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Old Sep 20, 2007 | 02:15 PM
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Default Metric speedometer?

What is the first year a metric kph was added to the regular speedometer?

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Old Sep 20, 2007 | 02:25 PM
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Since 1969 export cars (Germany, Switzerland, Austria) where delivered with km/h speedometers. Thought a company in switzerland / zürich was produced a foil with the km/h and delivered the speedos to the importeur of this cars. One time i heard that the foil was delivered to GM and they fitted the export cars with km/h speedos. So if you see a corvette speedometer with 0-320 then it is not a extraordinary fast car its only an export car :-)
Peter
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Old Sep 20, 2007 | 02:55 PM
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Thats interesting. I really would like to have that kind of speedo into mine, since I live in a "metric" place! .. I always thought that early corvettes only came with a SAE scales, until mid 70s when they used both at the same time.

Is there anyone that still produce that kind of conversions? or can I still find some old ones in ebay or something?
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Old Sep 20, 2007 | 03:07 PM
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Have never seen an (old original) foil or a speedo with the foil for sale. But think today each good lithographic studio can do this job?! - they only need a special foil. If you need i can send you a picture with the km/h speedo from my 1970. But need your mail then - seems i am to stupid to post pictures here.
Peter
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Old Sep 20, 2007 | 03:43 PM
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I'm not sure when C3's started putting two speed scales on the dial face...probably in the mid to late 70's. But the first electronic "switchable" speed readout was in the 1984 C4 dash.
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Old Sep 20, 2007 | 04:20 PM
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Originally Posted by ha_pe_1968
Have never seen an (old original) foil or a speedo with the foil for sale. But think today each good lithographic studio can do this job?! - they only need a special foil. If you need i can send you a picture with the km/h speedo from my 1970. But need your mail then - seems i am to stupid to post pictures here.
Peter
PM sent!
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Old Sep 20, 2007 | 04:51 PM
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First year was 1975
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Old Sep 20, 2007 | 06:03 PM
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Originally Posted by ha_pe_1968
Since 1969 export cars (Germany, Switzerland, Austria) where delivered with km/h speedometers. Thought a company in switzerland / zürich was produced a foil with the km/h and delivered the speedos to the importeur of this cars. One time i heard that the foil was delivered to GM and they fitted the export cars with km/h speedos. So if you see a corvette speedometer with 0-320 then it is not a extraordinary fast car its only an export car :-)
Peter
It would indeed be nice to have km/h face on the speedo. Did the odometer still show miles on the original export cars or were they altered to show kilometers?
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Old Sep 20, 2007 | 06:07 PM
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My 70 has both - primary is the mph with a smaller kph scale. My 72 is just mph - looks like the spedo was replaced sometime in the last 38 years.
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Old Sep 20, 2007 | 07:16 PM
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I believe that your 70's speedo is the one that was changed.
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Old Sep 20, 2007 | 07:27 PM
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Yes, 1975 was the first year for the dual scale with the MPH dominant and the smaller KM/H.

Beginning in 1978, cars exported to Canada and other metric countries got the reverse with the KM/H dominant.

Never heard of a St Louis installed export speedometer with anything other than the normal MPH scale until as noted above and think the importer would have made any necessary mods before 1978.
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Old Sep 21, 2007 | 01:32 PM
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The odometer is in km (more or less :-) ) the speedometer shows only km/h. And only if you know it and if you look very exactly you can see a small difference about the speedo and tacho. I think too that the importeurs of the cars had this speedos or speedo foils and changed them but i am not sure a lot of years ago i think GM had a company in switzerland and maybe the cars where modified there - have 3 unusual RPO's at my tanksticker (V78 – Delete certification plate, ZX2 – Export procedure =2, ZY7 – Export non taxable status) maybe the ZX2 have to do with it

Peter
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Old Sep 21, 2007 | 02:16 PM
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HamadUP - picture is sent
Peter
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