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Now I'm trying to figure out how to replace the lens/glass in my 65 clock. I found an article on Zip but it doesn't seem to match my clock perfectly. In the below picture, what do I need to do to remove the lens?
You need to remove the inner bezel from the outer bezel. So... take a tiny screw driver and between those two rivets pry them apart taking your time. If you are lucky you'll only break one rivet per two that hold it down. You want to mark the position of the inner bezel before you separate them too.
Once you separate the two the lens will fall out. Then install the new lens, attach the inner bezel in the same position it was removed from and then re-steak the rivets.
Hopefully you'll get lucky and possibly only break one rivet.... Just steak down what you have. In the old days before they reproduced the outer bezel we'd drill and tap them and insert small screws when the rivets broke... but if your careful you can pull it off.
The reproduction bezels are not that expensive but if you go for it and it fails know that there is a new bezel with new rivets you can install too.
Those 6 posts need to be ground down enough to free up the housing shell and access the lens.
The fun part comes with figuring out how to reunite the bezel and shell. Some actually drill and tap the post stumps to accept miniature screws.
I drill the holes, but to insert short lengths (1/4") of a finish nail, creating a new "post". With the bezel/lens/housing sandwiched together and clamped, a small dab of JWWeld is applied to each of the 6 posts.
When cured, the epoxy gives the same kind of mechanical attachment as the original swaged posts. Never had one come apart with this method.
You need to remove the inner bezel from the outer bezel. So... take a tiny screw driver and between those two rivets pry them apart taking your time. If you are lucky you'll only break one rivet per two that hold it down. You want to mark the position of the inner bezel before you separate them too.
Once you separate the two the lens will fall out. Then install the new lens, attach the inner bezel in the same position it was removed from and then re-steak the rivets.
Hopefully you'll get lucky and possibly only break one rivet.... Just steak down what you have. In the old days before they reproduced the outer bezel we'd drill and tap them and insert small screws when the rivets broke... but if your careful you can pull it off.
The reproduction bezels are not that expensive but if you go for it and it fails know that there is a new bezel with new rivets you can install too.
Willcox
Thank you for that write up. I'll give it a shot and see how it goes. If I goof it up, then I'll buy a new one like you said.
Those 6 posts need to be ground down enough to free up the housing shell and access the lens.
The fun part comes with figuring out how to reunite the bezel and shell. Some actually drill and tap the post stumps to accept miniature screws.
I drill the holes, but to insert short lengths (1/4") of a finish nail, creating a new "post". With the bezel/lens/housing sandwiched together and clamped, a small dab of JWWeld is applied to each of the 6 posts.
When cured, the epoxy gives the same kind of mechanical attachment as the original swaged posts. Never had one come apart with this method.
Make sure you install the lens concave.
.
Thanks Mike! I'm trying the putting thing Willcox said to do and either I don't know what I'm doing or I just can't get it. I'll keep trying, but I might have to grind the rivets diem.
Those 6 posts need to be ground down enough to free up the housing shell and access the lens.
The fun part comes with figuring out how to reunite the bezel and shell. Some actually drill and tap the post stumps to accept miniature screws.
I drill the holes, but to insert short lengths (1/4") of a finish nail, creating a new "post". With the bezel/lens/housing sandwiched together and clamped, a small dab of JWWeld is applied to each of the 6 posts.
When cured, the epoxy gives the same kind of mechanical attachment as the original swaged posts. Never had one come apart with this method.
Make sure you install the lens concave.
.
Mike,
Typically you can pry the post through the inner retainer bezel without grinding them and leaving the original rivet in place. You might break one or a few but usually they'll pull through. This is why I stated earlier to mark the bezel's position, because when the pull through they will usually go back through the same hole, then you can just steak them again so it's important to make sure the hole that pulled through lines up with the original hole. Once you have the bezel in place you can use a drift between the two rivets and usually get them to drive back downward... once you have them down on the outer bezel you just steak them over again.... It's kind of hard to explain but it's really not that hard. Maybe next time I do one I'll do a video that'll help others figure this out.
The concave comment.. now that's a funny for me. I did a pre-purchase look through for a customer the other day and all the lenses in the dash and the clock were backwards. The customer asked me how I knew.... In the old days people would put the lenses in backwards on the speedo, tach, small gauges and the clock... .so they could see themselves while driving... In the pictures the customer sent to me, I could see the person taking them as clear as daylight.
Ernie
Last edited by Willcox Corvette; 03-02-2019 at 08:57 PM.
Funny story Ernie! Hey I'll try your process on the next clock I do. 'Cause it's no fun drilling those 6 itty-bitty holes. Probably still put that little dab of JBW though....
Funny story Ernie! Hey I'll try your process on the next clock I do. 'Cause it's no fun drilling those 6 itty-bitty holes. Probably still put that little dab of JBW though....
In the old days when the repro bezel were not available... it was drill and screw... Not fun.. We always used a two part epoxy called PC7... This stuff was so solid you could glue water to oil.. lol
And one other note that just banked off the back of my old head... There is a relief in the rear bezel for the clock stem so it's important to make sure you have the hole for the stem in the correct position.... Also.. the old Borge movement is junk... They were junk when they were new...
So while there are aftermarket replacement unit's available you can repair the old unit... it's a complete crap shoot.. Again something I should video the next time... I hate to say it but the quartz conversion is really the way to go unless you are doing a NCRS car.
03-02-2019, 05:19 PM
Clock Lens
