MTFCA Forum

Hi

Can anybody help me further? I would have the opportunity to buy a complete set with Steward speedometer and drive.

Question 1:
Would this set be timed correctly for my 1926 Touring made in canada?

Question 2:
The speedometer shows miles. I live in Switzerland and we know the Km/h specification. Is there a way to convert the speedometer to get the information in km? Did that exist back then?

greetings from Switzerland

Apparently they did exist https://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/1 ... 1307556500 You might want to try MTFCA member Russ Furstnow he is the Stewart Warner Speedometer guru

The 1926 had a smaller 21” wheel, while the pre ‘26 Model T wheels were 30”. That speedometer looks to be pre 1926 Stewart 160, so the gear would most likely be geared for the larger wheel, which means that, if you used it on a 1926, 21” wheel, the smaller wheel would need to make more revolutions to go the same distance than the 30” wheel so the speedometer would indicate that you would be going faster than your actual speed. I believe you would be able to convert it if you could find the correct gear. Russ Furstow, our resident speedometer expert who wrote a book on the subject would know. Maybe he will chime in. He sold me my complete 1926 Stewart Model 490 Speedometer set about 20 years ago. The Stewart 490 was made smaller to fit in the tight space behind the dash caused by moving the fuel tank from under the seat to the cowl space behind the dash starting in all 1926 models except for the Fordor. Early, larger speedometers will not fit in the space behind the dash. Jim Patrick

The diameter of the tire is what matters as far as the speedometer gearing. My '26 T has 21" wire wheels, but the "balloon" tires have a diameter of nearly 31 inches, which is very close to what the earlier 3/12 X 30 tires were. At some point, they changed the tire size nomenclature. The early tires were described by overall diameter and tire width. After the change, the tires were described by rim size and tire width.

Beat,
From the photo of the box of parts you purchased, the road gear (#8586) is not going to give a correct reading since is it for a 30X3 1/2" tire and it is for use with the Model T machined hub. You need gear # 30333 or 31376. Stewart did make a KPH Model 160 speedometer (I have one) and the odometer gearing is quite different from the MPH speedometer. The cable you need for your car needs to be 66" long and the speedometer dash mount must be the 1926 style, setting the speedometer away from the gas tank. The speedometer in the box does not have this bracket. Also, the swivel must be a Model 1913 to work the setup properly. I hope all of this makes sense, and if you need any further assistance, you can contact me at 1stnow@msn.com. Russ Furstnow

Here is a picture I found online in a 2010 MTFCA posting by Jim Wilson of Amory, MS showing his Stewart 160 installed in the dash of his 1926 roadster. Notice the angled adapter that positions a good deal of the speedometer out from the dash so it will clear the cowl fuel tank behind the dash. If you were able to see it from the side you would see that the adapter is about 3/4” or so thicker at the bottom than at the top, which serves to angle the back of the speedometer downward and tilts the front up. These adapters are not easy to come by. Jim Patrick

Hi

Thanks for all the info on my post.

I would like a Stewart 490. So would that be correct for 1926? Was Stewart 490 also available with KPH?

With kind regards

Yes. The 490 was designed for the 1926-‘27 styles with the cowl mounted fuel tanks in mind. I don’t know about them being geared for Kilometers. Russ Furstow would know. He would also be the one most likely to find a 490 setup for you. Jim Patrick