Chassis Cross Member Clock

I am currently undergoing the restoration of a 1966 Series 2A Land Rover. We are making chassis repairs and this cross member was beyond economic repair, the nice hole just off the center got me thinking. Then I spotted an old clock we had lying around in the garage and though 'yes!'

This is a list of items you'll most likely need in this project. This is a list of items I used for it, you may have different tools that will carry out the same job/purposes.

Cross Member Section
Clock
T-Square
Pencil
Eraser
Tape Measure
Pin Punch
Drill
Drill Bits (Various)
Wire Brush
Rags
WD-40 (or similar)
Kem-Safe (or similar cleaning fluid)
File
Pliers
Angle Grinder with Grinding Disc (a Dremel tool will do)
Vernier
Scrap Steel
Tin Snips
Hammer
Scissors
Foam Tape
Clamps
Microfibre Cloth

Take your clock and remove the glass, the securing ring, clock assembly and the paper/card with the numerals on it.

Now you've removed the card inlay, check that it does fit over the edges of the hole.

Take your T-Square and tape measure and find the half way point of the hole, mark this above and below the hole. Then use your pin punch to mark the hole for drilling. Only mark ONE securing ring point at this stage, this leaves room for adjustment

Take a small drill bit to pilot out the holes, then work your way up in size until you reach the diameter you need to snuggly fit the securing ring stud in. Place the stud in the hole and align it, then pin punch the remaining stud locations. Repeat the methods you used with stud one.

After being soda blasted (we had the chassis blasted to clear off the rust, allowing us to produce cleaner welds and to see what we were up against) the cross member was left lying around the shop collecting dust. Take your wire brush and brush the member all over in one direction, then all over in the opposite direction. Then take a rag and spray it with WD-40, wipe down the cross member, use the oil SPARINGLY. Too much would make the cross member greasy again, this just protects against more rust and losens the odd spot that's on there. After the WD-40 take your Kem-Safe and do the same as you did with the WD-40, this lifts off excess grime and lightens the steel.

On the bottom of my cross member (the old top, it been flipped remember!) I had rough edges that stuck out and would easily cause damage to any surface it would be placed on in the future. To resolve this I took the angle grinder and lightly took off the rough bits on the BOTTOM, taking off all the rough edges would spoil the aesthetics of the project.

I have no photos for this step, however it is fairly self explanatory. You put the ring over the top of the card inlay and then put the ring studs through the holes you drilled earlier. You then use the clips that secured the ring to the old clock frame again to fit the ring in place. My plastic clips required a little filing to make sure the fit was snug.

The item that makes the clock tick needs to be mounted on to something to prevent it moving and spoiling the card inlay. I used some scrap steel to fabricate a mount to do this. Take your tape measure and measure the diameter of the hole, now add two inches to that number. Mark this on the scrap metal. Take the tin snips and cut the metal on that mark. Now bend the two ends an inch in from the end. Fit the metal in the hole for size, the metal should be so snug that it doesn't move without force. Now take your vernier and measure hole in the centre in the inlay, mark this out on the metal at half way. Drill the hole out accordingly.

Now fit the ticky bit and metal in the cross member hole. Screw the retaining but onto the front of the ticky bit so that it retains the card too.

Gently push fit the clock hands back onto the spindle. Making sure that they both align with a point, if not the clock will not mark hours correctly.

Clean your glass piece with a microfibre cloth, mine was dirty from lying around in the shop. Then sit it inside the bezel and gently/slowly push fit the bezel onto the ring. This step might be different depending on the clock assembly.

I knew that the cross member may still cause damage to a surface if it was accidentally knocked or pushed, therefore I used to foam tape we had and stuck that to each end. This cushions the cross member and prevents damage if the event arises. Cut the tape with your scissors and leave it clamped down for a few minutes to ensure a good bond. *An improvement here would be to use rubber feet that you find on things such as stereos*

Insert the battery that is required of your clock and insert it. Then adjust the time using a radio or your phone.

Now the project is complete you need you need to find a location that is suitable that won't upset the partner or mother. After doing this, see what looks good with it, I liked the look of my Zippos, BOC Gas Welding goggles, an Airfix Spitfire, Engineers compass and a travel bottle of TCP, but that's just me. Enjoy!