In-dash tachometers

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kdbunn

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I see two different types of in-dash tachometers for sale occasionally and both say "for 67-68-69 Barracuda". One is numbered radially with the 0 at 8 o'clock and one is numbered with the numbers all horizontal with the 0 at 5 o'clock. Why the difference?
 
I think both will fit but one might be correct for a certain year. I bought one that matched the numbers of my speedometer whether it was correct or not. Boɓby
 
The face and where the needle is installed is the difference. I bought a early style removed the needle install the later face and put the needle on a zero. I also went the other way. late to early and very easy to do. I just bought an 8000 repo tach put a replacemen face on from Classic. It ended up looking an working perfect

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Below is what we started with off Ebay. Repo 8000 off ebay and it will work with MSD or any after market ignition . Unlike the old factory tachs that burn out it is digital

s-l500.jpg
 
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Look at the tach in the Dash. You put the needle on at its location to zero with power on after you replace the face with a 67-69 sticker.. The needle only knows where zero is when you put it there. I did several including one for my Demon. Its 1 RPM off every 10 due the aftermarket tach being 8000. You don't notice it . You just have to remember if your at 6000 your around 6600. Who cares anyway with that little tach your still shifting it by ear.
 
Look at the tach in the Dash. You put the needle on at its location to zero with power on after you replace the face with a 67-69 sticker.. The needle only knows where zero is when you put it there. I did several including one for my Demon. Its 1 RPM off every 10 due the aftermarket tach being 8000. You don't notice it . You just have to remember if your at 6000 your around 6600. Who cares anyway with that little tach your still shifting it by ear.
How you pull that needle off? Just pry up or some other method? And yeah you aint gonna be looking at that tiny tach at full throttle....
 
How you pull that needle off? Just pry up or some other method? And yeah you aint gonna be looking at that tiny tach at full throttle....
The aftermarket tach the needle just pulls off its on a tapered pin. The trick is getting it back on so its at zero when the tach is on end as installed. I pulled the needle off and on several times until I was happy with the location. then pressed it on harder. If your over 40 get number #3 reading glasses. LOL, The pin is the size and sort of looks like a head pin

How I placed the decal was I place marks on the tach face at 12,3,6 and 9. The remove the decal on the tach. Do the same thing on the decal/sticker your installing so you know it is in the right position when installed in the dash. The needle was easy peasy. I have one out and in my room I can get pictures of tomorrow if interested.
 
"0" at 5 oclock is 67.
0 at 7-8 is 68/9.

You've reversed yourself on this over the past decade or so, and your statement including 1968 led me through the looking glass. Damn you! :p

Several hours of digging and cross-referencing later, this is what I've found, along with my thoughts--not absolute statements--about it:

Good design dictates that the orientation of the tachometer numerals (radial v. horizontal) should match those on the speedometer. 1967 was part number 2771656, radial numerals with 0 at the 8 o'clock position (standard sweep). 1969-'71 used part number 2857729, which has level or upright numerals and the sidewinder sweep (0 at 5 o'clock) in its service-part incarnation. This version is what's listed in the final 1968 catalog as well.
Service parts are not always the same as assembly-line though, and the parts books aren't gospel either, because they got revised multiple times. Chrysler would send new pages and tell the dealer to toss the old ones, which without fail the latter did. I've never seen a complete first-printing Mopar parts catalog prior to 1994--because I was there when that one dropped.
So, bearing that in mind, let's get confused:
1968 is a bit of a trick. It's possible there's a 1968 radial-numeral, side sweep production tach but I don't recall ever seeing one nor can I find evidence of one. It's also plausible and quite possible that some (or all) '68s were actually built with the '67-style tach, since 2857729 is shown as a "changed or added" number in the final revision of the '68 catalog. Without fail, that means prior printings of that catalog listed a different part number. That revision didn't appear until March of 1969, most of the way through the following model year. They probably superseded 2771656 to the current production tach (2857729) at that time.
Bear with me here: The 1968 Rallye dash speedometer used radially-configured numerals, same as '67. The final revision of the 1967 parts book was printed in January of 1968, long after the '67s were gone--but only halfway through the '68 production run. They had not yet changed the Rallye speedometer to the upright numerals yet at that time, so it makes sense that 2771656 appears because it was still in production use on the '68 models. Then, most of the way through '69, Chrysler decided they'd only service one tach--the current 1969 production unit that matched the upright speedometer numerals used 1969-'71--and superseded it in the final revision of the '68 catalog.
I find this scenario not only plausible, but quite probable. Why suddenly switch to a mismatched tach for no reason? The scale was still 6,000RPM/270° sweep, and I'd wager the internals are identical--they just rotated the needle and changed the face printing. It's likely they put the "in-production" tach part number in the catalog at the time of printing. By the final revision of the 1968 catalog (3/69), that would be 2857729. They were all done revising earlier catalogs, so when someone ordered the earlier tach part number in the '67 book, they'd simply get the late one. Fit and function are the same, it just looked different. At no time in history did Chrysler care about "correct" or that an idiot like myself would be worried about anything so silly 50+ years in the future.
The only way to truly know would be to find first-/early-edition 1968 catalog pages. Mopar parts department protocol being what it was, good luck. When the next printing came out, the old pages got tossed. I did a bit of that myself, luckily much later. However, people restoring first-year Neons are gonna eventually hate me.

