speedometer angle drive

[TimCornish]

Greetings from a proud new owner of a BN1, built July '54. I purchased this car several months ago as a solid driver, but it has some minor issues that need to be sorted out:
Photos seen here: https://www.healeydata.com/gallery/zoom/?id=90117
Mostly the body and interior are in very good condition, and the drivetrain is at least serviceable for now. I've already upgraded to H6 carbs, and have completely rebuilt the brake and fuel systems, so what remains are mainly drivability issues.
The speedometer is non-functional, and I verified that the cable is intact (both ends) but not spinning, so I'm looking to check out the angle drive. Problem is the interior seems to be installed rather permanently so it might be a pretty big headache to remove the tunnel cover. Working up underneath the chassis is not very easy, so I can't see how to check the condition of the angle drive already installed. Does it unscrew from the tranny, or is it held in with a set screw? It might be best to just buy a new one, but if this one is merely disengaged, maybe I can get it operational again. Any advice will be appreciated, and I'm really looking forward to many future discussions with this group.
Thanks,
Tim

Tim Cornish
Baltimore
BN1L159292
TR3B
TR4
R1150R-BMW

 

[Randy Forbes]

It connects to the xmsn same as the cable would. In fact, if the space allows it, you could tmporarily connect the cable to the xmsn in place of the r/a adapter for a test.

 

[HEALEYJAG]

Tim:

Th angle drive is just screwed into the tranny...not accessible underneath. I would remove the tunnel for inspection ,then you can insulate the tunnel (see previous discusions) to reduce heat in the cockpit.

Then you can dignose the problem easier, and have a cooler car and reinstall everything properly!

Just a thought..

Pete

 

[TimCornish]

Thanks for the replies.
Turns out this angle drive (probably an early design) has a small input connector for the cable, and a larger one for attachment to the overdrive unit. Everything works fine, but the square shaft extending from the angle drive was rounded off enough to cause slipping in the union joint. An easy fix was to bend some shim stock into a small box tightly around the shaft and cement it into place with JB weld epoxy. The square shaft was then ground to fit into the rectangular receiver, and so far, seems to be working pretty well. This must be a common problem with this design.

Tim
'54 BN1