Autometer 4493 are 3 3/8 lots of tach cups in that size. maybe someone will know are motorcycle speedometers geared the same.
As for the turn signals, I do believe I found it once in the vc that they are not required 58 and under UNLESS manufactured with them. So if your vehicle came stock with taillights&signals you have to keep them in working order. Some trucks only had one stop light and I know fellas who have been hassled for it but were let go, not sure about the cars though. Has anyone seen any 50s cars with no signals or 1 stop lamp?
I've been playing this game since the 60's with Harleys. Kinda comes down to do it their way or know that it's gonna cost you at some point. If we were traveling, we could count on getting stopped once a day and talking to the cops. Drag pipes, no front fender, mirror laws, helmet laws, brake laws were some of the checks. It's just part of the way things were (not so much now), no one made a big deal of it. If ya wanna play, ya gotta pay.
HAHAHA! I love the HAMB, very cheap entertainment. I'm a 1951 model BUT I"M NOT GONNA WEAR NO SPEEDO.
My Henry J's had no turn signals when stock, 51 and 53. I may be wrong here, but I had a friend who inherited his dads 53 f-100, when he passed. Original owner truck, and I believe it had one taillight. This was 25 years ago, so the memory is fuzzy. Another one I used, not to my benefit, is that according to the California Vehicle Code, no vehicle manufactured before 1973 that was not originally equipped with a License plate light is required to have one. Knowing the section number, and quoting it to the officer is not adviseable.
Sorry about the BUST!! I have a sun speedo in my model A, in a chrome cup mounted on the steering column beside the sun tach. looks good..
Ha ha ha, lots of comedians on the HAMB! Many thanks for the info and ideas on the speedo issue. Think I'll start with getting a cable and hooking up the original speedo and see what happens and go from there. Things could've been worse as he spared me from facing a referee - I can have any cop sign off after I fix the violations though it'll cost me $25.00. As to my other violations: 2 bald rear tires (they're slicks); no mufflers (baffles in collectors); no front bumpers and no blinkers. Could've been worse - no wipers; no front plates; no horn & no e-brake but it does have an 8 point cage, blow proof bellhousing, driveshaft hoop, line loc & extinguisher. I'm not blaming anyone as the CHP was doing his job. I just got the car running about a month ago and still have a lot of work to do. But it drives so nice that it's hard not to cruise it. I was on the way home from the upholstery shop for an estimate when this happened. This'll only make me work on the car more and make it more roadworthy. Attached is a picture of the car - looks innocent enough, I don't get the ticket!
Great lookin' car cal gasser! The model A on this thread is also the best one I've seen in a while. Great Thread!! Normal Norman
man I hate you got popped but like they said you got pay to play..im here in Alabama.i have a few cars and a couple Harleys. we always run drag pipes on the bikes and thwey are loud.a couple cars ran open headers turn signals I aint got either in a couple of them. but I do use hand signals and we get away with it. I told a cop not to long ago that as long as I used my hand signals I was good to go.i was just bsing but it might be true because he cut me loose. only have one car with a working speedo.alll brake lites work.one doesn't have front bumper so I don't know about that either.most of the times I get stopped we end up tallkin about the car and they cut me loose.lol I know im lucky. my days comin that I know....lol
If you are going to install a speedo, it might as well work, be accurate and easy to hook up. It is a bitch to change the drive gear set in a T5 but easy as hell to install an electronic sender on the speedo drive. There are dozens of electronic units out there in hundreds of face choices, many 3 3/8". All they require is a wire to the back of the speedo. Find a measured mile and program the unit to be accurate. Bitchin' 55. Blue coupe, as has been noted before rear fenders or loose the fronts. Nice keeping history alive.
I have an auto meter mechanical speedo in my car using a lokar speedo cable and a standard T5 speedo gear and retainer. Easy breezy.
I believe you're right about if the car originally came with that equipment, it should be on the car. I'm not familiar with many cars that didn't have turn signals from 55 to 58... tho my memory's not the best anymore!
For a "Fix It" ticket? Man, I'd hate to be caught speeding or burning out on the street! They'd probably drag me behind the car...
Blowby that wall-hanging is EPIC. CalGasser, balls to you for driving a car that looks like that on the street. Bad-ass doesn't even come close to the headers and stance alone, let alone the rest of it. WHAT a machine...
That's a good looking 55. I drove this one for years on the street with no problem. No bumpers, no speedo, slicks, open headers half the time. I took off at a light once completely sideways with smoke rolling off the tires, then I noticed a cop sitting in the parking lot across the street. After I about shit myself. I let off it straitened it out and looked back at the cop. He was sitting in the car with the windows up, the ac on and holding a newspaper in front of him, he never seen or heard me.
Wow, you guys in other States actually get stopped for that kind of stuff, huh ? I have sat next to lots of cops at red lights with my open headers and other questionable stuff and never had an issue. As long as you are being sensible they leave you alone. Tough places you guys live in. As for the speedometer, how will they know if it is working or not ? Just put one in the dash and unless they see you moving they will have no idea if it is alive or dead. Don
Once had a "lil" officer with a big "tude" threaten to write me up for "every modification from stock" on my 64 Chevelle when I asked him "well what IS the legal decibel limit for a street car?" He kept me, the wifey and our friends, who were in the back seat, on the side of the road for 1/2 an hour....ultimately let me go. I was the youngest at about 35 in the car..... BTW.....BAD ASS 55!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
freind owns a sign shop with all the fancy digital printers for doing vinyl decals and such , his speedo in his car is a realistic sticker the needle if you look at it is pegged out and bent . as for odometers , here in Illinois after 20 years they are considered beyond there mechanical limits and no Odometer reading is on the titles and its printed on the title as such , My 50 pontiac has 59K miles on it . from the looks of the body I assume its original .
Love yer 55! As far as turn signals,I hooked up a toggle for mine,a toggle for a horn,I used a 1/4" bolt set up with a 7/16 socket and extension with a swivel that I turn by hand (I use rain x) so I can say it has a working wiper,no one said it had to be fast or electric...I say if they don't say I can't do it...I assume I can....you know...better to beg pardon than seek permission.....Tach is accurate for speedo (wallace calculators) but if ya put a mph number on yer tach I dunno if it would qualify for a speedo....( see previous sentence) mebbe the fact that you made an effort would be ok with the lawdog....I dunno....just some ideas to kick around...last but not least,gray hair and a respectable driving habit go along ways to metinks.....jmho...
That's a good question - does it have to work? My neighbor is a cop plus a car guy so I'll ask him and see what he says. I like the type that'll fit in a tach cup, it'll keep it looking nostalgic. If it has to work and I invest the time and money, I'll make it accurate. Vic
Thanks for the kind words Guitard! I've been driving my Willys around for probably 25 years on the street and even had CHP pass me on the freeway. Plus my Henry J which is set up just like my 55. I guess my time has come and probably on borrowed time. As Kiwi Kev said, "ones that got busted and others who are gonna get busted." I've been stopped in my Willys for speeding but the local cops never looked at the car - I think they didn't know what to make of it as they were younger. I just happened to get one that had a wild hair...
After he gave me the ticket, he commented to me about my age and asked, "At 67 (soon the be 68), why aren't you driving around in a Ferrari?" I looked at him with a funny look and said that those cars are for "girly men" and he laughed. I think he cut me some slack because of my age as well. But damn, now the hassle of making it street legal... I really need to do that anyway - now I have an objective.
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