1967 Mopar catalog, V8 part number and catalog revision date highlighted:

1967tach.jpg



1968 Mopar catalog, V8 part number, catalog revision date and * footnote highlighted:

1968tach.jpg



Look at the "Supersedes" dates on both pages, then consider that they had to have a working parts catalog when the new cars appeared on September 1st. By March or April, the catalog was probably on its third or fourth revision in less than a year. It got another, final revision more than half a year later.

Just for fun, I entered 2771656 into the current Chrysler parts system. Wouldja lookit that:

2023tach.jpg



Unfortunately, the system doesn't provide supersession dates. Still, I would bet that one was almost 54 years ago.

Those of us with Rallye-dash E-bodies are familiar with this situation, as the part number never changed (that I can find) on the E-body tach, but 1970-early '72 used an 8,000RPM scale, and everything after that used a 7K scale. From 1972 forward, ordering number 2984185 could get you either tach. The same situation existed with '70-'71 Rallye wheel centers. Then again, the final revision of the 1970-'71 book was printed in January of '72. Was the number superseded in an earlier revision? I'd pay good money to be able to see an original 1970-only version of the Mopar parts catalog. It existed once.

With all of that in mind, if I owned a 1968 Barracuda I would definitely install the 1967-style tachometer. The 1969 version would clash badly with the speedometer, a mistake I don't think Chrysler would've made. If anyone has a 1967 or 1968 factory-tachometer-equipped Barracuda that they personally bought new, I'd like to hear their input.

One really can't speak in absolutes about these old cars when the company that built them was actively destroying paper trails multiple times yearly. One thing that is sure: There is no existing record of an A-body sidewinder-scale, upright-numeral tach prior to March of 1969, and the only tach listed for 1967 has a standard "8-to-4" scale and radial numerals.

Also, my '74 E-body has an 8K tach, what-fer I like it gooder. So nyah. :poke:
 
Yep, brain fart but statute of limitations ran out lol. Gimme a 50/50 chance and I'll mess it up every time(no excuse , I had/have 67 with orig tach and a 69 with orig tach).
My reply here is correct
67 starts at 5, 69 starts at 7.
67 oem tach is the best.
**edit** Goddamit, :BangHead: :mob:
ignore my obvious mistake posted above. 67 is 8&4 sweep.
You've reversed yourself on this over the past decade or so, and your statement including 1968 led me through the looking glass. Damn you! :p

Several hours of digging and cross-referencing later, this is what I've found, along with my thoughts--not absolute statements--about it:

