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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Type 9 angle drive

My speedo stopped working on the way to France last month. Anyway it transpires that it’s the right angle drive on my Type 9 gearbox. The drive peg that connects to the gear in the gearbox has broken off.
Think I got it from Speedograph but they have closed down now. Burton Power have non in stock and they have no idea when they will be in. So question is, where can I get one from?
Les Robinson

What does it look like, IIRC the drive in the Ford gearbox takes a 3mm square so I presume your talking about about that part of the angle adapter having broken.

I just remember some of these details as IIRC the spridget cable is 1/8" and won't fit a Ford box without slight fettling to 3mm.
David Billington

Speedograph but they have closed down now.


Jeez. Soon we won't have any supply options left. 😐

Mine's a speedograph right angle too.

Burton power sold the same thing. But now says No Longer Available. 😕

https://www.burtonpower.com/90-degree-speedo-drive-adaptor-gbt9560.html?srsltid=AfmBOooZMRk9savc-eUFl7F90X_BkBTnduuNEGEFyzkgTRGU7FBQU-d9

anamnesis

Could try these

http://www.bghgeartech.co.uk/

They specialise in T9 boxes. Maybe they make their own right angle drive.

anamnesis

Looking at the image on the Burton site it appears as though the input is a short section of speedo cable so maybe that's all that needs replacing.
David Billington

Thinking the same David--we used to have speedo cable on a roll and swage the square on the ends. That drive might just have a push in square or it might be crimped to the gear inside----needs pulling apart to check but looks like an easily repairable thing to me. BUT it could also be seized internally which has sheered the dick off
William Revit

There is a name for that short bit of cable that drives the angle drive but I cant recall it at te mo’. It is not peened / swaged and is a loose fit.
It should be easily replicated if it has failed.
Alan Anstead

Alan, is it called a quill ?
Not sure how to remove it as it’s quite deep inside where it’s broken off.
One of these?


Les Robinson


Got mine too from Speedograph, very helpfull bunch.
Sad to hear theyve closed down.
Thats probably the reason Burton dont have them anymore in stock

We had a company in Rotterdam like Speedograph but also restoring gauges but the owner got to age and nobody wanted to take over the buisnes so closed down too.



In the future things will get more diffecult to source these special parts.
A de Best

As parts begin to become NLA, maybe we need to start thinking about converting a digital GPS signal to an analogue connection (to keep the original speedo) - something like this for example?
https://fuelcurve.com/ci-drive-speedometer-interface/



Jeremy MkIII

Les
That is it: a quill

Used to get my gauges restored at Vintage Restorations, Tunbridge Wells, but, alas, another business closed.
Alan Anstead

Just had another look and I can’t see how to remove what’s left of the broken quill.
Looks like a peg with the spring part of the quill attached over it. Can see it being a nightmare to try and reassemble as basically it’s inside a tube. Doesn’t look at all simple.
Les Robinson

I’m struggling here, can’t see how to remove the brocken quill, or how to re assemble, can anyone give any suggestions?
Or suggest where to buy a new angle drive.
Thanks
Les
Les Robinson

Can you post some images?
David Billington

Don’t know if these pictures help or not. Did try to press (hammer!) the broken pin out of the gear but it was not for moving!

Les Robinson






Les Robinson






Les Robinson

Does the hole in the gear end appear to go right through? If so have you tried to push the drive remains out from there.
David Billington

David
It’s not a hole but just an indentation where I’ve been hitting it. It really is not for moving.
Possibly brazed in place?

Les Robinson

Maybe you'll have to put it in a lathe and drill an access hole from that end to push the drive remains out, from the marking on the shaft it's probably not hard.
David Billington

Possibly threaded ?
Could try a small screw extractor- else as David’s suggestion small drill hole to punch it out if it’s a square hole for the cable.
richard b

Not sure how it’s actually constructed. Think it needs further investigation before drill any holes.
Les Robinson

Hard to tell from the photo, but it almost looks as though it is in a socket, unless that's the outer sheath of the quill. I've tried to highlight what would appear to be the edges.

Any chance of a clearer photo?

Dave O'Neill 2

Will try and do a better photo later or might be in the morning, just out at the moment.
It really is hard to see. Think it looks like a pin with the outer sheath / spring of the quill fitted over it but not too sure.
Les Robinson

Late to the party, but in one of your photos it looks as if there could be some sort of top hat shaped insert pushed in from the gearwheel end. Perhaps that can be extracted to them give proper access to the socketed end that takes the quill? Or it might be threaded into the gear centre?

