Now... assuming this is the case, are their any alternatives to
> this? Do they make any kind of add on, "ELECTRONIC" type of
> speedometer that you can somehow use?
>
> Maybe this is wishful thinging on my part, but they actually make
> baseballs that can give you a digital readout as to how fast they were
> thrown I was hoping that perhaps their are products that maybe you
> could put on the dash or elsewhere that are made for vehicles that
> have broken speedometers.
>
> Do they make anything that might help this situation? An aftermarket
> SPEDDOMETER gadget?
>
> Thank you in advance!
>
> Leesa (I)

wrote:
> My uncle wanted me to ask you guys about this. He drives a smaller
> style, 1969 bread type truck. I forget the brand of truck it is but
> anyway, the SPEEDOMETER doesn't work.
>
> His boss is rather cheap and says he won't get it fixed because it
> would cost at least $200 and would be a pain in the butt to have done
> on such an old truck.
>
> Now... assuming this is the case, are their any alternatives to
> this? Do they make any kind of add on, "ELECTRONIC" type of
> speedometer that you can somehow use?
>
> Maybe this is wishful thinging on my part, but they actually make
> baseballs that can give you a digital readout as to how fast they were
> thrown I was hoping that perhaps their are products that maybe you
> could put on the dash or elsewhere that are made for vehicles that
> have broken speedometers.
>
> Do they make anything that might help this situation? An aftermarket
> SPEDDOMETER gadget?
>
> Thank you in advance!
>
> Leesa (I)

It is a mechanical unit. Probably the cable or the head itself is bad.
Does the odometer part still work?

I would unscrew the cable and then drive the truck, if the cable rotates
while in motion then the cable is probably OK. If that is the case just
buy a replacement head and a bracket and hook it up. Shouldn't be much
over 5o bucks that way. The numbers may be off depending on the gear in
the transmission but if you were to pace him with a good vehicle he
could mark new speeds on it.

Of course if he drives that truck for hire and the boss is refusing to
repair a safety item (speedometer is considered a safety item) then his
boss is in violation of federal DOT laws. The fine is about 1,000.00 for
the violation and it will put the truck out of service until it is
repaired. It almost guarantees that they will inspect ALL the vehicles
he owns if they see them in operation as well.



--
Steve W.
Near Cooperstown, New York

Life is not like a box of chocolates
it's more like a jar of jalapenos-
what you do today could burn your ass tomorrow!

wrote:
> My uncle wanted me to ask you guys about this. He drives a smaller
> style, 1969 bread type truck. I forget the brand of truck it is but
> anyway, the SPEEDOMETER doesn't work.
>
> His boss is rather cheap and says he won't get it fixed because it
> would cost at least $200 and would be a pain in the butt to have done
> on such an old truck.
>
> Now... assuming this is the case, are their any alternatives to
> this? Do they make any kind of add on, "ELECTRONIC" type of
> speedometer that you can somehow use?
>
> Maybe this is wishful thinging on my part, but they actually make
> baseballs that can give you a digital readout as to how fast they were
> thrown I was hoping that perhaps their are products that maybe you
> could put on the dash or elsewhere that are made for vehicles that
> have broken speedometers.
>
> Do they make anything that might help this situation? An aftermarket
> SPEDDOMETER gadget?
>
> Thank you in advance!
>
> Leesa (I)

That sounds like a Gruman bread truck. It is a GM base and is 'really'
easy to change the broken speedometer cable on. They hit on the exhaust
if they aren't in perfect and melt.

The other option is a GPS unit. Most give real time mph and are pretty
accurate unless the military is busy that day. ;-) (I camp in an area
the military uses for exercises and for some strange reason, some days
my GPS is about 10 miles off. I have only ever noticed that in this one
area.)

