More GT550 clock restoration

[Waterbuffalo]

Take a look at this gauge set I bought, its condition looks a bit for the worse. Would you believe under those lenses are two very nice faces and decent mechanisms. Every part is here on this complete set of gauges, its just waiting for someone to restore it and be put back to use.
So far I've devoted a little time to it but its now stripped and restoration has begun.
This sort of damage WILL buff out quite nicely. So Mike, do you think I can pull this rather crusty looking one off to a decent level ???

[yeadon_m]

Allan,

Cases, possibly. I'm quite determined, patient and careful. Lenses, nope! mechanisms? I do not even know how to get inside, reversibly :-)

Looking forward in due course to a visual masterclass!

Cheers,
Mike

[Waterbuffalo]

The lenses are already removed as those cant be saved, nor are they worth even trying. Its unbelievable the gauge faces still look as they do considering the amount of sun it took to make the lenses get to that visual condition.
The case is already in the process of being brought back to decent condition.

[Waterbuffalo]

Here is that case a few hours later, all thats left is to put back in the white lettering and add the lenses. I cant do anymore on it now as I've got other parts to work on.

[Waterbuffalo]

Working on other projects took me away from painting in the lettering on the gauge case, but I did finish the panel unit and the bracket.

[Waterbuffalo]

Here the case is relettered and the gear display lens is back in. The neutral lens was melted so I will replace it and that completes the case restoration.

[sportston]

Looks good. I've just recently restored my own clocks. Which look pretty good too.
You can get into the mechanisms but it is not that easy. I used a dremmel with a diamond cutting disc on it to grind/melt away the plastic on the back of the clocks. First you grind away the plastic that has bonded onto the rear face of the mounting disc then get a small screwdriver in to lever the mounting plate up. Once the seal has been broken it will slide out quite easily. The trick is to make sure that you have only ground away the bare minimum of plastic so that the seating face is still level and be careful not to crack the aged white plastic.
Once lubricated and cleaned and the glass has been replaced you can slide the drum and mechanism assembly back into the white casing, seating it onto a thin bed of silicon sealer. There is a small notch in the mounting plate and a corresponding peg on the white casing so make sure they line up perfectly then pump a load more sealant over the top of the join and run your finger around it to make sure everything is well sealed. Then leave the casing upside down for 24hrs for the sealant to dry.
Replacing the glass is done in a similar way using the dremmel to carefully cut through the edge of the plastic lens. Do it very carefully and take your time so as not to slip and ruin the white casing. Once you have removed the majority of the old lens/glass you can fine-tune the edges using the dremmel again grinding them out to be smooth and fairly even. Don't grind too deep!
Then it depends what new lenses you are using. I used some discs of flat real glass this is cheaply available and won't go opaque with age, but you could use plastic such as perspex acrylic or whatever, it just won't last as long. Once it has been cut to size simply silicon or glue the new glass in leaving a raised bead of silicon or adhesive. I used silicon. Then neatly slice the excess off using a stanley blade, once it is cured fully.
Et voila!

[sportston]

Now can you tell me how you managed to paint the lettering so neatly please? That is the one thing that I haven't done yet.

[yeadon_m]

I have not done anything except clean / slightly restore cases and with the lettering, I use a small brush to put the white paint into the depressions then wipe off the excess quickly with a piece of kitchen towel lightly dampened with the right solvent, choosing paints/solvent systems that do not attack the plastic (test beforehand!)
Mike

[sportston]

Oh wow they look great! Thanks for the tip. I will try that on mine too.