I need help making a decision - Please

[Michael M.]

I have a '72 BB A/C. Is is a 28K mile almost completely original car. The interior is alsolutely pristinely original. I'm planning to get it flight judge this year in the hopes of eventually going for bow-tie.

However - 2 things do not work in the interior.

1. The clock. It will move about 15 seconds every 5 minutes or so. I think the points just need a good cleaning.
2. The seat belt light does not come on or go off. It's an early 72 so I suspect a faulty timer behind the dash.

I've had other dashes apart, so I'm not afraid of the work or challenge, and I think I could get in and out without a lot of "side-effects", but I'm sure a bow-tie judge would be able to tell that someone had had the dash apart.

I WANT to fix them because I like my cars to WORK like they are supposed to. BUT Would that kill my chances for a Bow-Tie ??? Should I repair these 2 items so that I don't loose 50 points during flight judging, or should I leave them alone.

[Dave S.]

Re: I need help making a decision - Please

Mike,
I'm pretty sure very few 72 Corvettes exist where the original clock works properly. I recieved a Bowtie Award on my 71 last year and I needed to repair the clock. If you are careful the R & R of the clock should not be detectable. I would advise you to change the entire mechanism with an NOS piece given the difficulty of the repair.

[Patrick H.]

Re: I need help making a decision - Please

Absolutely.

Instrument Services, Inc. in Roscoe, IL will sell you a new clock. They still make them from original tooling.

Be very careful, of course, not to break the top of the gauge cluster when doing this R&R. I accessed mine last year by removing the passenger's dash pad, then the shifter plate assembly, then removing the center gauge cluster. The "traditional" method is by removing the e-brake console, then the shifter plate, then the center console, then the gauge cluster. Having done that previously, it seemed easier to do it the way I did it. Of course, I had to replace the right speaker, so I did two things at once.

Actually I did it all twice, since I had repaired the clock and it worked perfectly on my bench for several hours. Upon reinstallation it never worked. So, a new one went in rather than trying to repair the clock again.

Patrick

[John P.]

Re: I need help making a decision - Please

Mike, It wouldn't hurt to talk to your Judging National Team Leader Chuck Berge before you do anything, just to be safe.

[Terry M.]

Re: I need help making a decision - Please

Mike,

I understand your desire to have a working car -- pride in one's mechanical skills and all that. There is, however, no functional requirement to the Bowtie process. The car can be, and some have been, pushed onto the judging field. John's suggestion to contact Chuck Berge is a good one, but I would guess he will tell you to leave it alone and not to worry about the minor functions.

[Kent K.]

Re: I need help making a decision - Please

Mike,

All the other posts have provided excellent information from several points of view. Here is my two cents, FWIW.

While restoring my '67, we sent the gages to Roger Scott in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. He returned my clock (which ran like yours does now) after simply cleaning and lubricating it. That was over ten years ago and it continues to keep excellent time. As I remember, nothing else was done to the clock, not even face repainting.

Just something to consider if you wish.

Best of luck with your '72.
Kent #6201

[Michael M.]

Re: I need help making a decision - Please

I've gotten many email and web responses and clearly the opinions of all have helped me make a decision to leave it alone until at least after the Star/Bow Tie campaign is done. I guess I'll have to use my trusty Timex ... on second thought ...

( Stealing form an old Chicago song )

When I'm driviong my Corvette - "Does anybody really know what time it is ... Does anybody really care ??? ".

Thanks all !!!