C3 Corvette Original Clock Fix - #1

Does your C3 Corvette clock no longer work? Not wanting to spend hundreds of dollars on a new one? Don't want to replace with a quartz one? Then this video should help you!
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[@RestorationObsession]

For those interested in what wire I used, this is the stuff: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GBMKMKY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Also, I did two follow-up videos to this one, so please check them out as well. Thanks and happy restoratin'!

[@wasd782]

I really appreciate you making this. After watching, I had the confidence to tear my clock apart. All it needed was some lube and it came to life.

[@stevewheat9030]

I stumbled upon your video by chance... it just so happens that I have the dashboard out of my 77 and my clock does the same thing.... while I'm changing the speakers in mine I'm going to do the clock... Great video!!!

[@Fitje013]

You can not imagine, how helpful your vids are for us here. Great detail explanation helps me a lot with the restoration of my C3 BB, same colour as yours. So all the best, go on with your super cool tutorials. Three old school ambitioned guys are raising their glasses for you! Greets from germany: you really rock!

[@RestorationObsession]

Thank you so much! What kind words, Niels (and friends!). I bet you have many beautiful places there to drive your C3! Cheers!!!

[@100amps]

Brilliant! You're like me: Keep digging until it makes sense and then fix it.

[@rmb6604]

Thank you, I did not know that was not a constant draw.

[@jhscheppele2448]

Clear as mud

[@94jimmy5]

Amazing diagnosis & repair .I had no clue how these worked. Thank You.

[@RestorationObsession]

Thank you! My pleasure.

[@sassycat6536]

Great Video! 👍 With your help, I am now going to attempt to give this project a try. You're definitely mechanically inclined and very patient. If you ever feel like working on another project, the radio in my 1973 needs help. Thank you so much for posting. 😺

[@ronstjohn6780]

Wow, what an excellent explanation of how to repair this clock. I repaired mine many years ago by replacing the movement with a Quartz upgrade kit. I may go back and pull the original movement and see if I can repair the solenoid as per your video.

[@dougtookmanian7018]

Thank you for such great information! I recently "adopted" a 75 convertible that just needs a little TLC to be a dialed in car, and your clock video will help me keep a 29K mile all original roadster, well, all original! thanks again...... Oh, and as a guy who has hundreds and hundreds of hours flying single engine Cessnas, that is exactly the same clock!!!!!!

[@RestorationObsession]

Thank you Doug!

[@ed78vette]

5 ⭐️ tutorial! Thank you very much for sharing your knowledge.

[@fabiopunk1661]

I have the same in my 75 vette. It took me a while to understand how this works which indeed as pointed out here is pretty smart. I found one of the solder points to the solenoid detached. Quick soldering and voilà it was brought back to life

[@alancook9461]

Thank you for going in such detail about your repair, cheers!

[@RestorationObsession]

My pleasure! Glad to be of help. :)

[@clife4833]

Nice work like your video, i got my 75 vette clock working by watching videos like yours thank you. clif

[@RestorationObsession]

That's great! And thank you. Glad to be of assistance.

[@davejalenderki]

Thank you for a very informative video. It seems tedious but doable.

[@LawrenceARoy]

impressive work!

[@russellboyd5262]

If you keep those c3 videos coming,I will surely keep on watching.Iam looking forward,to you fixing engine leaks,ans installing headers,and sidepipes.The sound is trully awesome,and will add 22 extra horsepower.thankyou for the videos russ.

[@RestorationObsession]

Will do, Russell! When I pull the motor/trans to rebuild, I'll definitely be putting it back in with headers & side pipes.

[@vtradio]

Thanks for the video. I will give this a try in my '69 Corvette. Paul

[@RestorationObsession]

Thanks! I hope it is of some help. Glad you found PT 2 also. =)

[@davem6685]

Great explanation. Thanks!

[@artm5583]

Your explained this soo beautifully. Thank you 🙏🏽

[@RestorationObsession]

Thanks, Art!

[@ridewithgnr2116]

Nice, video and cool that you mentioned the Cessna link too! Fun facts for Corvette/Cessna owners.

[@RestorationObsession]

In a coincidental irony (is that a thing?) I took flying lessons about 10 yrs ago and was training in a Cessna 172. I call the Vette my "ground plane." =)

[@TheTaxreliever]

@@RestorationObsession Ha....love that!

[@ralphdechiaro5879]

Followed your directions and the clock now works fine. First I had to use a light coating of spray lube to get the clockworks moving. Then I filed the contacts Thanks!!

