Tach mounting

-

MassDart

Lifelong Dart fan
Joined
May 28, 2021
Messages
193
Reaction score
85
Location
Wales, MA
I'm putting a tach on my 67 Dart. I'd like to put it on the column, but being a column shift car, the space is tight there. Anyone have any suggestions or pictures on where they mounted their tach?

Thanks!
 
Some one was making a bracket that slipped under the front of the dash pad, works well. Forgot who
 
With the ralley dash its usually a mini tach right in front of where the factory tach would go mounted to the column. Some get creative and mount in the dash also. But yes these cars are a challenge. I had a large auto meter mounted under the das in front of the shifter but didnt like that
 
20230514_175759.jpg


20230514_175703.jpg
 
I made my own back in the 70s, from a piece of
aluminum sheet, about 2 x 12 x~1/8 thick ( just thick enough to be tapped for 10-32 machine screws).
It hooks under the BACK of the pad, follows the contours to the front, then a short stretch over the front and back toward the heater controls. It is just loose enough to remove and has been on several on my cars since then. It is tight enough not to flop around, and loose enough to be slid from side to side. No special tools so far.
Then I drilled and tapped the plate for to retain the supplied tach mounting bracket. When done, I wrapped the thing with electrical tape.
Finally, I brought the wiring up from the bottom, thru a window in the dash-frame that was already under the pad, and looped it towards the windshield and then back around the back of the pad and up to the tach.
For the track or showing off, I slide it front and center, but for street driving I leave it over to the right.
I don't like those big 5" race tachs, and I gotta admit that selecting a 4 incher was a real chore. Finally, I found what I was looking for; one with an 8000rpm/270* sweep. The autometer I chose has a built-in dial-type rev-limiter, plus a shift light, plus an adjustable shift-indicating needle; all of which have proven accurate enough for street use.
I usually set the needle to around 5500 rpm, so as not to intimidate anyone who might actually look at it; otherwise, I pay no attention to it.
I set the rev-limiter to 7200 in case I blow a shift ( 4-speed) to protect my engine.
The shift light comes on some 200 or 300 rpm sooner, I forget.
On the street I rarely look at the tach ...... because top of Second gear is over 80 mph, and I rarely purposely go there.
I thought I needed a tach, but it turns out that it is just as easy to shift by the Speed-O.
But it looks cool, sitting up there like a proud little rooster.
Back when 65 was ~2900, I used to use the rev-limiter as a speed limiter while hi-way cruising; but now, with od, 65=2240, and being a dial-type, it ain't particularly accurate.
 
Last edited:
I remove the Sunvisor and install at mounting area, run wires up A pillar and don't drive into direct sunlight.
 
I used an Actron AcroTach II on my skinny 66 Coronet column.

...what you're not interested in a large bolt, right through a perfect dash pad?

...like I wince at every time I see it, which is far too often.
 
Back in the very early '70s I mounted a tach in my '69 340 Swinger using the driver-side visor mounting bracket at the upper left corner of the windshield. It was a great location for the tach because it was easy to see without moving your eyes completely away from the road. I ran the wiring down inside the A-pillar cover. It was also a bit intimidating to others, especially when it was lit at night.
The only one who didn't like it was a California Highway Patrol officer who told me it blocked my vision (it didn't) and provided me with a "fix it" ticket.
I simply wired in a two-piece wiring connector plug, took the tach down and stashed it in the glovebox, and tucked the plug up on top of the visor. I drove to the local CHP station and got the "fix-it" ticket cleared. Then drove about a block away, took the tach out of the glovebox, plugged it in and mounted it back up on the visor mount.
I never got hassled over it again.

On my current '69 Dart project the Speedhut shift-light tach is going in the Rocky Mountain Dashes panel I bought years ago.
 
You could look at all the cellphone dash / glass mounts and adapt.
 
Some one was making a bracket that slipped under the front of the dash pad, works well. Forgot who
Shumacher was making them.
@Rob_Mopar had one for sale but think someone already bought it.

Shumacher copied my idea (yea right, not a very original idea, LOL)
upload_2020-8-24_17-48-6-png.png


Some details here

When I reinstalled I drilled a small hole in the dash top and installed a grommet.

For '67, some engine harnesses have the coil to tach wire included. That takes the signal up to the multiconnector. Wire from the bulkhead to the tach has to be added.
Power can be tapped at the fusebox by adding fuse clips in the empty slot and a jumper, just like factory did.
For illumination, there is an extra connector on the orange wires under the radio. That would only be used if the car had the center console option.
 
I'm at camp on my phone so can't get you a picture.. but the tach's clamp assembly is just held to the column with a gear clamp painted beige.

That's the old school way.
 
What size tach are you trying to mount?
 
I made my own back in the 70s, from a piece of
aluminum sheet, about 2 x 12 x~1/8 thick ( just thick enough to be tapped for 10-32 machine screws).
It hooks under the BACK of the pad, follows the contours to the front, then a short stretch over the front and back toward the heater controls. It is just loose enough to remove and has been on several on my cars since then. It is tight enough not to flop around, and loose enough to be slid from side to side. No special tools so far.
Then I drilled and tapped the plate for to retain the supplied tach mounting bracket. When done, I wrapped the thing with electrical tape.
Finally, I brought the wiring up from the bottom, thru a window in the dash-frame that was already under the pad, and looped it towards the windshield and then back around the back of the pad and up to the tach.
For the track or showing off, I slide it front and center, but for street driving I leave it over to the right.
I don't like those big 5" race tachs, and I gotta admit that selecting a 4 incher was a real chore. Finally, I found what I was looking for; one with an 8000rpm/270* sweep. The autometer I chose has a built-in dial-type rev-limiter, plus a shift light, plus an adjustable shift-indicating needle; all of which have proven accurate enough for street use.
I usually set the needle to around 5500 rpm, so as not to intimidate anyone who might actually look at it; otherwise, I pay no attention to it.
I set the rev-limiter to 7200 in case I blow a shift ( 4-speed) to protect my engine.
The shift light comes on some 200 or 300 rpm sooner, I forget.
On the street I rarely look at the tach ...... because top of Second gear is over 80 mph, and I rarely purposely go there.
I thought I needed a tach, but it turns out that it is just as easy to shift by the Speed-O.
But it looks cool, sitting up there like a proud little rooster.
Back when 65 was ~2900, I used to use the rev-limiter as a speed limiter while hi-way cruising; but now, with od, 65=2240, and being a dial-type, it ain't particularly accurate.
What tach would that be? I'm old school and like only the same 0-8000 rpm with the 270 deg sweep!!
 
Mine is mounted between the column and the ashtray. Found a position where it is not in the way. Fits great. I rely more on the shift light for high rpm shifts anyways.

36010BBD-705E-4BF6-BC9F-EB66AC7E1C78.jpeg


406E0A32-CB67-4739-AE07-304DAE3A932F.jpeg
 
ACME also known as SuperbirdBob used to make the ones that slide under the dash. Unfortunately he does not make them anymore.

SAM_6197.JPG
 
I have a small Bosch (2 5/8) tach I mounted on Vixen's steering column with the obligatory hose clamp. She's a column shifted manual. I think looking at it, it is between 9 and 10 o'clock.
 
-
Back
Top