Topic: 750 gauge crimp ring assembly, new idea with epoxy?

[1976cb750f836]

My face plates came in, took bout 2 weeks. Look great. While waiting on them, I disassembled  my Speedo. (Hardest part was the lock nut on the odometer shaft) After reading many post, and my bike is a long way from original, I decided to cut the ring. My plan is to cut a short piece of a old ring bout 1in long and overlap the ring at the cut. I bought a crashed set of gauges off eBay for 13$, I needed the wire pig tails and some of the rubber mounts. Ive cut a 1in piece. I ground a chisel tip, to act as a die to swell the patch to lay over the stock ring. I'm using clear gorilla glue epoxy from a syringe. I'll glue 1 side up on the bench before assembly , less chance of a mess I figure. I'll try to get some pics up as I progress.
Ps-3 I tried to solder the patch on 1 end. I may be doing something wrong, but it looked horrible.

[pjlogue]

The crimp rings are stainless so they will not solder.  Epoxy will work but chances are it will never come apart again if needed, at least without major damage.  The rings will unfold fairly easily using a paint can opener and gently working your way around the ring.  Re-crimping is another matter.  I have done it twice and it is a chore I do not look forward to!.

-P.

[1976cb750f836]

Stainless do solder, gunsmith use silver solder.
My attempt at solder on glue.
My Speedo ring and patch on towel. Cleaned with grey then red scotchbrite, mine were nasty.
Be gluing up later I hope.

[pjlogue]

Stainless do solder, gunsmith use silver solder.
My attempt at solder on glue.
My Speedo ring and patch on towel. Cleaned with grey then red scotchbrite, mine were nasty.
Be gluing up later I hope.

That's called brazing and you can braze stainless with silver and bronze and other alloys.  The heat in brazing is much higher than solder and would essentially destroy a gauge's shell and plastic face inside. 

-P.

[Bankerdanny]

Marcel at CB750faces.com sells replacement rings

[1976cb750f836]

Are the new rings open when u get them? I'm going to finish mine up with the patch this time. If I have to go back into them, I'll consider new rings. I really like the look of the joker bolt together rings, but damn not 90$, worth. Found them on eBay for 50$. Still too high. Wonder anyone ever made their own?
Ps-what do u all use to attach the chrome covers? Clear silicone?

[pjlogue]

One side of the new rings are open, meaning not crimped.

-P.

[PeWe]

Joker machine sells rings easier to mount. Not for the mint stock restorer but look cool and make it easy to service the gauges when needed.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://jokermachine.com/products/cb750-speedo-tach-clamp-rings-black&ved=2ahUKEwiI8bPep5jkAhWDp4sKHQubDukQFjAKegQIBhAC&usg=AOvVaw0ucRvOkvLQT5_ZP16e6aVg&cshid=1566539870766

I have gauges in need of restore. I have to make a tool squeezing the rings together. I have faces from Marcel I have painted on their rear side for stock look, not shining thru faces.
Rings really hard. A c- clamp with correctly shaped clamps to press the rings together with both gauge parts together is my idea. Maybe coming winter.

[pjlogue]

Joker machine sells rings easier to mount. Not for the mint stock restorer but look cool and make it easy to service the gauges when needed.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://jokermachine.com/products/cb750-speedo-tach-clamp-rings-black&ved=2ahUKEwiI8bPep5jkAhWDp4sKHQubDukQFjAKegQIBhAC&usg=AOvVaw0ucRvOkvLQT5_ZP16e6aVg&cshid=1566539870766

I have gauges in need of restore. I have to make a tool squeezing the rings together. I have faces from Marcel I have painted on their rear side for stock look, not shining thru faces.
Rings really hard. A c- clamp with correctly shaped clamps to press the rings together with both gauge parts together is my idea. Maybe coming winter.

I made a set of dies using some 4" steel pipe that I turned to face a forming edge.  It did the job but it was not perfect.  The force needed to bend over the whole edge all at once is way beyond what you will generate with a C clamp.  Hydraulic press is needed and is what I used.  I think it would make the job much easier if the rings were Aluminum.  The stainless is extremely tough to work with given the small edge you have to bend over. 

-P.

[PeWe]

My idea with c-clamp is to use tool parts that are max 2.5cm (1") long with same radius as the gauge and a profile that will crimp ring together.
Press around the crimp ring until it is completed. Not press from top-bottom. Press right over with c-clamp across the gauge. Something must fix the parts together too.

[pjlogue]

My idea with c-clamp is to use tool parts that are max 2.5cm (1") long with same radius as the gauge and a profile that will crimp ring together.
Press around the crimp ring until it is completed. Not press from top-bottom. Press right over with c-clamp across the gauge. Something must fix the parts together too.

Ah, I understand what you are saying now. As long as the opposite side is held firmly enough and the top and bottom cases are clamped tight together it should work.  I had thought about making a jig where the two halves were held together along with the crimp ring and on a turntable type plate where you could then use an indexable bearing where it could roll the edge of the crimp ring over as you rotated the work piece. 

-P. 

[1976cb750f836]

Ok, Speedo assembled, waiting on clear silicone to cure. My patch, by blue tape, hardley noticeable. And no dings in ring. It does take time though, glue patch on one end of ring, clamp, then wait at least 24 hours for full cure. Then put on gauge, glue, I then cut some rubber strips to act as padding, then hose clamp, all way round, I drew it up fairly tight. Then another 24 hours to full cure. Now I have used clear adhesive silicone, another 24 hours till final assembly.

