Clock question

[MEZZZ]

I am beat up trying to get a decent working clock. I have bought a couple, one "working" and one not working. The "working" one didnt and I have tried in vane to get them to tick. I looked at buying a rebuilt one from zclocks.com or MSA but they are expensive and in corresponding with someone, told they are accurate to a degree, maybe losing a couple minutes a week.

I am now looking at doing a battery operated upgrade using a small movement. I have read a couple posts from awhile back on it and after searching, it makes sense. A quartz movement, battery operated is good within a minute per year for most I have seen. I tried a couple and either the shaft length is not long enough or the movement is slightly too big to fit into the stock clock housing.

Can anyone give me any tips if they have made this swap? Steer me where to buy a movement that works for this application?

I ordered the reverse indiglo guage package from speedhut.com and want a working clock to go with the guage faces.

Thanks!

[bob m]

I just went through your experience. I bought a quartz clock on ebay that worked for $30. It was for a 280z The fuse blew during the install and I didn't think the clock worked. If your quartz clock works on the test bench and you have power under the dash (the map lite and interior lite are on the same circuit) it should work in the car. I am not sure how accurate the clock is, I am satisfied it works at all.

Bob M

[Oiluj]

A number of years ago I took a digital clock from a domestic car, (don't remember what), and mounted it into my 1971 Z clock housing. Looked and worked great!

Even after the car was hit by a truck and totaled, it was still running. May do the same on my current Z's non-working clock...

[Arne]

I repaired my first 240Z's clock using the instructions found here:

http://classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18442

[sblake01]

A number of years ago I took a digital clock from a domestic car, (don't remember what), and mounted it into my 1971 Z clock housing. Looked and worked great!..

May have worked okay but it's just.......wrong!

[ktm]

MEZZZ, I bought my quartz clock from a hobby store called Michaels. It was part of a clock "kit" that contained the hands, face and the small clock mechanism. It is quite small, maybe 1 inch in diameter if I remember correctly and thin. I glued it to the back of the OE face. The hands of the clock were very close in size to that of the Z hands.

[MEZZZ]

Bob, thanks for the reply. I do have power under the dash. I actually hooked up the "working" clock I bought to a 12V lead and nothing! It was DOA.

Oiluj, I thought along the same lines, although I was thinking of at least using an Infiniti analog clock I had a J30 about 10 years ago and thought about using one of those.

Arne, thanks for the link, I found that in my searches on here when I thought about repairing one, Escanlon had great info and he even sent me a few messages on the subject trying to help me out. Mine is a "77 and both clocks I bought were also from that year. Nothing I tried could recusitate them

Stephen, I agree its just wrong, but no more wrong than a battery operated clock I am not a purist by any means..I just want a working clock!

Thanks to all of you for your input.

[MEZZZ]

ktm, thanks, you must have snuck this one in while I was posting. I am aware of Michaels, my wife has "dragged" me in there on more than one occasion

Maybe I'll "impress" her by suggesting we go there to "browse" and see if I run across what you have described.

I have searched the web on small quartz clcok movements and see quite a few listed. I bought one that was 2 1/8 inches square and it was just slightly too big to fit. I tried to take the plastic housing apart, big mistake It only cost me .99 + shipping on ebay, no big deal. What you describe sounds as though it should work.

Thanks

[ktm]

Good luck. I can not remember the size of the clock unit itself, but I know it is rather small and easily fit behind the OE face. I had to modify the stock Z hands in order for them to work correctly. The opening on the stock hands is ever so slightly too small, and as a result they will not seat correctly on the new spindles.

I would try to use the stock hands without modifying them first though.

[Zs-ondabrain]

I attempted to buy one of the Michaels clocks and it was to big to fit in the 70 240Z clock shell.

So I went to Value Village and grabbed 2) $2 travel clocks. I brought my 240Z clock shell into the store to make sure before purchasing them. They were totally different on the outside but upon getting them home and tearing each of them down, They were identical and from the same manufacturer.

So I chose the one with black hands. I removered the seconds, minutes, hours and alarm set hand. I had to use the *Dremel* to remove the lip on the back of the 240Z clock face. After a test fit to make sure if fit nice and snug, I used some 2-sided tape to hold the clock to the back of the Datsun clocks face.

After it was mounted using the tape, I found some very small, sharp screw to screw the face to the clocks black shell from the front. This makes sure that the clock will not fall off due to heat or the tape failing. The screws sit far enough to the outer portion of the face to not be seen when the clock is re-assembled.

I then cleaned the face with rubbing alcohol, dried it with a blowdryer, then applied the MSA "White face gauge sticker to it.

Rubbed out all the air bubbles and then re-installed the minute and hour hands. Then flipped it over and stripped some speaker wire to attach to the spring and tab for the battery. I then tied a knot in the wire about 3" away from the clock and slid the wire thru the time adjustment hole.

*Please note that when I mounted the clock body to the face, I mounted it so that the time adjustment screw lined up with the hole on the case that was originally for the power wires of the OEM clock*

I then went to Radio Shack and bought a single AA battery holder with 2" leads for about $1.50. Got it home and attached it to the speaker wires from the clock. *Make sure that the "Marked" or "Striped" speaker wire goes to the Positive tab on the clock* I set the clock and installed the battery.

I was SO very sure of my swap that I wasted NO time to install the clock back in the car. I put the battery in the glovebox and walked away. I checked back 24 hours later and it was dead on the money, NOT a minute off.

I figure it this way, I got a clock in the kitchen that has had the same AA battery in it for 2 years now.

1) At $4 for a 2 pack of AA's. That's $1.00 a year to replace the battery every 2 years.

2) the clock was only $2

3) it took a wopping 40 minutes to remove my 240Z clock, gut it, tear apart the travel clock, install it on the face, wire it, set it, install it and walk away.

I also found that a dab of hot glue on the adjuster knob (on the inside of the clock) will allow you to adjust the clock like the Old stock unit.

That was last month and it's still exactly set to my wrist watch, almost to the second. Not back for $6 and 40 minutes.

For more info and to see the problems and solutions to the white face gauge kit from MSA, please look here.. http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28936&highlight=Problem+MSA+white+face+gauge+kit

Dave.

[MEZZZ]

thanks Dave for the detailed directions. I will check out a travel clock and see if that works. That was a nice plus that you can adjust the time with the knob, that was the one downfall I could think to this solution for a reliable timepiece.

I thought along the same lines, I have a few battery powered clocks, i.e. kitchen, garage and they last a couple years and are always nuts on, it only makes sense to go this route, especially at the prices Ive seen for a less reliable, less accurate stock one.

Your white guage faces look great btw. I am going with the "reverse indiglo" kit from speedhut.com, where only the numbers light up vs. the entire face.

I labored over the color, keep it stock looking, go white, I ended up choosing a silver metallic face with a very dark blue font..just to be different

thanks again

[het976]

I just did this...I used a clock I bought at WalMart ($4.99) that worked perfectly. It is the one that looks like a fake "old-time" alarm clock. The biggest challange is the spindle size for the hands and this one fits the bill. The other challange is to find a way to attach the remote battery holder. I could not solder to the battery connectors on the clock, so I used a spring and rubber feet to wedge the wires to the clock battery connectors. It took me less than an hour to do it all and it works great. I also used a flexible hose to extend the adjuster out the back so I can reach into the gove box to adjust it.