Gramma's Car: the new project!

[njsteve]

Since we will be adding a bunch of horsepower to the car I figured it was time to install a tachometer to keep an eye on things.

I did not want to change the dash in Gramma's car by installing a Rally gauge setup with tach because that would require a complete dash wiring harness change along with a ton of other items. So I decided to go with an old school tach I had sitting on a shelf in the garage.

I have had this particular Sun Super Tach II for at least 30 years and it has been in over a half dozen cars of mine in that timespan.

I also did not want to drill a hole anywhere in that pristine dash. And of course there is not enough room on the column for the old school hose clamp over the bracket installation as the turn signal lever is in the way. In addition, the majority of the lower column moves due to the functioning back-drive linkage that locks the shifter in place when the key is removed.

So I pulled the dash fascia and located some existing mounting screws. I then use some bodyshop hammers, a vise, and an anvil to hand-make a mounting bracket that extends out under the dash overhang. I located a vintage flat mount Sun tachometer bracket on ebay for $11 and drilled a couple holes in my handmade bracket and voila, the tach sits very nicely in view. It doesn't block anything behind it other than an idiot light or two, and it looks rather 1970's nostalgic.

My Franken-bracket:






And the installation. The drop down distance of the horizontal bracket is just enough to keep the two mounting screws from touching the underside of the padded dash.