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Factory Clock Question

Detroit Iron

Detroit Iron

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My clock seems to have been hacked by a previous owner. How many volts does the clock run on? And... where does the power wire attach? (what's the stock way to connect power?)

IMG_20181223_135853.jpg
 
It's a constant 12v source, usually from the fuse block. Maybe someone with a 62-65 FSM will chime in. Most have a spring loaded relay contact, they self-wind every 2 min or so.
 
It's 12V connected via a gray factory strap from the clock to the Red side of the ammeter.

Clock.JPG
 
No Fuse, that surprised me too. Especially because most automobile clocks of that era didn't seem to last long. I wondered if they might have had an internal circuit breaker but back in 64, I doubt it.
 
Since it was just an electro magnetic switch it didn't consume power all the time. Usually the points would get corroded from the arcing to rewind the spring and fail. Back in the mid 80's Jack's Auto in New Jersey was selling NOS Ebody Rally dash clocks. I should have bought several, but didn't. I converted the original to Quartz when it was cheap, about $35 back then. The NOS were going for $40.
 
When I took the dash cluster out, I found the clock had a home made wire attached to it with an inline fuse which was blown. The wire wasn't connected to anything, just hanging... I jumped the clock to 12 volts for testing, and it works. A power wire with an inline fuse is a better design in my opinion, but I have no idea why anyone would disconnect the factory set up in the first place.
 
If the car is stored, and the battery runs low, the clock relay can fail. What happens sometimes is - the clock winds down, the contacts close, but the battery voltage is too low to fully energize the magnetic coil. So it sits there with voltage on it, and the coil eventually burns out. If the battery is kept full all is well. The fuse only needs to be about 1 amp or so. I always disconnect my clock in winter.
 
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