Good design dictates that the orientation of the tachometer numerals (radial v. horizontal) should match those on the speedometer. 1967 was part number 2771656, radial numerals with 0 at the 8 o'clock position (standard sweep). 1969-'71 used part number 2857729, which has level or upright numerals and the sidewinder sweep (0 at 5 o'clock) in its service-part incarnation. This version is what's listed in the final 1968 catalog as well.
Service parts are not always the same as assembly-line though, and the parts books aren't gospel either, because they got revised multiple times. Chrysler would send new pages and tell the dealer to toss the old ones, which without fail the latter did. I've never seen a complete first-printing Mopar parts catalog prior to 1994--because I was there when that one dropped.
So, bearing that in mind, let's get confused:
1968 is a bit of a trick. It's possible there's a 1968 radial-numeral, side sweep production tach but I don't recall ever seeing one nor can I find evidence of one. It's also plausible and quite possible that some (or all) '68s were actually built with the '67-style tach, since 2857729 is shown as a "changed or added" number in the final revision of the '68 catalog. Without fail, that means prior printings of that catalog listed a different part number. That revision didn't appear until March of 1969, most of the way through the following model year. They probably superseded 2771656 to the current production tach (2857729) at that time.
Bear with me here: The 1968 Rallye dash speedometer used radially-configured numerals, same as '67. The final revision of the 1967 parts book was printed in January of 1968, long after the '67s were gone--but only halfway through the '68 production run. They had not yet changed the Rallye speedometer to the upright numerals yet at that time, so it makes sense that 2771656 appears because it was still in production use on the '68 models. Then, most of the way through '69, Chrysler decided they'd only service one tach--the current 1969 production unit that matched the upright speedometer numerals used 1969-'71--and superseded it in the final revision of the '68 catalog.
I find this scenario not only plausible, but quite probable. Why suddenly switch to a mismatched tach for no reason? The scale was still 6,000RPM/270° sweep, and I'd wager the internals are identical--they just rotated the needle and changed the face printing. It's likely they put the "in-production" tach part number in the catalog at the time of printing. By the final revision of the 1968 catalog (3/69), that would be 2857729. They were all done revising earlier catalogs, so when someone ordered the earlier tach part number in the '67 book, they'd simply get the late one. Fit and function are the same, it just looked different. At no time in history did Chrysler care about "correct" or that an idiot like myself would be worried about anything so silly 50+ years in the future.
The only way to truly know would be to find first-/early-edition 1968 catalog pages. Mopar parts department protocol being what it was, good luck. When the next printing came out, the old pages got tossed. I did a bit of that myself, luckily much later. However, people restoring first-year Neons are gonna eventually hate me.

1967 Mopar catalog, V8 part number and catalog revision date highlighted:

View attachment 1716043456


1968 Mopar catalog, V8 part number, catalog revision date and * footnote highlighted:

View attachment 1716043457


Look at the "Supersedes" dates on both pages, then consider that they had to have a working parts catalog when the new cars appeared on September 1st. By March or April, the catalog was probably on its third or fourth revision in less than a year. It got another, final revision more than half a year later.

Just for fun, I entered 2771656 into the current Chrysler parts system. Wouldja lookit that:

View attachment 1716043463


Unfortunately, the system doesn't provide supersession dates. Still, I would bet that one was almost 54 years ago.

Those of us with Rallye-dash E-bodies are familiar with this situation, as the part number never changed (that I can find) on the E-body tach, but 1970-early '72 used an 8,000RPM scale, and everything after that used a 7K scale. From 1972 forward, ordering number 2984185 could get you either tach. The same situation existed with '70-'71 Rallye wheel centers. Then again, the final revision of the 1970-'71 book was printed in January of '72. Was the number superseded in an earlier revision? I'd pay good money to be able to see an original 1970-only version of the Mopar parts catalog. It existed once.

With all of that in mind, if I owned a 1968 Barracuda I would definitely install the 1967-style tachometer. The 1969 version would clash badly with the speedometer, a mistake I don't think Chrysler would've made. If anyone has a 1967 or 1968 factory-tachometer-equipped Barracuda that they personally bought new, I'd like to hear their input.

One really can't speak in absolutes about these old cars when the company that built them was actively destroying paper trails multiple times yearly. One thing that is sure: There is no existing record of an A-body sidewinder-scale, upright-numeral tach prior to March of 1969, and the only tach listed for 1967 has a standard "8-to-4" scale and radial numerals.

