1957 clock rebuild

[1957Bird]

It’s winter in New England.
Seems like a good time to pull the clock out of the dash and send it off to be upgraded/modernized.
Do any members have experience with any particular shops that they might recommend??
Thanks
Roger

 

[Boozeman]

It’s winter in New England.
Seems like a good time to pull the clock out of the dash and send it off to be upgraded/modernized.
Do any members have experience with any particular shops that they might recommend??
Thanks
Roger

I sent mine out of my '57 to Clock Works, and had a good experience. Had it converted to quartz movement. Here's their website: http://www.clockwks.com/Tbirdx.html#SGROBJ7D014D43BD10E1

 

[Ward 57]

I'll second that! Just got mine back from conversion by them and it's beautiful.
The original T-bird clocks were built by Borg. The sedans were mostly Westclox. They are stamped on the back and the only way to tell the difference from the front is the speed adjusting indicator. The Westclox curves down and the Borg curves up. Some don't care but they both fit and work. They have done thousands of clocks and even have a devoted page to '57s.

 

[Skip from the Vineyard]

It’s winter in New England.
Seems like a good time to pull the clock out of the dash and send it off to be upgraded/modernized.
Do any members have experience with any particular shops that they might recommend??
Thanks
Roger

I sent mine to clock works last winter and had converted to 12 volt. Works great. Also my 55 bird was made in May And my birthday is is May 4th 1950. On the back of my clock was stamped May 4 1955. What’s the odds it would be my birthday.

 

[paul5456]

I sent two clocks (54 Ford and 56 Bird) to Williamson's in Arkansas. Great job. Been years since they were done, no problems. had them converted to quartz movement.

 

[Ward 57]

I sent mine to clock works last winter and had converted to 12 volt. Works great. Also my 55 bird was made in May And my birthday is is May 4th 1950. On the back of my clock was stamped May 4 1955. What’s the odds it would be my birthday.

Oh the coincidences. I never looked up the build date of my '57 until I had the P/S ram rebuilt a year ago and the tech told me it was '56 gear. Early'57, Looked up the build date, It was built on my 3rd birthday. I've had it for 40+years through thick and thin and never knew there was a connection.

 

[Nico57]

I'll second that! Just got mine back from conversion by them and it's beautiful.
The original T-bird clocks were built by Borg. The sedans were mostly Westclox. They are stamped on the back and the only way to tell the difference from the front is the speed adjusting indicator. This, the Westclox adjust arrows curves/p[oints down ( the Borg curves up. Some don't care but they both fit and work. They have done thousands of clocks and even have a devoted page to '57s. The Westclox back--Westclox arrows point / curves down (and the Borg point curves up) . On the back Westclox is imprinted mfg in La Salle IL. Some don't care but they both fit and work. Pat no 2279015. Some identify a clock as original to the 1957 Thunderbird..without identifying it as the Westclox.: or Borg, so check.

 

[poser]

Hi, Bought an old clock for $25 off a 1957 third. Cleaned it up and sprayed WD40 on movements.
I wired it back up and it's been running fine for over 4 months now.

 

[JRH]

Hi, Bought an old clock for $25 off a 1957 third. Cleaned it up and sprayed WD40 on movements.
I wired it back up and it's been running fine for over 4 months now.

My 55 has a GE clock in it, would like to convert to 12v neg with a quartz movement any ideas where I can purchase the quartz movement?

 

[Ward 57]

Hi, Bought an old clock for $25 off a 1957 third. Cleaned it up and sprayed WD40 on movements.
I wired it back up and it's been running fine for over 4 months now.

Good job. I finally gave up on my original Borg clock as all the bushings between the mechanism layers were shot and all the moving parts would bind. I had it converted to a Quartz and let the rebuilder keep the original mechanism so they had the parts if somebody needed a Concours correct working clock.

 

[Tuckers Baby]

Howdy guys, been a while since I posted here but after year and a quarter hiatus since selling my ‘03 I’ve at last replaced her with a ‘57. There’s a few issues like an inoperable clock. I'm curious if anyone has any recommendations on where to have it refurbished with new internals?