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
'New' frame in the works for '08. Some Canadian Bush Trip and Build
Photos: http://mikeromainjeeptrips.shutterfly.com

On Feb 28, 8:31 am, Mike Romain > wrote:
> wrote:
> > My uncle wanted me to ask you guys about this. He drives a smaller
> > style, 1969 bread type truck. I forget the brand of truck it is but
> > anyway, the SPEEDOMETER doesn't work.
>
> > His boss is rather cheap and says he won't get it fixed because it
> > would cost at least $200 and would be a pain in the butt to have done
> > on such an old truck.
>
> > Now... assuming this is the case, are their any alternatives to
> > this? Do they make any kind of add on, "ELECTRONIC" type of
> > speedometer that you can somehow use?
>
> > Maybe this is wishful thinging on my part, but they actually make
> > baseballs that can give you a digital readout as to how fast they were
> > thrown I was hoping that perhaps their are products that maybe you
> > could put on the dash or elsewhere that are made for vehicles that
> > have broken speedometers.
>
> > Do they make anything that might help this situation? An aftermarket
> > SPEDDOMETER gadget?
>
> > Thank you in advance!
>
> > Leesa (I)
>
> That sounds like a Gruman bread truck. It is a GM base and is 'really'
> easy to change the broken speedometer cable on. They hit on the exhaust
> if they aren't in perfect and melt.
>
> The other option is a GPS unit. Most give real time mph and are pretty
> accurate unless the military is busy that day. ;-) (I camp in an area
> the military uses for exercises and for some strange reason, some days
> my GPS is about 10 miles off. I have only ever noticed that in this one
> area.)
>
> Mike
> 86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
> 'New' frame in the works for '08. Some Canadian Bush Trip and Build
> Photos:http://mikeromainjeeptrips.shutterfly.com

Just a quick Google search took me to this http://www.mrspeedometer.com/servlet/Detail?no=467
There are usually many options, driving illegally isn't one of them

I think there are electronic bicycle speedometers available at the
bicycle stores, perhaps Wal Mart too.I don't know how much they cost,
but it might be it wouldn't be hard to figure out to rig one up for a
bread truck.What I would do is tell the boss to check out the local area
auto junk yards for a speedometer, if he doean't want the DOT on his
case.
cuhulin

> wrote in message
...

>
> His boss is rather cheap and says he won't get it fixed because it
> would cost at least $200 and would be a pain in the butt to have done
> on such an old truck.
>
> Leesa (I)
Boss is looking for trouble. A broken speedo cable has always been a
normal failure mode, and is quick and cheap to repair, usually. Could
be speedo head. It is the Boss's problem, really, but I can see your tio
is in a no win situation

You COULD rig an outboard speedometer. (Shades of Altavoz!!).
A pulse counter can function as a speedometer if the pulse is taken off
a wheel, the drive shaft, etc...in other words, a pulse signal that is
parametrically directly related to vehicle speed. A simple tachometer
keyed to such a pulse becomes able to function as a speedometer.

On the web, Electronic Bicycle Speedometers

When I was a kid, I bought a mechanical speedometer for my bicycle, I
think it was a Stewart Warner bicycle speedometer.I am going to the Wal
Mart (food department) store tomorrow.I will look around in the bicycle
department, if I see an electronic bicycle speedometer, I will throw it
in my shopping cart.Just for the heck of it.
How can I fix up something simple and cheap that will count how many
tmes one of the wheels on my old van turns around when I drive anywhere?
Just for the heck of it.
cuhulin

On Feb 28, 9:32*am, wrote:
> My uncle wanted me to ask you guys about this. *He drives a smaller
> style, 1969 bread type truck. *I forget the brand of truck it is but
> anyway, the SPEEDOMETER doesn't work.
>
> His boss is rather cheap and says he won't get it fixed because it
> would cost at least $200 and would be a pain in the butt to have done
> on such an old truck.
>
> Now... *assuming this is the case, are their any alternatives to
> this? *Do they make any kind of add on, "ELECTRONIC" type of
> speedometer that you can somehow use?
>
> Maybe this is wishful thinging on my part, but they actually make
> baseballs that can give you a digital readout as to how fast they were
> thrown I was hoping that perhaps their are products that maybe you
> could put on the dash or elsewhere that are made for vehicles that
> have broken speedometers.
>
> Do they make anything that might help this situation? *An aftermarket
> SPEDDOMETER gadget?
>
> Thank you in advance!
>
> Leesa *(I)

The truck is illegal and dangerous as is. A GPS could work but it
would not be the best idea. For all of the fiddling around with jury-
rigging some outboard device the owner could just get the speedo
repaired. Your brother might want to ask the owner to reimburse your
brother for the cost of any speeding tickets and increased insurance
premiums.