Hi all, can anyone think of an off the shelf speedocable that will work with a 56 ford car speedometer and a late 60s c-6 trans? Right now the car has 3.73 gears but Im switching the ratio to 3.27 later so a cable with removable gear is good, Any ideas Brad
Does this look like it is what you need? http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Ford-Black-Speedometer-Drive-Cable-Kit,4631.html I had one made by a speedo guy to connect my stock Model A speedo and 700R4 trans. It was not expensive. Hardest part was ordering the right length. Hope this helps.
We have a guy locally who makes custom cables for about $75. Run an electrical wire along the proposed route (NO sharp corners) from point A to B. Measure. Measure the coupler (thread size) at the speedo end--usually 5/8-18. Measure the coupler at the transmission end--usually the same but could be a tapered plug with a retainer clip. With that he can make a new cable.
Don't know about a '56, but I used a stock '66 Fairlane speedo cable on my '59. Just guessing, but I think the '56 and '59 would have the same input.
You might want to check out this site. http://www.transmissioncenter.org/ They deal alot with the AOD tranys but may be able to help. If you scroll to near the bottom of the page at the above link they have a pile of gears with different tooth amounts for tire size changes or rear gear changes.
Ford mechanical speedometer drives were pretty standardized for quite some time. If I recall correctly, the setup for the C4, C6, and AOD trans are pretty much the same. Nylon cable drive gears are available at the local Ford house with different tooth counts for not too much money (Although it's been a while since I bought one; found one in the tool box that had just the right count. Rather be lucky than good.).
My 55 Lincoln used a cable that had the same gear end as all of the other Ford trannys I have ever seen... Conveniently, a 54 Lincoln used a Hydramatic, thus a cable for a 54 will "adapt" a GM tranny to a Ford Speedo...
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