[@RestorationObsession]

Awesome, Ralph! Glad you got it working and happy to help out!

[@zuhairlardhi4593]

Awesome how-to video. Thanks a million

[@RestorationObsession]

Thank you so much, Zuhair! I am happy to help.

[@franknguyen22]

Great video,,,learning something new every day,,,,thankssss

[@RestorationObsession]

You're welcome

[@Motorcycology]

That's was a great little video. I need to do that to my C3. Looks like a fun project.

[@RestorationObsession]

Thanks! Make sure to check out the second clock video I posted, it clarifies things a bit better. :)

[@Motorcycology]

@@RestorationObsession I will :-) I've got lots on the go with my C3, but to take a break while my C3 is on the jack-stands to take the clock out and see if I can follow your lead and fix mine. I ordered (and received) a spool of copper wire and ready to go! Just need to remove the gauge cluster panel now.

[@RestorationObsession]

@@Motorcycology Right on!

[@aronbechiom565]

Excellent

[@RestorationObsession]

Thank you!

[@TjeRod]

Awesome vid, thanks!!! Will do that now too ;-)

[@alberthodge631]

very helpful, thank you...

[@RestorationObsession]

My pleasure, Albert!

[@marvinelzaelza1686]

Thanks your awesom

[@alvincctrn]

Great Job, I’m really liking your videos! Sub’d

[@marianmuth2809]

Excellent presentation, curious about where to source the insulated wire....lubrication tips...well done thx

[@RestorationObsession]

Thank you! This is what I ended up using: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GBMKMKY

[@BlackBikerChannel]

I purchased a new clock online. After about a year I noticed that it wasn’t working. I removed the clock today and noticed that it I tapped it it would run for a few seconds. I sprayed so WD40 down the shaft and it has been working for an hour now.

[@ridewithgnr2116]

You have a new job,... ship your clock to you and rewind the coil!!! Cha Ching!

[@RestorationObsession]

That's not a bad idea!

[@TheTaxreliever]

@@RestorationObsession Maybe doing a video of pulling the thing out? If pulling it out isn't that difficult, I think there would be a market to fix these things, seriously! I had a problem with my ignition switch just recently (literally, just got my vette back on the road yesterday - been a two month ordeal!) and it could have been 100 different things in these old columns....long story short, ended up sending the entire column to a C3 rebuild specialist; yes, that's all this guy does and makes a better living than most of us rebuilding C3 columns...pretty wild...anyways, while there are probably shops out there that can rebuild these columns, in my infinite interweb search, I only found 3 companies that strictly rebuilt these things as an industry and ALL of them were backed up and busy. So, anyways, sorry to ramble here, but I would pay to have someone like you rebuilt my little clock in my C3, so there must be others out there like me.....there were for the column!

[@RestorationObsession]

@@TheTaxreliever You know, maybe you are right. And, coincidentally enough, I recently lost a job, so perhaps rebuilding clocks would be a good option! I appreciate your rambling. =) I will be doing a speedometer rebuild this week and expect to post a video of that soon, so while I have that piece of the dash out, perhaps I'll add to it how to pull the center cluster and clock out as well. Thank you for your suggestions!

[@TheTaxreliever]

@@RestorationObsession Once the word gets out, some proper marketing, I think you can pump these things out at a good profit. I know the column isn't the clock, but I'm into the rebuild (shipping both ways) for almost $1,000 (and I pulled it out and put it back in!) and this guy that rebuilds them just built up his reputation over time....I have already poured his name into Corvette forums and on FB. But seriously, if I was able to remove it, I'd ship it out in a heart beat. I have an original receipt for my C3 from 85 where the owner wanted the ORIGINAL radio from the factory repaired and it was sent to Sears and Roebuck to get repaired and that same factory deck works to this day in my vette. The clock, which is SUPER famous for not working in just about every C3 still running doesn't appear to have a specialist that fixes them. Like I said, similar to my column, there are people that can probably fix them, but none that will indicate this is what they do as a specialty. When I called the guy initially to rebuild my column, he said he had 12 C3 columns on his bench to rebuild around the world (not just the US) ahead of me and should be able to get to mine in two weeks; that's insane.

[@johnbrown-sc8in]

Had that problem with my clock.was recently at a car show and bought a used clock from a gentleman that did a quartz update.does that mean solenoid is no longer used? Tested and movement worked but wanted to test to make sure I no longer have a drain problem before I install in car.