[1976cb750f836]

Finished gauge number1, along side a junk rat rod style tack, I put together to use while I was restoring stock ones. I'm pleased!

Ps I kinda like the lighting with the unpainted white back face. Brighter than stock with new stock bulbs, but not too brite?
I polished my stock needle, painted tip with gun sight glow white, then florcent orange tip, followed with clear nail polish. Also polished face attachment screws and used clear nail polish.
Only way to c patch, is get on your knees?(I don't get on my knees),lol.

[1976cb750f836]

Don't know why needle looks white in pic, it's polished Brass look.
I had some leftover cap nuts from junk gauge set, so I used them to attach gauges to tree bracket, polished them also.

[1976cb750f836]

Dumbass Question are the speedo and tack internals the same? They look the same? Could u just swap faces and cables and go?
Another DA question? My orginal face and the F face have different starting points at 0. I take for granted the calibration is the same, just the starting point is a different clock position. By installing needle a 0, it should not matter?
61 and still Learning???
Thanks
Gauge 2, in progress?

[Bankerdanny]

Dumbass Question are the speedo and tack internals the same? They look the same? Could u just swap faces and cables and go?
Another DA question? My orginal face and the F face have different starting points at 0. I take for granted the calibration is the same, just the starting point is a different clock position. By installing needle a 0, it should not matter?
61 and still Learning???
Thanks
Gauge 2, in progress?

I suppose you could if the internal cogs, magnets, and the drive gears meant that each turn of the cable resulted in the same amount of needle sweep. But they don't, so the answer to your question is no.

[Joewago]

I cut the rings on my 650 gauges to get them to stop sticking. Turned out that, after sitting outdoors for years, the needle plastic warped into an upwards curve that rubbed against the glass... well.... I snapped the speedo needle. And I somehow managed to snap the metal shaft too while trying to get the needle out to fix it... rip.

Anywho, I used that two part metal epoxy putty stuff to reassemble. I rolled out a little piece and smooshed it into the cut in the rings and clamped it together until it dried. It wasnt trustworthy enough to hold the gauges together on its own so ended up just doing the super glue thing around the back... You'll never see it and I'll never trust myself enough to service my own gauges again anyway. At least I have my tach, and the odometer still ticks...

[1976cb750f836]

Dumbass Question are the speedo and tack internals the same? They look the same? Could u just swap faces and cables and go?
Another DA question? My orginal face and the F face have different starting points at 0. I take for granted the calibration is the same, just the starting point is a different clock position. By installing needle a 0, it should not matter?
61 and still Learning???
Thanks
Gauge 2, in progress?

I suppose you could if the internal cogs, magnets, and the drive gears meant that each turn of the cable resulted in the same amount of needle sweep. But they don't, so the answer to your question is no.

Ever swap the cables, to see how they act? I'm tempted? Or would the tack cable break the speedo?

[seanbarney41]

Dumbass Question are the speedo and tack internals the same? They look the same? Could u just swap faces and cables and go?
Another DA question? My orginal face and the F face have different starting points at 0. I take for granted the calibration is the same, just the starting point is a different clock position. By installing needle a 0, it should not matter?
61 and still Learning???
Thanks
Gauge 2, in progress?

I suppose you could if the internal cogs, magnets, and the drive gears meant that each turn of the cable resulted in the same amount of needle sweep. But they don't, so the answer to your question is no.

Ever swap the cables, to see how they act? I'm tempted? Or would the tack cable break the speedo?

lol, just yesterday, I had the idea, while working on a friends cb750, to pull a switcheroo with the tach and speedo cables...but then I figured something would break and I would end up being the one to fix it anyway.

[1976cb750f836]

Dumbass Question are the speedo and tack internals the same? They look the same? Could u just swap faces and cables and go?
Another DA question? My orginal face and the F face have different starting points at 0. I take for granted the calibration is the same, just the starting point is a different clock position. By installing needle a 0, it should not matter?
61 and still Learning???
Thanks
Gauge 2, in progress?

I suppose you could if the internal cogs, magnets, and the drive gears meant that each turn of the cable resulted in the same amount of needle sweep. But they don't, so the answer to your question is no.

Ever swap the cables, to see how they act? I'm tempted? Or would the tack cable break the speedo?

lol, just yesterday, I had the idea, while working on a friends cb750, to pull a switcheroo with the tach and speedo cables...but then I figured something would break and I would end up being the one to fix it anyway.

So thinking outside the box is normal for old bastards like me, lol.

[1976cb750f836]

Be kinda Cool, to watch that mph peg when reeved!!

[1976cb750f836]

Finally got them all together and working. I think they look great. The blue face matches my blue bike much better than the green. And the lighting is perfect. I don't understand why guys were complaining bout being too brite with stock bulbs and white back face? Well worth the 30$ and several hours labor!

[PeWe]

The "problem" is visible when one gauge is stock, the other with new face that look exactly the same until darkness.

I prefer stock illumination that is really cool and visible. I have memories of riding my bike hour after hour in darkness looking at the nice speedometer illumination as stock gauges  has. This was K6 green gauges. My NOS K2 gauges are also comfortable.

That bright light should have affected my night vision if having that gauge back then.

This is something to consider before assembly and easy to do something about.