 

[zeroroadkill]

I spent hours/days trying to get the clock running but it would fail days afterwards. The hair like brushes are very delicate and bend easily. Since the clock has continuous power to the brushes they have a tendency to burn since the armature doesn’t turn continuously. I sent mine to Instrument Services Co. In Illinois for the quartz conversion for $204.00. Runs perfect! They usually repaint the hands but mine were in good shape and I wanted it to match the other instrument dial hands.

 

[Ward 57]

I spent hours/days trying to get the clock running but it would fail days afterwards. The hair like brushes are very delicate and bend easily. Since the clock has continuous power to the brushes they have a tendency to burn since the armature doesn’t turn continuously. I sent mine to Instrument Services Co. In Illinois for the quartz conversion for $204.00. Runs perfect! They usually repaint the hands but mine were in good shape and I wanted it to match the other instrument dial hands.

Clockworks did mine, runs like a clock.... Ta Dum..

 

[paul5456]

As I mentioned above, I had two clocks (54 Ford, 56 Bird) converted to quartz by Williamson's in Arkansas. Great job. At the time they were the least expensive of the rebuilders that I contacted. One clock as been operating 20 years with zero problems, the other 16 years, same result.

 

[Ward 57]

As I mentioned above, I had two clocks (54 Ford, 56 Bird) converted to quartz by Williamson's in Arkansas. Great job. At the time they were the least expensive of the rebuilders that I contacted. One clock as been operating 20 years with zero problems, the other 16 years, same result.

I have 3 chiming mechanical clocks in my house but still went with the quartz conversion for my car. it's a driver but still keep it as correct as possible. Left the old mechanics for people who want concours quality, for their show car. I just want everything to work as close to original but within reason.

 

[doug7740]

I spent hours/days trying to get the clock running but it would fail days afterwards. The hair like brushes are very delicate and bend easily. Since the clock has continuous power to the brushes they have a tendency to burn since the armature doesn’t turn continuously. I sent mine to Instrument Services Co. In Illinois for the quartz conversion for $204.00. Runs perfect! They usually repaint the hands but mine were in good shape and I wanted it to match the other instrument dial hands.

I commend you for at least trying to repair the clock yourself, most people would just send it out and have someone else perform a quartz conversion. Half the fun of owning a classic car is doing the work yourself. Not only do you get the satification of knowing that you did the repair, you also learn about how the component you are trying to repair operates. I rebuilt my clock over three years ago and it still runs like a clock. You are correct about hair like brushes being delicate.

doug7740
1955 Thunderbird Blue

 

[Jeff_Lee]

I have just dug into my clock problem in my '57... It doesn't work but there is power and the fuse is not blown. The stem sets the time, and it is currently correct, twice a day!
I was just trying to remove it, and removed the 3 screws on the back of the clock and tried to extract it. It doesn't budge. Thought I better ask if I am missing something before I pull any harder!
Looks to be a black rubber gasket between the gauge and rear dash panel. Is that just perhaps sticking, or is there another retention device?? Does the front bezel require removal?
Any advice appreciated. Jeff

 

[Ward 57]

I have just dug into my clock problem in my '57... It doesn't work but there is power and the fuse is not blown. The stem sets the time, and it is currently correct, twice a day!
I was just trying to remove it, and removed the 3 screws on the back of the clock and tried to extract it. It doesn't budge. Thought I better ask if I am missing something before I pull any harder!
Looks to be a black rubber gasket between the gauge and rear dash panel. Is that just perhaps sticking, or is there another retention device?? Does the front bezel require removal?
Any advice appreciated. Jeff

Been there done that. Tried to keep my clock working but the bushings between the 3 different plates were shot. Sent it off and converted to quartz. Left the original movement to someone who wants an original working clock.
To answer your question, once you have the screws off, the gasket sticks really well. Don't be afraid of pulling or prying to get it out.

 

[dadspony]

The clock in my car is not working. Just wondering if there is anything common that causes these clocks to stop. Thanks.

I have a 1957 thunderbird, 312 motor with 49153 miles on it. I noticed the clock in dash is not working. Looking for recommendations for a great repair shop, I noticed in Hemmings there is an ad for clock repair. Name is Instrument Services, located in Machesney Park, Illinois. Has anybody used this service? Thanks for any help.