Sometimes I buy things based on when I can, which sometimes means way before I actually need them. I bought this replacement tach in 2014. Installed it last week, and then put the rest of the dash in complete with new AC hoses routed. Well it turns out it was DOA. My fault for having enough confidence in a new part to install it without testing it first. So off comes the entire dash, off comes the instrument panel etc. etc. A few hours at least of wasted time I need to spend elsewhere. I doubt if they will agree to replace it after this long on my shelf. Anyone else have issues with these "new" tachometers?
Haha, I already thought of that. Ordered the new tack, but they mistakenly sent me someone else's side marker lights instead of the tach. I called them about it and they said sorry for the mistake, and also the tach is on back order since non are in stock. So I told them cancel it. Plan B is to get a quality aftermarket tach and fit it into the hole. Dont want to risk pulling the dash out again any time soon.
One other thought on the tach issue. I am running an HEI distributor. Is anyone else successfully running a tach like mine on an HEI? Since it is a 70 repro, and all those came with points, it may have something to do with it.
I would have to guess the tach works and it is the way it is hooked up. When i switched over to the mallory A6 box i had to get a tach adapter for it to work.
Do a google search about hood tachs & you will see some weird problems. Wiring is different for repro tachs then factory tach & tach adapter from MSD for certain ignitions are needed. Just had the same problem on a hood tach. Worked only when I put the lights on.
A stock tach will have no problems working with a GM HEI as long as you have it plugged into the "TACH" terminal on the big HEI cap, and it is properly grounded, but as John said, the aftermarket tachs are wired differently. They have separate power, ground, and signal wires where the stock tach only had a signal wire. My stock tach is pretty inaccurate. I am using an Autometer tach at present because of this.
Dean, my repro in dash tach did the same thing in the exact same situation. I bought it long before I needed it, when I did finally hook it up it was no good. I tried a tach adapter (I run an msd ignition) and no dice. I also confirmed it was hooked up right. I just got a dud that's way outta warranty. I feel your pain brother....
Thanks for the replies. What I think I will do is get an aftermarket tach and see if I can engineer it to use the needle and faceplate of the original looking in-dash tach. If I am lucky the guts will fit inside the factory housing. I found an Autometer tach that is 0-6,000 RPM like the factory tach with a sweep that looks like it matches.
Please keep us posted Dean! I may have to let you blaze the trail and follow suit on that one (cause right now I've got a mini tach strapped to my column so I have something to gauge the revvs, and frankly I feel like a hillbilly having 2 tachs)
All the repro tachs I have worked on or repaired for folks I have not liked. The newer metal case repro tachs are only slightly better because the case is not the flimsy fiberglass. Is it the newer one with a metal case?
Update - I had been investigating alternatives to the non-working replica tach. After hearing from others here on the board, I believe the replica tach actually works on a points distributor, but I have gone to aftermarket HEI on my 455. I could buy some type of tach adapter for around $65-$75, but after installing this I would end up with more complexity with a tach that is not known for longevity or accuracy. My car is not a detailed authentic restoration, but really a "Resto-touring", so I can take some liberties on what I change on it. After reading specs on the dimensions and "Look" of various aftermarket Tachometers, I hit it on only the second one I bought. Amazon graciously refunded my money on the first. The one that looks OK and fits real well is the AutoGage 2300 by Autometer. Cost about $60 bucks and gets really good reviews. So it is about the cost of a "Tach Adapter". Originally I was thinking I could swap the needle and tach face from the replica tach to be more original looking, but the tach would have to be "Broken into" to separate all the pieces. Here is what I did in steps. Attached pics follow along: 1- Seperated the tack face and guts (all one piece) from the plastic tach body. 2- Place tach in stock Buick plastic dash face plate. This is the black piece that goes directly behind the glass, held in place by bent metal tabs. 3- I had to cut out about 25% of the housing to get it to fit in front of the Vintage Air plastic vent for defroster on drivers side. You wont have to. 4- Mock up the tach and plate onto the metal gauge housing. You will see that it fits quite well. 5 - Note that the pole that the housing screw bolts into falls about 3/8" short of the rear of the metal housing. A spacer will go between the post and housing. 6 - After the hole is drilled and the longer screw put into the post, the tach is cinched up pretty tight against the plastic plate, which will keep it from any movement. I suppose you could tape or glue the spacer to hold it in place while you screw into the plastic tach post. 7- Bend the metal tabs back onto the plastic plate and it is ready to install into the dash. I will get it put back into the dash panel in a day or two and send some updated pics.
That's pretty nice. I've had the same idea since paying $200+ for an iffy piece seems counter productive and originality is not high on my list. I'd like to find one with a shorter hood though so there is less sticking out, though it doesn't look out of place in your pics. I'd got a dead plate from a Skylark I'm going to see what I can do to make a nice looking tach.
Here is how it ended up. One extra thing I did was cut out the clear plastic lens to go over the black plate so that it looks the same as the other gauges. Definitely not original but I think it looks kinda like a muscle car should. Put in pics from a couple of different angles. You can also see the steering wheel I installed on the car. I think it looks similar to the Sport wheel but smaller diameter and leather wrapped.
Dean, what I did was get an Autometer 3 3/8" tachometer. I used the housing from a stock clock that fit in that spot. I cut the back out of it and mounted the Autometer in the housing. It bolts up to the stock dash just like the clock did. It's about as close to a stock tach as you can get IMO.
Nice, I think you have the same wheel I put on mine. Looks good in the dash! Does it dim with the other dash lights?
I'm looking to pull the old sticky Buick tach out of my dash and use one of these. http://www.speedhut.com/gauge/GR338-TACH-02/1/Tachometer-Gauge-8K-RPM-Shift-light The way these mount should make things pretty darn easy and if you notice they will make these with your choice of about a dozen different fonts for the numbers, tick marks between the numbers, pointer styles and colors and when I spoke with the tech he said they will even add a logo of your choice to the face! Need to find a nice black and white tri-shield or maybe something like Stage-1 or who knows what will be my final decision. Additionally they have a small built in shift light and the ability to easily add an external shift light.
