Tach for '64-'66 Chevy Truck Dash
Van Pershing
First, buy this 2" diameter illuminated tachometer from JC Whitney, PN 14-4786. It's the only one I have found that doesn't have a 260-degree sweep so it will fit in the window of the stock instrument panel - and $30 (2001) isn't a bad price! (now in 2013 it's $58.)
Next, CAREFULLY disassemble it.


I took the opportunity to paint the needle red to match the freshly painted needles on the rest of my instrument panel.
Remove the cover from the back of the instrument panel. This will be used to mount the tach




Now cut a 2-1/2" hole on the center of the cover leaving some "tabs". Bend the tabs in or toward the front of the instrument panel. I used a Dremmel tool with a cut-off and a stone to deburr. It's a little crude but nobody but me (and now you) will ever know!
Next push the tach into the hole far enough so that the front of the tach almost touches the inside of the instrument panel. A simple hose clamp locks it in place.



As you can see in the picture above, the back of the tach with all its wires hanging out is exposed. I cut the back cover that came with the tach so that it could be attached to the back of the tach in its original position. A slot for the wires will have to be made.
Put the entire assembly back into the instrument panel and your done.
Here's the finished product. It actually looks like it belongs and we didn't spend a fortune!
Another nice touch, but certainly not required, is to add a new tach face that looks like the original. The original face only went from 0 to 5,000 rpm but the JCW tach goes to 8,000 rpm. Fellow trucker Lenny did some scanning and manipulating and came up with a Word file that you can play with to print a new tach face that can be glued in place. Click here to download the file.
     
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