As an aside, I didn't use an angle drive for my t9 . The cable comes pretty well straight out, through a large grometted hole in the side of the tranny tunnel and then curves under the carpet and back out just above the cross member. It uses an MGB cable. (extra length for the curves) I had the same problem that I think David mentioned earlier of it being a 1/8" cable fitting into a 3mm square hole in the Ford drive. It took some careful beating with a hammer on an anvil to reduce its section to fit.
GuyW

If there is a square socket inside the gear, the quill may have twisted and jammed.
Dave O'Neill 2

Looking at the pic again there appears to be the curled up remains of the outer spring.
Can you lever this out a bit past the end of the tube of the drive ?
If so can you just grip the end of the wire in the top jaws of a vice and using a couple of flat bladed screw drivers lever it up a bit and hopefully work / pull the wire out ?

Just a thought - difficult when not in your own hands !!!

Yes a high resolution pic would be good !
richard b

I'm following this with interest as I have the same right angle drive.

Before that though I had similar to Guy. But my cable traversed across the floor behind the cross member to the A post where it the curved across the member, up behind the padded footwell side cover towards the bulkhead, then emerge and curve towards the speedo head. Worked very well. But I didn't like the lump of cable under the carpet like that.

The right angle drive is a nicer, elegant solution; until it seems, it breaks and can't be replaced of repaired, if that turns out to be the case.

But EVERYTHING is fixable, just got to work out how.

So persevere. The world of t9 right angle speedo drive owners, is watching and rooting for you to succeed. 👍😅.



anamnesis

looks exactly what a mangled up speedo cable looks like, you should be able to get a spike/scriber in there and lever him out. The cables are made from spiral wound wire so the more you pull on it the thinner and looser the cable end will be and out it will come.
William Revit

Wonder if it's worth calling Speedy cables. They're still in business. Maybe they can help.

As their rival has now gone, maybe they'd be keen to make and supply/repair a right angle drive.

https://www.speedycables.com/

+44(0)1639 732300

Fax: +44(0)1639 732309

instruments@speedycables.com

cables@speedycables.com

Services

New Instruments
Instrument repairs, restoration and customisation
Speedo and Tacho conversion and
recalibration
Monitoring gauge refills and
recalibration
Mechanical drive, control and push pull cables manufactured
Speedo, Tacho, brake, clutch, choke, bonnet and throttle cables manufactured
Specialist agricultural, industrial and marine sectors


anamnesis

“So persevere. The world of t9 right angle speedo drive owners, is watching and rooting for you to succeed. 👍😅.” - so no pressure then!!

Anyway, managed to get the broken quill out of the gear, just hammered it out, came out easily, the other day wasn’t for moving! I’ve no idea how it was held in position though. The hole seems to be about 1/8” dia, at least a 1/8” drill fits snugly in the hole. The whole quill just appears to be a piece of wire cable, it was very flexible.
So my first thought was to get a piece of cable, the square end but then how would it be fixed into the gear?

Spoke to Speedy cables and they couldn’t help, just said that these angle drives are notorious for giving problems. Also spoke to GBH, again no joy there.

So no idea what to do next.





Les Robinson

Just spoke to JDO instruments in Yorkshire but they can’t help.
Rang Speedy cables again and they can do repairs depending what it is. They need to see it first. Might send it to them, but I have the feeling that they will say can’t do it, but maybe worth a try.
Les Robinson

Have you got a mig/tig/brazing torch?

Since you're only dealing with metal, either buy a new quill or make one by cutting the end off a cable. Then tig/mig/braze it in place.

But come to think of it, isn't it just the quill end of the whole cable, that plugs into the square section helpfully arrowed in yellow earlier?

I can't remember now myself. So if it's the former, just spot weld or braze a new quill in place.


anamnesis

What is the across flats dimension for the square drive on the type 9 speedo gear. I could measure it but just being lazy, would need to jack up car ,then put on axle stands to get access to it.
Although to be fair I will probably still measure it anyway- tomorrow’s job though.
Les Robinson

It may just have been the end of a Ford speedo cable push fitted, there is no big load to drive apart from the friction of the gears and cable itself.

