Speedometer Plastic Collar - Best way to hold in place?

[slack]

Hi All,

So the collar on my speedometer is broken. (The one that goes from the shift indicator to the shift lever. My old one was broken too.

I have it currently zip tied in place but after a few months it's managed to work its way out of alignment. (N is now OD).

Is there a better way to hold this thing in place so it won't walk?

I attached a pic for reference.

Thanks,
-Erik

[miamibob]

On my '87 GM the exact same thing happened. I zipped it and that was last year. So far, so good. Not sure any other way will be effective (glue?) because of it's design. Bought a spare one, just in case. Would love to hear if anyone has any other ideas....

[pantera77]

The majority of those collars are broken. Zip tie is the best bet.

[lincolnlarry]

Has anyone tried a hose clamp?

[VicCrownVic]

Did a search on Ebay and found the part# seems to be D9AZ-7E363-A.
When I did a search for D9AZ-7E363 there were more results than I expected but the price range is roughly $35-$55.
I also wonder, as lincolnlarry said, if a hose clamp could work.

[miamibob]

Did a search on Ebay and found the part# seems to be D9AZ-7E363-A.
When I did a search for D9AZ-7E363 there were more results than I expected but the price range is roughly $35-$55.
I also wonder, as lincolnlarry said, if a hose clamp could work.

Guess a clamp is worth a shot. I think I found mine, a new one, for under $30 but that was about a year ago and perhaps I just got lucky!

[IPreferDIY]

I'd be inclined to supplement the zip tie or hose clamp with a piece of double-sided tape on the shaft to keep the part from slipping.

[slack]

Hmm. Thanks for the ideas! I wonder if I just didn't have the zip tie tight enough? My last one never slipped before. Though, this one I know doesn't slide as nice as my last one. I put a ton of graphite power in it to help it stay smooth but I guess maybe there might still be too much friction.

I'm not sure a hose clamp would work unless it was really thin because of how much stuff is around the collar. Could be worth a try though.

I like the idea of the double face tape. I should have some 3M stuff left over floating around. Maybe that with the zip tie will work...?

[DerekTheGreat]

+1 on the zip tie thing. I haven't run into one that wasn't broken. Use as thick a zip tie you can and get it as tight as possible. I thought of the hose clamp thing but the zip tie is faster to get off should you ever need to swap the cluster or what have you.

[sly]

I bent a small L bracket to work in place of the stupid thing. I can't find a pic of it right now, but it works fine except for putting the needle dead center between P and R when in park. all the rest line up.

without having to go through the fabrication like I did, I would also suggest the double sided tape or some rubber tape (something to give it more traction to the shaft) and the zip tie. I had used a zip tie for a long time before I finally made that bracket.

[87gtVIC]

I have a none broken one in the car as well as a spare that I had modified.

You have to dremel out a channel in the ridges so the zip tie can grab better. I honestly don't know how the zip tie trick works at all because of the irregular surface of the damned thing. My spare, if I ever have to use it, has holes dremeled out in the shape of a zip tie and I believe it would be the most effective way to secure a broken one. The tie will stay put when tightening because it has no where to go.

Also if you ever plan to remove a none broken one I always use a heat gun and get it nice and warm then remove the screw and then wrestle it out of place. Works every time for me.

[WagonMan]

I drill a tiny hole through the plastic into the steel tube, ( make sure its lined up to read correctly). I then screw a sheet metal screw into it. The screw has to be TINY so it doesn't hit the steering shaft inside the tube. WagonMan

[gadget73]

I ran one with a zip tie for a long while until I broke another chunk out of it so that it wouldn't work anymore. Then I went to the Ford dealer and bought a brand new one for like 25 bucks. For all the fuss, buy a new one if its already out.

[85crownHPP]

I recently found a non broken one in my stash, I'm not sure what it's from though. If you want to check your part #, I'll compare it to mine. I have lots of other knick-knacks I can send you cheap too, if you can think of anything else you need.

[miamibob]

The part number on my spare is "E1MY-7A110-B". Is that your number? Wouldn't mind having another if it fits my car and is a reasonable cost! Bobby