Clock Repair

[Batlcry]

I have an '81 Spider with the original clock. The second hand moves but the hour and minute hands do not. Does anyone know of a business or individual that can repair these clocks. I would rather fix my original clock than buy new one if possible.
Thanks for any info.
Lon

[RRoller123]

Palo Alto Speedometer is one.

[Batlcry]

Thanks for the reply.. I will give them a call.
Lon ✌

[TX82FIAT]

I'll take the heat for saying this. The Veglia clocks will break over time. Three spiders over the last 30 years and all of them needed a new clock. Had one rebuilt by a guy on this forum many years ago and can not find a link to him now. That clock lasted about five years. I know we like original gauges. However, a new clock is easy to install, lights up much better in your dash, draws a little less power, last longer, cost a lot less. Only us Fiat and Italian car guys will know it is not original.

I know sacrilege!! sometimes practicality overrides heritage.

[Batlcry]

Thanks for your response. As much as I would like to keep the original, cost of repair versus buying a new one is definately a factor. I live in eastern Canada so shipping to California (assuming I used Palo Alto) and return will no doubt be pricey without even factoring in the cost of repair. Think I'll call Palo Alto and try to get an estimated repair cost and go from there.
About 2 1/2 months out from getting on the road again.. lookin' forward to it!!
Lon ✌

[scrapironchef]

I know sacrilege!! sometimes practicality overrides heritage.

Am I the only one who thinks that the clock on my updated radio keeps better time than any of these units ever did? Couldn't that hole in the dash board serve a better purpose than giving us the wrong time in the fog?

Larry

[Nanonevol]

Yeah, but they're retro-cool. Also adjustable on the back of the clock.

[PhillySpider]

I replaced the cloudy "glass" and love hearing that "tick tick tick tick" when i get in the car personally

[RRoller123]

Mine keeps near perfect time since I had PA Speedo repair it, but it is expensive.

[FiatJim]

Is there a option to replace the original clock with a battery operated one? I was thinking about the kind used in cheaper wall clocks. I could solder on a longer battery lead/clip and then not have to worry about the dang thing breaking. I just need to change the AA battery.

[TX82FIAT]

FiatJim. Since it is 12 volts with limited draw I'm sure you could get it to work off a battery with a longer lead to the power source. I'm not sure that is the best way to preserve clock life. You would need to reset the clock each time you replaced the battery or put a battery in. Seems if that is the way to go you would just extend the circuit and install a switch so it would work off the car battery as designed unless you did not want it too via the switch. Depending on your radio type. To preserve car battery you may consider a green knob at the negative battery cable. It would shut off all electrical draw to the car stopping the clock when not in use as well as preserve against any unknown parasitic draw.

I installed a VDO clock with 12Volt Operation, 52mm Diameter (2 1/16") Mounting Hole. Unless your looking for a veglia clock you would not notice. $39 new. I saw an LED dash clock for 21.99 but did not like the style.

[spider2081]

I purchased a 2 inch clock in a crraft store similar to this one.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Quartz-50mm-2- ... SwX61ZBW1U
Took apart the in-op original clock and the new one. Installed the original mask (numbers) in the new clock. Installed a grain of wheat light bulb. Reused the connector from the original clock for the light wires. It used a AAA battery for power and lasts a few years. Painted the gold bezel flat black. I don't have a photo but can tell you no one ever noticed it was not a stock clock. I think al together I spent $10

[FiatJim]

Yep, the AAA battery one is the kind of thing I've been thinking about. Seems self-contained, easy to put the battery in an easy, but unseen spot when it needs to be changed.

[spider2081]

Mine has friction clips on the side so it fits the stock opening firm enough to stay in place and I just plug it in and push it into the dash. I have to pull it out to change the battery and set the time. Daylight savings time means I change the time 2 times a year.

[ccblunt]

I tried replacing my busted Veglia clock with one of the expensive Italian aftermarket clocks that multiple Fiat parts vendors carried. It looked fantastic, but only lasted a few months. Didn't keep good time, and the hands literally fell off of it while I was adjusting it.

Second time around, I opted for a VDO Viewline Onyx clock, with optional chrome bezel (could've gotten black, but I'd already added chrome bezels to my other gauges). It's a nice match with the other gauges, because it has white lettering on a black background (many other aftermarket clocks use orange on black). It only looks mismatched at night, because it lights up differently than the other gauges.

I just did a quick check, and see that the Fiat parts vendors are now carrying genuine Veglia replacement clocks, instead of the kind that fell apart on me. If these had been available last summer, I might have tried one instead of the VDO. And if the VDO fails, I probably will. But for now, I'm really happy with it.