Tried to remove the speedo ('71) to fix the fluttering needle and screeching. Have the tach out. The center unit is loose and pushed aside with cables still connected.
On the tach, the nut holding the bracket was finger tight but the same nut on the speedo is tight (maybe the threaded post is corroded). I tried open and closed wrenches, a socket, but there's no maneuver room. I tried a blind spray of WD-40 but the nut ain't moving. The speedo won't push in to relieve the pressure. The meter won't move at all. Any suggestions on how to get the nut off?
Another issue (and maybe a warning to others). I thought the tach cable had some slack so I could pull the unit partially into the car then remove the cable. NO, the cable did not move...instead the end connector (1 inch white metal piece) came off the cable. Getting a new cable so this was not a disaster.
The problem of the "no move" tach cable may be due to some work previously done on the firewall. The cables pass thru a grommet but this area was slathered with old black rubber goop that held the cables tight to the wall. Doesn't look original.
I removed the rubber goop and will be installing new grommets. Anyone know if the rubber pasty stuff is original?
Richard M
'71 280 SL, Tobacco Brown, Cognac interior, Tan top, Jump Seat, 80K orig miles, NYC.
