Thread: 1965 chevrolet elcamino

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I have a 65 chevy elcamino, it has a 283 chevy v8 motor, it also has a muncie 4 speed transmision, my problem is it keep eating up plastic speedometer gears, They are plastic and it grinds the teeth down just enough to make my speedometer quit working, any one got any ideas why and what I can do to fix this problem, been told it could be a alignment with the speedometer gear or the metal gear on the shaft, any information would be really appreciated, I am not a transmission man, thanks, you can also e-mail me at ltremayne45@gmail.com, A new member, Lloyd

You may be putting in the wrong gear. Also your cable housing may be pinched.

My guess first guess is the cable housing - either pinched or frayed inside making more friction than the gear can take and thus the breakdown. Take the entire cable assemble out and replace.

It's also possible that the speedometer itself is dragging - but not likely. Might want to clean and lube the speedometer just for peace of mind.

Let us know how you progress!

Regards,
Glenn

I had something very similar happen a few years ago.

See if you can find out if the metal gear in the muncie is still in good shape, if not, it will eat the plastic gear. And you need to make sure the screw on housing seats properly, if not, that will also chew up the gear as it won't be meshing properly.

If you hear a slight ticking when the car is moving, and it sounds like it might be coming from your speedo, the cable may be on it's way out. That too shortens the plastic gear life. If this is an original muncie (I had one in my '65 Chevelle 327 4 spd) you should suspect the drive gear first.