Also, my '74 E-body has an 8K tach, what-fer I like it gooder. So nyah. :poke:
 
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The dash pictured above came from a original 1 owner 67 car with the same tachometer as pictured . The reason for the new tach was the original didn't work and couldn't be repaired with an upgrade for use with MSD ignition system. The aftermarket was the cheapest way to go. Note the 150 speedo.

I have owned many a-bodies with rally tachs. The tach always matched the speedo. Here is a tack out of a late 69 or 70 out of the dash the one in the dash is a 71. I have seen both styles in 69's radial and upright numbers. But the tachs always matched the speedo. I never saw and in dash tach in a 120 speedo car though. They were always 150 speedos. except for the Darts with console mounted tach. The darts were always 120.

I have had cars with 120 radial speedos installed in 71 cars as replacements but they were not factory. Seen and owned many cars with tachs. They always would match the speedo if original . 69 came with either depending on the production date. But always with a 150 speedo in the cars I have owned. 120's usually had the performance gauge, And the clocks? I have only had one clock that was in a 68 barracuda 318 car 120 speedo.

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DSCF0268[1].jpg
 
You've reversed yourself on this over the past decade or so, and your statement including 1968 led me through the looking glass. Damn you! :p

Several hours of digging and cross-referencing later, this is what I've found, along with my thoughts--not absolute statements--about it:

Good design dictates that the orientation of the tachometer numerals (radial v. horizontal) should match those on the speedometer. 1967 was part number 2771656, radial numerals with 0 at the 8 o'clock position (standard sweep). 1969-'71 used part number 2857729, which has level or upright numerals and the sidewinder sweep (0 at 5 o'clock) in its service-part incarnation. This version is what's listed in the final 1968 catalog as well.
Service parts are not always the same as assembly-line though, and the parts books aren't gospel either, because they got revised multiple times. Chrysler would send new pages and tell the dealer to toss the old ones, which without fail the latter did. I've never seen a complete first-printing Mopar parts catalog prior to 1994--because I was there when that one dropped.
So, bearing that in mind, let's get confused:
1968 is a bit of a trick. It's possible there's a 1968 radial-numeral, side sweep production tach but I don't recall ever seeing one nor can I find evidence of one. It's also plausible and quite possible that some (or all) '68s were actually built with the '67-style tach, since 2857729 is shown as a "changed or added" number in the final revision of the '68 catalog. Without fail, that means prior printings of that catalog listed a different part number. That revision didn't appear until March of 1969, most of the way through the following model year. They probably superseded 2771656 to the current production tach (2857729) at that time.
Bear with me here: The 1968 Rallye dash speedometer used radially-configured numerals, same as '67. The final revision of the 1967 parts book was printed in January of 1968, long after the '67s were gone--but only halfway through the '68 production run. They had not yet changed the Rallye speedometer to the upright numerals yet at that time, so it makes sense that 2771656 appears because it was still in production use on the '68 models. Then, most of the way through '69, Chrysler decided they'd only service one tach--the current 1969 production unit that matched the upright speedometer numerals used 1969-'71--and superseded it in the final revision of the '68 catalog.
I find this scenario not only plausible, but quite probable. Why suddenly switch to a mismatched tach for no reason? The scale was still 6,000RPM/270° sweep, and I'd wager the internals are identical--they just rotated the needle and changed the face printing. It's likely they put the "in-production" tach part number in the catalog at the time of printing. By the final revision of the 1968 catalog (3/69), that would be 2857729. They were all done revising earlier catalogs, so when someone ordered the earlier tach part number in the '67 book, they'd simply get the late one. Fit and function are the same, it just looked different. At no time in history did Chrysler care about "correct" or that an idiot like myself would be worried about anything so silly 50+ years in the future.
The only way to truly know would be to find first-/early-edition 1968 catalog pages. Mopar parts department protocol being what it was, good luck. When the next printing came out, the old pages got tossed. I did a bit of that myself, luckily much later. However, people restoring first-year Neons are gonna eventually hate me.

