I was tightening the speedo cable and the plastic just broke right off. It looks like there is one bolt that hold a retainer over it, but does just that outside plate come off or is it a whole unit?? Is it hard to take apart and reassemble? Finally the most important question.....is it expensive???

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Riccioli Performance Motorworks

--RPM Racing--

Getting there.....383 with Super Ram, Bosch 24# SVO's, MSD, Edelbrock 58 mm TB, 700R4 tranny, Eibach springs, Koni 12 way adjustable shocks and struts, and more!! Now let's pray it runs when it's all back together!!!!

Whole unit (what looks like a plastic plate actually holds the speedo driven gear shaft). IIRC, called driven gear housing.

Easy - one bolt to remove retainer like you said. Housing has an o-ring around it, sometimes requires some twist along with pull to remove.

Depends upon your defination of expensive. There are two sizes (lengths, actually). I haven't tried to get one seperate, but mine came with the gear I was buying, total about $28 from the dealer. I would expect most of that to have been the gear.

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82 Berlinetta, orig V-6 car, now w/86 LG4/TH700R4. 2.93 limited slip. 2-1/2" cat-back, ZZ3 intake, Accel HEI SuperCoil. AMSOIL syn lubes bumper-to-bumper. Daily driver, work-in-progress (LG4 CC system w/'87 LB9 block, ZZ3 cam, ported World 305 heads, Hooker 2055 headers, 3" Catco cat & 3" catback, restalled TC, Spohn SFCs).
57 Bel Air, my 1st car. '66 396, 9.7 CR forged TRWs, Weiand Action+, Holley 750VS w/4150 conversion, GK 270 cam, Magnum rockers, Jacobs Omnipack, 1-3/4" Hedders & 3" Warlocks, TH400 w/TCI Sat Night Special conv & Trans-Scat shift kit, MegaShifter, 3.08 8.2" 10-bolt w/Powertrax, AMSOIL syn lubes bumper-to-bumper. Idles smooth @ 600 RPM in D. Best 15.02/95.06 @ 5800' Bandimere (corrected 13.93/102.4 @ sea level).

What's the difference between the two sizes/lengths???

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Riccioli Performance Motorworks

--RPM Racing--

Getting there.....383 with Super Ram, Bosch 24# SVO's, MSD, Edelbrock 58 mm TB, 700R4 tranny, Eibach springs, Koni 12 way adjustable shocks and struts, and more!! Now let's pray it runs when it's all back together!!!!

One will fit your tail housing, the other won't.

New ones are cast aluminum, by the way, so you won't have to worry about it breaking again.

As of two years ago, anyway, it was still plastic.

The difference is the size of the driven gear - smaller gears (fewer teeth) require the longer housing, larger gears (more teeth) require the shorter. I forget the number where they change (tried to get on TCI's website, which has that info - kept locking up my browser requiring computer reboot). But, if you take your old one in, they should be able to compare and match it.

Both will fit your tailshaft housing, but a small gear with a short housing may not engage the drive gear.

[This message has been edited by five7kid (edited September 16, 2001).]

You must have got some old stock then, they've been available in aluminum for a number of years.

The length of the sleeve also doesn't affect the size of the driven gear. Regardless of whether you have the long or short style, there are 2 sizes of housing to fit the driven gears, the difference between them being the size and location of the driven gear shaft.

The "long" and "short" names refer to the length of the portion where the speedo cable threads on, both styles have the same overall length. I believe that F-bodies use the long style housing.

All I know about aluminum is that my gear came with a plastic housing. No clue how old it was (the box wasn't yellowed).

The long or short is internal to the housing, and is dependant upon the size of gear you have. If I had a digital camera and felt compelled to pull the gear currently installed in order to prove this, I'd show them side-by-side.

No, that's not the same thing.

Here, I'll show them side by side instead.




[This message has been edited by Apeiron (edited September 17, 2001).]

Okay, we're arguing two sides of the same thing. Your own photo shows 1) the distance from the o-ring to the gear face is different between the two types, and 2) the length is dictated by the number of teeth on the driven gear.

Your photo indicates the number of teeth will actually dicate which of FOUR housings you need. The TCI website didn't indicate that, and since my new gear came with the housing, I didn't have to address that. I just kept gear with housing as I switched between the two I have.

Whatever:
Paul, take your broken part out and take it, along with the driven gear, to the dealer. They'll get you the right part.

I don't know of any source other than the dealer.

Bah.. nevermind.


[This message has been edited by Apeiron (edited September 17, 2001).]