Planning on doing a 350/700R4 swap into my '60 F100. I feel like I read one place that the gauge end is a standard size after a certain year, but I feel like I've heard differently, as well. Do I need to get a custom speedo or is there an off the shelf unit that will fit?

The other question is, if I DO need a custom one, does anyone know what I need to tell the speedo shop, as far as length, fittings, etc.?

Thanks.

 

All the cables are standard up to the time they switched to electronic operation. The only differences you'll run into is the output ratio in the tranny, which is set for the original rear axle ratio and tire diameter of the donor vehicle. Still not a major problem. Once the truck is up and running and has the rear axle and tires on it you are planning on running, take it to your speedometer shop. They will put it on their roller and check the speedometer reading versus actual road speed. They can then change the speedometer gear in the tranny to the right ratio or add a "ratio changer" (I don't know the proper name) between the tranny and the cable so the gauge reads the correct speed. They do this all the time when people change wheel/tire sizes.

 

Thanks, AX...
This tranny came out of an 88 GM product, so I don't THINK it would be electronic, yet. Does this mean I should be able to just buy a replacement from, say, a Caprice and it will fit? That's how I read your post.

I found a couple of sites that tell me which driven gear to put in, depending on gearing and tires, so that will be all set. I just want to have something in place when I start it up so the fluid doesn't spray all over, and it would be nice to have one that fits so I don't have to buy it twice, you know?

Any clue what length would be good?

Thanks.

 

A speedometer shop should have all the various ratios in stock and would be a lot cheaper and easier than dealing with the dealer's parts counter guy who can only find things by application. It's easy to tell the difference between a mechanical speedometer drive and an electronic. The mechanical drive will have threads on the outside for the cable housing and a small square receiver in the center for the cable. An electronic sender will have a terminal for a wire.
AFA the cable housing length (all the replacement drive cables are "cut to fit") you want a length that gives generous smooth bends, especially at the tranny end. Only grease the lower 1/2-1/3 of the inside cable when installing. The grease will work itself up the rest of the cable in short order. If you overgrease it will ooze out the top and gum up the speedometer. Less is just right in this case.

 

AX,
Thanks for all the info...I spoke with the only local speedo guy that google showed me yesterday and I wasn't impressed. Maybe I'm a bit foolish, but I thought that, since he deals only with speedos, he MIGHT have known the fittings off hand...like how we know that Ford used certain wheel spacing patterns for certain years, and certain rear ends for certain years...I sort of thought he MIGHT know that, so I politely told him the vehicle and the tranny, again, thinking he MIGHT know off hand what I'd need, and that a truck should be about XXX inches in length...well, all I got was an attitude as he said, "Well, I can't make it over the phone...you're gonna have to bring it here...I can't tell you over the phone...How do I know what you got?" Then I asked roughly how much it would cost and he told me "$40-$50." Well, I just bought a replacement from Advance auto parts for $14.99 and I'll take my chances. If that doesn't work I might try someone that isn't local and have them ship it.

Anyway, thanks for the help...

 

That quote should have included putting on the rollers to find the baseline, changing the ratio then recertifying that the speed is correct. That's about a typical charge, what I paid to have mine checked without any changes when I was young and foolish and trying to get out of a speeding ticket... They check it a several benchmark speeds to make sure the speedometer is linear as well. Verify that is all included and if so IMHO take it to him. Won't take too many 15.00 gears to reach 50.00 and what are you going to use to verify it's right? Pacing with another vehicle is only as good as the accuracy of the other vehicle's speedometer.
AFA him "copping an attitude", you have to remember this is his living, he has no obligation to give you free information or answers, plus if his guess is not correct you could badmouth him for giving you the wrong answer.
Nothing would frost my cake more than "customers" (like these that no one needs...) that would call on the phone and ask how much a such and such size diamond was worth or bring in a ring and ask you to "just take a look and give a (free) estimate of what it's worth". Inevitably the next words out of their mouth was "so and so is selling it and I want to know if it's a good deal before I buy it!" Accurate appraisals cannot be done by "just taking a look at it", I have a lot of time invested in learning how to do it right, and a lot of money invested in all the right equipment and my store, what reason would I possibly have for wanting to help someone else sell a ring for free? The person asking is the other seller's customer not mine. My answer was "a free appraisal is worth exactly what was charged for it", and then "if you don't trust the other seller's information but you do trust my "free" evaluation why would you want to buy the stone from him rather than from me?"
At the service station we called those people PAWDs: Pi**, air, water, and directions customers who would then drive to the next corner and fill their gastank at the pump it yourself cut rate station because they were $.02 a gallon cheaper.

 

I hear what you're saying, but I never asked him what size the fitting on the speedo were, I assumed he knew and would be able to compute it quickly in his mind... one 1/2" fitting, one 1" fitting and 85" of cable will run you $xx.xx. Then he could have said, "Sure, that will run you roughly $X. Instead, because of his attitude, I'd rather farm it out to someone anywhere else. I'm sure it's because he's both the "only game in town" and has that ever so common "New England" mentality that allows people who work in the service industry to replace the phrase "How can I help you," with "Do you want something or not?" Oh well.

I hear you, though. I just don't think that's what was going through his mind.

 

The cable housing fittings are all the same the only variance is the length. There is no way for him to guess the length especially for a hot rod application. You may have also caught him right after he had a fight with 1.) his wife 2.) a customer 3.) a job that was giving him fits 4.) hit his head on the lift trying to answer the phone for the 10th free information or sales call that morning 5.) all of the above. Yes, speedometer shops and techs are a dying breed since they went electronic and he's likely having a hard time making ends meet in this economy (like many other of us crabs) The small shops have taken the hardest hit since we seldom have a large nest egg to weather us thru, or a large pension coming.
Then again he may just be a bast***, in which case all bets are off.

I'd probably give him another chance in person to see if his demeanor improves tho. 2 strikes and out is my motto.