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Author Topic: Adding a tach  (Read 50171 times)

Offline Elpresidente

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Adding a tach
« on: April 22, 2012, 08:18:37 pm »
I want to put a tach in my truck, and keep it fairly stock looking. I'd like to avoid just bolting one to my dash, so I was wondering if I could fit it in my stock instrument cluster.
Mine has the one blank gauge slot (lower left in the picture) and I was hoping to fit something in there. Is this possible, do they even make tachs that small?
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Offline bake74

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Re: Adding a tach
« Reply #1 on: April 22, 2012, 08:51:42 pm »
     They do make a tach that has a small gas gauge in it, that goes in the spot where the gas gauge is now.  There are post in here in the interior section, do a search for tach's.
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Offline Jason S

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Re: Adding a tach
« Reply #2 on: April 22, 2012, 10:32:38 pm »
Quote from: bake74 on April 22, 2012, 08:51:42 pm
     They do make a tach that has a small gas gauge in it, that goes in the spot where the gas gauge is now.  There are post in here in the interior section, do a search for tach's.

Like Bake74 said, you can get a factory style tach cluster and swap it into your truck. Here's an early 70's style, the 80's would be similar but with slightly different lettering.  The minimum you'd really need is the cluster housing, tach gauge and fuel gauge. The remainder of your gauges could swap over.

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Offline jaredts

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Re: Adding a tach
« Reply #3 on: April 24, 2012, 06:27:41 am »
I put a small tach just where you are talking about.  It doesn't exactly look factory and I did have to cut the clear lens piece and the backside of the cluster.  I think it was a supertach II from Autozone, but I don't remember the size.  $40 and about two hours of work.  The tach with the small gas gauge in it that Bake 74 mentions is probably the cleanest way to do this.  I'm pretty sure you could buy one from this site.
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Offline Elpresidente

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Re: Adding a tach
« Reply #4 on: April 24, 2012, 09:10:02 am »
By "looking stock" I meant just putting it in the gauge slot I was talking about, I dont mind if it doesn't match the rest of my gauges. My problem was finding a tach that small
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Offline bake74

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Re: Adding a tach
« Reply #5 on: April 24, 2012, 07:12:40 pm »
     So you don't want to switch the gas gauge to the smaller one and tack to the big one like Jason S posted.
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Offline Elpresidente

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Re: Adding a tach
« Reply #6 on: April 25, 2012, 08:37:25 am »
Quote from: bake74 on April 24, 2012, 07:12:40 pm
     So you don't want to switch the gas gauge to the smaller one and tack to the big one like Jason S posted.
Right. What i'm looking for is a tach small enough to fit in the gauge cluster to the left.
« Last Edit: April 25, 2012, 10:27:57 am by Elpresidente »
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Offline codyC10kid

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Re: Adding a tach
« Reply #7 on: April 25, 2012, 12:00:15 pm »
on my truck i have a (just like new dash) so i mounted the tach top of my cab....i used the sun vizer screw,(only problem with that is i cant pull the vizer down all the way...if you where to find a tach smaller then 3 3/8....i cant remember what size my tack is...but yeah might work...
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Offline Skunksmash

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Re: Adding a tach
« Reply #8 on: April 26, 2012, 08:19:58 pm »
You want to add a tiny tach over there in the corner? lol

Just my humble opinion, but i don't know how well thats going to work out for you. I look at my tach a lot.
« Last Edit: April 27, 2012, 02:10:12 pm by Skunksmash »
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Offline Crob

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Re: Adding a tach
« Reply #9 on: May 03, 2012, 10:35:00 pm »
I thought about doing the same thing in my '82.  I was just going to get a small fuel gauge and put the tach where the big fuel gauge is, only thing is that I wasn't sure if it would work.
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Offline Skunksmash

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Re: Adding a tach
« Reply #10 on: May 04, 2012, 01:48:06 pm »
It'll work but you gotta cut a hole out of the back of the housing for the new tach to fit in, where the old fuel gauge used to be. Very carefully cut a hole, I might add.
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Offline blazing816

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Re: Adding a tach
« Reply #11 on: October 08, 2012, 12:41:08 pm »
I know topic is a little old, but I just posted what I did with my gauges. Just a another idea to consider:
http://forum.73-87chevytrucks.com/smforum/index.php/topic,24709.0.html
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Offline 81_Chevy

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Re: Adding a tach
« Reply #12 on: October 08, 2012, 07:45:34 pm »
Quote from: Elpresidente on April 22, 2012, 08:18:37 pm
I want to put a tach in my truck, and keep it fairly stock looking. I'd like to avoid just bolting one to my dash, so I was wondering if I could fit it in my stock instrument cluster.
Mine has the one blank gauge slot (lower left in the picture) and I was hoping to fit something in there. Is this possible, do they even make tachs that small?
i just did this exact same thing to my truck tonight. there is a small hole in the back of the cluster, about the size of a finger. its big enough to run your wires through. take apart the cluster and cut the clear lens, and the plastic black one, then you have to trim a little out around the slot on the bezel. then just mount your guage to the bezel, run the wires through, bolt everything back up, and wire it and boom done. mine is a 2 1/16 inch size, not sure what brand but it says nitrous on it. got it from O'Reillys for like 20 bucks. for the backlight part i just wired it into my neon under my dash for now. im going to wire it into my dash lights eventually.  hope this helps ;D
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Offline DustyRusty

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Re: Adding a tach
« Reply #13 on: October 11, 2012, 08:25:50 pm »
81_Chevy:  Got any pictures of your installation for us to view?  Thx.
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Offline gildardo01

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Re: Adding a tach
« Reply #14 on: October 12, 2012, 08:13:36 am »
this is what i did with my instrument cluster, havenīt installed it in the truck yet because i still need the fuel gauge and a speedometer....
http://forum.73-87chevytrucks.com/smforum/index.php/topic,24391.msg203848.html#msg203848
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