Background
After months of staring at my occasionally-working original clock on my 1959 Mercedes-Benz 220S Ponton sedan, I decided to attempt to make it fully functional again. Previous attempts of cleaning “the guts” and the connections were only temporarily successful, at best. I was aware that I could go to Palo Alto Speedometer and get the clock upgraded to a quartz mechanism for around $200, but I was not that interested in knowing the correct time of day. So, I wanted to see if it could be done for less $$$. The project started with an internet search for quartz mechanisms. To my surprise, they are cheap and plentiful! I purchased one from a company called Norkro in Portland, Oregon. The website is www.norkro.com. Click on Quartz Clock Movements. I ordered Model № 10010. You can pick the style of hands that you wish to have for your clock. I used the straight hands and cut them to the appropriate length, and painted with them fingernail polish. The color white paints best. Total cost, including a few extra sets of hands, was around $10 delivered. The rest of the job took a couple of hours.
The Process
WARNING: This procedure destroys the original mechanism, so don't plan on using it afterwards.
I realized, after completing this project, that I should have taken more photos. So, they are few. However, the project is pretty straight forward.
After removing the clock from the dash, start taking it apart: glass, clock face, etc. On the back, take everything off. As you can see from the photo, some of the back needs to be cut.
I used a Dremel tool to remove some of the posts and the portion that the light bulb tube fits in. After this is removed, all you need to do is screw the quartz mechanism into the back and reassemble the hands on the face, add a little hot glue to the screw that formerly adjusted the hands (for that semi original look) and presto, you have a fully functioning clock!
Installation
The clock will slip back into the original opening with a small amount of effort. Note: be sure to remove, cut, and cap the wires the clock previously used.
