Smiths gauge seal repair and refurbishment - anyone got any tips?

[Colin Lindsay]

Anyone got experience of refurbishing the clocks on our cars, ie just a good cleanup and replacement of the rubber seals? I bought two kits for 4" gauges online:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/193416136765

Now it appears to me that the long foam strip is fitted behind the chrome bezel and above the glass, and the smaller round seal is between the gauge and dashboard. Try as I might I cannot get the chrome bezel back on with the fat seal in under it. The round seal is only 3.5 inches across so has to stretch round the gauge body, so it has to be the thicker one that goes under the chrome ring (there's also a flat fibre one between the glass and the gauge face, not in this kit). I need to compress the bezel evenly all round while putting force enough to twist it around the locking ring on the gauge body, but the amount of force required is a lot for one hand pressing and twisting at the same time while the other holds the gauge. I don't want to damage anything or break the glass... any ideas or tips?

[NonMember]

The seals are quite possibly a tad oversized. I don't remember what I ended up doing with mine but I do recall having the same trouble as you. Perhaps if you place the bezel, seal and glass face down on a work bench (wooden surface or vinyl) then use both hands to press the gauge down onto it and rotate... it might work? You'll hopefully be able to see the flanges that way and have an idea whether it's aligned and compressed enough.

[Josef]

I’ve rebuilt quite a number of clocks (mostly Rev counters) over the past few years. The seals are pretty compressible (and you have it right as to which goes where), it’s just the bezels tend to have been crimped on pretty hard making the replacement and removal via twisting difficult. Either extremely carefully bend the tags on the bezels to give you a bit more play and crimp them back after, or grip the bezel in one hand with a soft cloth and push the case and bezel together as it sounds like you are trying. 

[ed.h]

I used Silicone O-ring cord stock.  It comes in various thicknesses.

Ed

[Josef]

4 hours ago, ed.h said:

I used Silicone O-ring cord stock.  It comes in various thicknesses.

Yeah you can get the foam stuff by the length too, which is what I ended up doing rather than buying kits.

[68vitesse]

2 hours ago, Josef said:

Yeah you can get the foam stuff by the length too, which is what I ended up doing rather than buying kits.

Same here, neoprene foam cord, bought some when I did my gauges a while back.

Regards

Paul..

https://forum.tssc.org.uk/topic/3819-instrument-bezel/#:~:text=On 04/08/2018 at 17%3A29%2C 68vitesse said%3A

 

[dougbgt6]

I did it NM's way on a rubber mat.

Doug

[Mjit]

When I did this it was a case of some very careful tab bending out, not all the way, just enough that you could then compress the foam enough to twist the bezel on before pressing tabs back down.

[Colin Lindsay]

The problem is that I need three hands at least... all of the 'projections' on the rear of the gauge make it difficult to press down firmly enough without either breaking something, bending something or causing pain... I might have to bend the tabs very slightly and from past experience the chrome bezel is easy to split or distort, so needs extreme care.

[chrishawley]

I've succesfully done a few of these; but also mullered a couple of units as well in the process.

Suggestions? 1) Check that the material supplied is the best sort for the job. i.e. it should be a highly conformable foam type section not solid. 2) Check reverse of bezel is scrupulously clean and smooth, 3) trim length of cord to be just a tad shorter than the circumference so the cord has space to compress into, 4) Cord can be skinnied by cutting a bit off and then stretching back to length, 5) Trial fit bezel and glass to body without cord and and rotate back and forth to identify any burrs or deformations and lastly 6) lubricate cord and edges (sparingly), red rubber grease ideal if to hand but anything really.

Maybe one of those would help your situation?

 

 

[Colin Lindsay]

14 hours ago, chrishawley said:

Maybe one of those would help your situation?

Nice check list - I'll work through one at a time in the afternoon.