1967 Mopar catalog, V8 part number and catalog revision date highlighted:

View attachment 1716043456


1968 Mopar catalog, V8 part number, catalog revision date and * footnote highlighted:

View attachment 1716043457


Look at the "Supersedes" dates on both pages, then consider that they had to have a working parts catalog when the new cars appeared on September 1st. By March or April, the catalog was probably on its third or fourth revision in less than a year. It got another, final revision more than half a year later.

Just for fun, I entered 2771656 into the current Chrysler parts system. Wouldja lookit that:

View attachment 1716043463


Unfortunately, the system doesn't provide supersession dates. Still, I would bet that one was almost 54 years ago.

Those of us with Rallye-dash E-bodies are familiar with this situation, as the part number never changed (that I can find) on the E-body tach, but 1970-early '72 used an 8,000RPM scale, and everything after that used a 7K scale. From 1972 forward, ordering number 2984185 could get you either tach. The same situation existed with '70-'71 Rallye wheel centers. Then again, the final revision of the 1970-'71 book was printed in January of '72. Was the number superseded in an earlier revision? I'd pay good money to be able to see an original 1970-only version of the Mopar parts catalog. It existed once.

With all of that in mind, if I owned a 1968 Barracuda I would definitely install the 1967-style tachometer. The 1969 version would clash badly with the speedometer, a mistake I don't think Chrysler would've made. If anyone has a 1967 or 1968 factory-tachometer-equipped Barracuda that they personally bought new, I'd like to hear their input.

One really can't speak in absolutes about these old cars when the company that built them was actively destroying paper trails multiple times yearly. One thing that is sure: There is no existing record of an A-body sidewinder-scale, upright-numeral tach prior to March of 1969, and the only tach listed for 1967 has a standard "8-to-4" scale and radial numerals.

Also, my '74 E-body has an 8K tach, what-fer I like it gooder. So nyah. :poke:
Thank You for that! Very comprehensive. Makes sense to me. :thumbsup:
 
Yep, brain fart but statute of limitations ran out lol. Gimme a 50/50 chance and I'll mess it up every time(no excuse , I had/have 67 with orig tach and a 69 with orig tach).
My reply here is correct
67 starts at 5, 69 starts at 7.
67 oem tach is the best.
LOL.....I think you were right the first time. :)
 
Dis what i have and am using the RTE conversion to digital signal. I thought it was 67.

20230203_085005.jpg
 
The dash pictured above came from a original 1 owner 67 car with the same tachometer as pictured . The reason for the new tach was the original didn't work and couldn't be repaired with an upgrade for use with MSD ignition system. The aftermarket was the cheapest way to go. Note the 150 speedo.

I have owned many a-bodies with rally tachs. The tach always matched the speedo. Here is a tack out of a late 69 or 70 out of the dash the one in the dash is a 71. I have seen both styles in 69's radial and upright numbers. But the tachs always matched the speedo. I never saw and in dash tach in a 120 speedo car though. They were always 150 speedos. except for the Darts with console mounted tach. The darts were always 120.

I have had cars with 120 radial speedos installed in 71 cars as replacements but they were not factory. Seen and owned many cars with tachs. They always would match the speedo if original . 69 came with either depending on the production date. But always with a 150 speedo in the cars I have owned. 120's usually had the performance gauge, And the clocks? I have only had one clock that was in a 68 barracuda 318 car 120 speedo.

Never say Never with Ma Mopar. My original 1968 383 Formula S fastback Automatic car. 120 mph with original non matching tach. I never noticed it before, but had to look after looking at this thread.

P1010003.JPG


P1010002.JPG
 
Never say Never with Ma Mopar. My original 1968 383 Formula S fastback Automatic car. 120 mph with original non matching tach. I never noticed it before, but had to look after looking at this thread.

View attachment 1716045243

View attachment 1716045245
I would think someone put the tach in the car. All with the 120 speedo here had a blank or a performance gauge. There are 5 Barracudas here as I speak.
 
When I bought mine from the original owner back in 1979 this is the tach that was in it and still in it. Fender tag has tach on it so confident this is original to this car. Dash bezel is not original to the car since I had to undue the cut for KMart radio mistake made decades ago:

BarracudaGuarges.jpg
 
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