[@gandtoutfitters]

Great video & I plan to do this real soon when I pull my dash. What type of wire is used to re-wind the solonoid ? I'm sure it would be easy to find on Amazon. Thanks.

[@RestorationObsession]

Get some "magnet wire" for solenoids. The right wire makes a huge difference. This is what I use: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GBMKMKY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[@kevinamymurphy7126]

my clock stops working but can be triggered by pulling and "snapping" the time set winder at the bottom left. Could a snap vibration like that cause the solenoid to work for 5 mins? Mine works and then cuts out after a very short while. This is looking quite promising!! (Beautifully explained)

[@RestorationObsession]

Sorry it took so long to reply to your question. I must have missed it. That is likely because the solenoid trip switch contacts are not closing all the way thus preventing the solenoid from kicking the winder lever to keep the clock wound. This would require pulling the clock out, making sure it's clean and checking that the adjustment of the contacts.

[@4ndflo399]

Have you used any type oil for the working mechanism? I've read about avoiding DW-40 and 3-1 oil. Tks

[@RestorationObsession]

Hi. I would not recommend using any oil on these clocks. As you can probably see at the end of the video, there is oil on the clock face. This was because I had tried lubing the mechanism and the oil ended up working its way down the main shaft and onto the front side of the clock. I don't think these were supposed to have much lubrication, and after 44 years I'm pretty sure that adding any chemicals to the plastics could be asking for trouble. Carefully cleaning the mechanism is the best option, but if lube is necessary, then a white lithium grease that doesn't run would be best to use. Something like Lubriplate AERO would be good, I think. I have used that for a number of things, such as restoring a Seeburg HF100R jukebox. It's great stuff.

[@tokuzumi1]

I have a 1980 Datsun which has a dash clock which went kaput at some point. I'm going to see if it's a similar situation.

[@RestorationObsession]

I believe Datsun used a quartz clock in most of their cars, so it will be somewhat different. But still fixable I bet! Good luck and thank you for watching!

[@rockyedwards2393]

Great video my clock isn’t working so now I at least I know where to get started. Also you said you were going to post a link to the guy who shows how to repair a clock from an airplane. I can’t find that post can you repost it. Thank you

[@martink.4171]

How did you get the solenoid wiring out? Also, what is the approximate resistance of the solenoid?

[@RestorationObsession]

At about 7:47 I point out the pins on the solenoid frame. You need to carefully remove the solenoid from the plastic frame, then you can put the wiring out. It would be good to know that resistance, unfortunately I could not measure it since the old coil wire was shorted out. Might find that info online, but I wasn't able to after a quick search.

[@thecarterkent6571]

Is there a way to manually wind it without taking it out of the dash? Mine just stopped due to the battery dieing.

[@RestorationObsession]

I don't think so. There'd be no way to get to all the tiny bits of it that you need to

[@caspianwendell]

How many wraps did you use of what size wire?

[@RestorationObsession]

Hi and so sorry for the lag in my response time. This is the wire I used www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GBMKMKY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[@martink.4171]

Awesome, super helpful and got to learn some new things! Quick question: So the solenoid wire is supposed to be coated with isolation? It isn't exposed copper wire? Thank you for the help! :)

[@RestorationObsession]

Hi Martin. Yeah, the wire should be insulated because if not then it will short out and you don't want that. It'll just burn that little wire right up and you'll have to start over. And yes, I know from experience! ;)

[@manymany4879]

good job

[@garykuter]

Are you still fixing these clocks for people anymore?

[@Everything817]

It's probably a better idea to just let us know what size wire you used. Your Amazon link resulted in me ordering 30AWG which I highly doubt is used for a clock winding. The seller is probably out of the size you ordered so it's defaulting to the next available size. So what size wire did you use??? I'd like to order the correct size before I tear the dash apart.

[@RestorationObsession]

30awg .0098" dia.

[@jasoneugenides5770]

I went quartz. The originals seemed like junk.

[@RestorationObsession]

Good deal! The originals are not junk. They are 100% fixable if they're in decent condition. Little known fact: the same clock was used in Cessna airplanes of the same era.

[@vtradio]

Anna, Here's a video of my C3 Corvette Clock Fix Fail! kzbin.info/www/bejne/nJ6WmWxngq5rr7M My solenoid was okay. I have a more serious problem. I might be missing a spring or something. Take care. Sorry to hear about your losing your dog, Shasta on your Patreon page. Are you in New England, yet? I'm in Vermont. Paul