mg ta gauges

[Justin the brit]

HI There,

trying to get a handle on my gauges

the ones that came with the car are rough

I want to remove the needles, sand down the faces, clean the mech's and rebuild,

the needles appear to be riveted onto the shafts, and the rear of the gauges seem to be glued in once you remove the screws,

any guidance would be great,

also if there is a source for needles so i dont have to straighten and clean mine that would be great??

found bezels for sale in england, and also glass, but no needles,

[Bill Davis]

Justin,
I believe the needles were pressed on. If you take the gauges to an old-school watch repairman he can most likely lift them off for you. Give him a little help… set one drop of WD40 (or the better solution of 50/50 automatic transmission fluid/acetone) at the center of the needle and wait a few days for it to work. It could take two drops but let the first work and begin to dry before adding more. I don't know a source for needles but others may. Straightening them may not be all that difficult.

Since these dials are essentially unusable you will likely need some of the penetrating solution on those screws too. Can't hurt!
Good luck….. bill

[Marv]

Craig Seabrook at The Whitworth Shop in Novelty, Ohio may be able to help out on needles!

Good luck,,

Marv

[hughpite]

Hi, the needles pull off. Using a suitable puller as shown in the picture will avoid (hopefully) damage to the needle. The pullers are available on eBay under "clock hand puller". Let the tiny screws holding the face soak for a few days in, as has been suggested, a 50/50 mixture of acetone and atf. Forget WD40 - it is useless for this application. Take care with these screws, I think they are VERY difficult to replace.