Get another one and glue in with whatever bearing fit compound you have to hand?
AdrianR

Yeah, I'd only be loctite,ing it in. Welding/brazing is a bad idea--big job next time around if it's welded in.

You put this up earlier-
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mg-cars.org.uk/cgi-bin/or17?runprog=mgbbs&access=&mode=imgdis&ifile=297_202606221619093086778_2797062352072690670296271800130018_1782202410.png
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Maybe get a new quill off them and ask how to fit it up.
My guess would be that "if" the square fits down through the hole, it would be fitted square first from the gear end and pulled through. i don't 'think' it would push back through the other way very successfully without damaging the square. Don't really know-- maybe if it has a hollow core, there might be a tapered pin drive in from the gear end-? to expand it's fit in the gear.

willy
William Revit

It's just a push fit. If anything, the rotating gear spinning clockwise when going forwards will drag on the twisted wires of the quill, causing them to unwind fractionally and jam/grip into the sleeve of the gear.
GuyW

Ahh, got it, Thanks Guy, I blew Les' pic of the gear up and thought the hole through the gear looked to have a roughish surface so guess that'd help it grip---can't say i've ever had to do one so this has been interesting
cheers
William Revit

Finally got round to measuring the across flats dimension of the quill shaft. Couldn’t get in the measure the gear on the gearbox.
But I’ve actually got a spare type 9 so thought could measure that, only to find that there is no speedo gear fitted!!
Anyway, the broken part of the quill is a snug fit in the gear so measured that. It is 0.103” (2.61mm). Can’t make out if the end of the quill that goes into the angle drive gear is round or square as it’s a bit mangled, think it’s square but can’t be sure.
The end of the quill that goes into the gearbox gear is a snug fit into the angle drive gear hole and feels like it might screw/twist in snuggly. Looking onto the gear on the gearbox, which direction does it rotate?

The quill length seems to be about 40mm from what I can measure.
Les Robinson

I get a bit of variance, the speedo cable end I fettled to go into a Ford type 2 gearbox is 2.8mm/2.9mm AF depending on which flats. A type E and type 9 will locate a 3mm key steel piece in the hole but it won't enter, the type E will take a 2.9 drill shank but the type 9 won't, the type 9 will take a 2.8mm drill shank.

AI has this to say "Most classic and vintage Ford speedometer cables feature a 3/32 inch or 2.5 mm square end size. However, depending on the specific model and era, Ford cables have also used 0.10 inch, 7/64 inch, or 1/8 inch square tips."

I must be getting older or my type 9 has gained weight since I put it in the vault, bit of a lump nowadays, the type E is lighter without that extra 5th gear stuff. Neither has a bellhousing fitted.
David Billington

Les
I've been talking to an old friend today about the angle drives---he says check the square in the shaft end poking out of the gearbox, check the square in the angle drive gear shaft---If neither have been rounded out he fits the new quill to the gearbox hole with grease to hold it there then offers the angle drive up to it and tightens it up. The new quills are squared on both ends and just slide in.
William Revit

Because I’ve been faffing about with the electronic ignition problem I forgot all about my speed angle drive.
Anyway have ordered a quill from Sevens and Classics. So hopefully can get this sorted.
The quill should be a tight fit in the gear so might be able to Loctite it in place.
Les Robinson

I’ve now sorted the angle drive - hopefully!
Got a quill from Sevens and Classics- chap there was extremely helpful.
Pushing the quill in from the g’box end it was very snug but putting it in from the other end it was loose for about 5 mm.
So tapped it in very gently from the gearbox side.
Was going to put Loctite in the loose end but think gap was too big. So dribbled in some Araldite and pushed it down into the gaps. Once it was set seemed very tight - only time will tell.
All back in the car, what a right faff the circlip is.
Not driven it yet but fingers crossed it’s ok
Les Robinson

Driven the car today and speedo seems ok - for now!
Les Robinson

Just an update, nothing very interesting.
Done just over 250 miles now since replacing the quill.
Speedo needle is very steady and reading is accurate when compared with GPS speedo, maybe reads 1 or 2 mph faster, which is not a bad thing. And that’s from zero up to 75mph.
So that’s an end to this topic, unless it breaks again!!
Les Robinson

This thread was discussed between 22/06/2026 and 24/08/2026

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