Right
Twice a Day Right
Twice a Day
One minor, but useful, distinctive feature of the old Giulia Supers was the fact that they had dashboard clocks. Of course, I never saw one that worked, including mine. (although I did hear of one once) At least mine was right twice a day: midnight and noon.
Not being one to leave well enough alone, I decided that I wanted a working clock in that hole in the dash. Purists and concours restorers may leave now. In my junkyard prowls, I found a nice VDO quartz clock in a '79 VW Scirocco that looked just about right to replace the guts of the VEGLIA while keeping the original exterior.
If you're practiced at being double-jointed, the clock in the Super can be removed without taking the dash apart (first disconnect the battery). Remove the chrome bezel by carefully prying up the tabs, unscrew the knob screw so it pulls off the shaft and unbolt the tiny nuts on the back to remove the innards. The face comes free when you unscrew the two tiny screws at 9 and 3 o'clock and use a pair of pliers to mangle the hands enough to come loose. (I told you purists to leave, didn't I). The only parts we want are the case with bezel and faceplate and the clock face (don't lose the tiny screws).
Conversely, the pliers do a good job of bending the VDO bezel enough to come off and the works will slide out when you remove 3 phillips screws in the back. Carefully pry off the hands and repaint to match the VEGLIA color scheme. We'll use the hands, the works, the time adjust knob (you'll probably need to file this down or enlarge the hole in the faceplate to match it) and the 3 phillips screws.
Center the VEGLIA face on the VDO works shafts and mark and drill starting holes for the tiny mounting screws. They will cut threads nicely in the plastic if the holes are not too big (if you foul it up, glue the suckers in place). Slide the hands back on the shafts and this part is done.
Use the pattern below to locate and drill 5 holes in the back of the VEGLIA case for the 3 mounting screws and two plastic locating pins to mount the works. If the light tunnel doesn't quite line up with the bulb mount, 'adjust' the holes a little with a file or drill. Once everything fits nicely, make 3 spacers to go around the screw holes between the case and the works (I suggest sets of 3 small washers, glued together and to the inside of the case)
The VDO clock used 2 spring contacts against solder pads on the back of the works for power. Solder about 2 inches of insulated wire to each pad, a female spade lug to the ground wire (inner pad) and a male spade lug with insulator sleeve to the DC+ wire (outer pad).
Slide the works into the case, thread the wires through the large square hole and screw in the mounting screws when everything lines up. I connected the ground wire to the lug on the case with a double male to single female adaptor and duct-taped over the back of the case to keep out dust and hold the DC+ wire in place. Now check that the clock runs and that the hands don't bind in any position before crimping the bezel on and re-installing the finished clock in the car.
It looks nearly stock (I made a polished aluminum knob to replace the VDO black plastic one), it lights up at night and it WORKS! Of course I still forget and look at my watch first. Then I remember that I now have a clock that's right all the time, not just twice a day.
- Jack Chesley -
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last modified 22 Oct, 1997