Speedometer kaput?

My speedometer quit working shortly after I had my Sprite back on the road after many years. (It is now waiting for the carbs to be returned from Joe Curto.) I just tested it by inserting a short piece of square shaft into the cable socket and spinning it with my electric drill. The wheel inside the speedo spun but the needle did not move. Shouldn't I have been able to get a reading with the needle moving? Assuming that the speedo is kaput I just sent an e-mail to Nisonger to ask for a repair estimate. Anybody have any idea what ballpark I can anticipate paying? Back in '65 I had the same problem and had it repaired locally. It has to be cheaper to get it repaired than to replace it and I see that neither Moss or VB even sells them.

don't want to be stupid, but, did you spin it the right way?

I'm not sure what the right way is but I tried it both ways and got no response beyond the spinning wheel.

Put the drill in reverse and spin it.
A cordless Dewalt drill set on high will spin the speedo at about 50 mph.

That did it. With the drill in reverse I apparently didn't spin it fast enough before. Now I'll have to figure out what the problem is with the cable apparently not driving the head. Since I can't drive the car for now I wonder if I could push the car with it in gear and see if the cable end turns.

cable end is probably worn down
check gear in transmision housing

It is a new cable as the tranny is a new one from Paul A. It worked for a few days and then quit.

Not sure about Spridget cables but on other marques there have been problems with new cables having their ends formed incorrectly. It certainly is worth disconnecting each end and looking to see. As I understand it, the newer cables aren't swaged and ground into a square profile but are more "oval". The oval ends appear to be the problem if they are not sized right.

The guys on the 6-pack forum have been giving this guy high praise for quality of work, price, and turn-around time. But call before sending him anything. He will have you check some things so he can calibrate correctly.

westvalleyinstruments.com/