I tried simply pulling, and the needle wouldn't come off the shaft. So I put a few drops of WD-40 on the shaft (that's the stain on the face) and let it soak, but it still wouldn't come off. So I tried a kitchen fork with no luck. So I got my trim pliers, put some duct tape on the tips to protect the face & put needle-nose pliers under the face to support it, and the needle shaft slid up thru the bell, carrying the clock spring hub with it. I put the needle-nose on the hub & finally got the needle off, but the spring is ruined, even if I can get the shaft back into place.

Fortunately, this is a spare cluster that I'm disassembling anyway to install modern movements. So it's not a great loss.

Owner caption May 2009 · Photo 340 of 689