Lazaro, You bought the tach from TPP? And what LEDs did you use? I may end up swapping out my current tach for a correct one so interested to know where yours came from and since my dash is out maybe LED change as well. Mark
The Tach came from The Parts Place also cars inc. old buick parts sells the same tach cheaper. I bought mines on sale. $180.00 thou it didn't come with instructions but figured it out. Here's the link to the Led's i bought. http://www.ebay.com/itm/251848020251?_trksid=p2059210.m2749.l2648&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT also see this thread:http://www.v8buick.com/showthread.p...ent-Lighting&p=2431623&highlight=#post2431623 see post #33 many have bought thru superbrightleds.com but i found them expensive.
I saw the tach coming from all of those places mentioned and seemed the same one based off the description. I'll watch for an original one still but may jump to the new one. As for the LEDs, i assume you like them so I'll give it a shot. Thanks, Mark
I was in the same situation looking for a original tach but didn't want to spend $$$$ then find out it doesn't work and send off to get fix,i did spend time looking for one. The tach is pretty close to original that I've seen as for the Leds i also spend some time looking around these were the best i thought for the price. I spend under $40 for the whole kit with plenty of spares, they are a litttle delicated but well see how long they last. I would hate to re do these, this whole dash project was a pain to say the least.
I hear that. I plan this dash pull to be my LAST as I am doing a tilt column, 8 track, lock up wiring, perhaps tach swap. Although I can now get the dash apart in about 30 minutes doesn't mean I want to keep doing it! As for the LEDs, you say under $40 - the link is selling for like $8 to get 20 pcs. Was there something else you did to add cost? Mark
Mark, the Leds I bought were for the gauges, ac control , rear dome lights and under dash corner lights. they all use different styles and color. I bought some red, green and white for the gauges,the tach and ac control uses a different style and courtesy lights under the dash. here's a pic of the styles
ah HA... you did the full swap out! Right on the different bulb styles. One last favor then... link(s) for the other bulbs? Thanks, Mark
dome: http://www.ebay.com/itm/281591634618?_trksid=p2059210.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT green for the indicators: http://www.ebay.com/itm/281486831146?_trksid=p2059210.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT red for the gauges used 5 only : http://www.ebay.com/itm/261319543581?_trksid=p2059210.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT white for the gauges used only about 7 , a 10 pack is all you need : http://www.ebay.com/itm/251848020251?_trksid=p2059210.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT note: the gauge ones you may need to flip them if they don't work cause they have a + & - side to them. also Dimming ? : it's off or on, I just set it to the highest. Thinking why would you want to dim anyways? courtesy lights under dash :http://www.ebay.com/itm/201057443481?_trksid=p2059210.m2749.l2648&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT tach & A/C controls used 4 : http://www.ebay.com/itm/201023362850?_trksid=p2059210.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT Note: these also fit glove box, but couldn't get it to work will put in a regular bulb. also the ash tray bulb, these were a little big for it, they sell something smaller to fit. also you need to be careful installing when you twist them in. overall happy with them and the price was right they do make a big difference ! Hope this info works !
Ok, since there since to be some tach knowledge in this thread, help me out fellas! I got mine wired up and thought all was well. Hooked up to a good ground, switched 12v on the fuse block, and the other to the tach signal port on the msd-6al box. I fired it and it registered, but it was late and I didn't want to run it long enough to warm up and rev it (open headers). I did just that yesterday afternoon, and the tach is not registering correctly. First off, theres no way my car is idling at 350rpm. Then I rapped it a few times and the tach never went above 1000rpms. Could this be the signal from the box? Any way to check it? I have an old tach that I thought about wiring up to see if it read the same so I could determine if its the tach or something else in the system. Anyway to check the signal otherwise? Edit: So according to msd tech support I need the tach adapter. Got one on order from summit, should be here in a day or 2. I'll let you guys know if it works.
I call bull****! The factory tach was wired to the negative side of the coil so why doesn't the MSD tach output run your reproduction tach? Any chance the reproduction tach has a switch or jumper for 4-6-8 cylinder engines like a lot of the generic tags do? INQUIRING MINDS WANT TO KNOW...
I don't know why a tach made for a 72 Buick would have a 4-6-8 jumper, but if so Ive sure never heard of or seen it. We'll find out soon enough as my summit order should be in tomorrow or Saturday. It was $65, so not exactly a huge investment, and if it doesn't work I'll just return it. According to them the output on the box comes as a "square wave" signal which causes confusion for a lot of simple voltage triggered (neg coil hookup) tachs.
The point I guess I'm trying to make here is I've used: 1. A rebuilt hood tach off neg side coil and later tach output from MSD 2. Original dash tach off neg side coil and later the tach output from MSD 3. Generic switchable Summit brand tach off neg side coil and later the tach output from MSD And they all worked like a champ. I just don't get why the repro tach is choking however the low RPM condition you were seeing is a common issue with 4-6-8 cylinder selectable aftermarket tach. I realize the reproduction tach you have looks like original but I'm betting the guts are modern. I was just asking in case they used a generic tach mechanism that might have been selectable, and set wrong. I don't belive there is any reason they SHOULD have a selector just asking if there might be one.... If the adaptor still does not solve the issue let me know. I have another gm tach stashed in my basement and could drive your way and lend a hand if you some assistance this weekend.
That is one hell of an offer Ken, god I love the Buick community! At the end of the day, the tach won't prevent the car from being roadworthy, especially since its going to be babied for quite a while until I know everything is playing nice together. I'll definitely keep you posted, as this is a big head scratcher for me too. Thanks again for all the input!
Maybe modern (but Chinese) guts in that repro tach! I agree with Ken, all good quality old tachs and my Autometer worked both with neg terminal if using points, or MSD tach output wire if using no points. No tach adapter was necessary.
For the record I was overthinking this... The 4 or 6 cyl selection IF it were there would cause the tach to read high not low.
Haha, don't feel bad Ken, I didn't even think about that. It would be reading fast. Anyway, standby, the msd adapter from summit came in ams I'm headed out to hook it up now. I'll post as soon as I get some results.
Well, here's the update I didn't want to give.... Tach adapter causes it to read zero. Hooked up and old crappy tach I have straight to the msd box (no adapter) and it worked perfectly. Meaning the tach I just reassembled my dash around is malfunctioning. Better yet, it was new never used, but not directly from tpp. I bought it from a member here who hasn't been on in a while. What has 2 thumbs and a $200 useless dash ornament??? This guy.....
Didn't want to suggest a faulty tach, but at least you got it figured out! I put my trust in Autometer....
Yeah, it was on the back of my mind too, but I was trying to stay positive. Positivity and a dollar will get ya a small cup of coffee. So pi**ed right now....
