Installing a Tachometer?

[matt2491]

'64 F100, stock 292 with headers and Pertronix electronic ignition.

I was wondering if there is a relatively easy way for me to buy and install a tach in my truck. I'd like to see what kind of RPM's I'm spinning at different times when I'm driving as well as for testing/calibration purposes.

Questions:
- Where/who can I buy a tachometer that will work for my application from?
- Is it difficult to install? How does it work?

[billy12360]

you can buy one from shucks or napa or car quest pretty much any place that sells a car part SHOULD work... as for instalation... its simple... 3 or 4 wires depending on the model... one goes to the positive side of the coil... another goes to ground... and positive on the battery... and if you got the one with 4 wires, the 4th gose to the light switch... so that when you turn on the lights... it turns on the light in the tach... and then there is a switch on the back for 4 6 or 8...[the number of cylenders... so select 8... but be cautious... there was a guy in the 61-sixty what ever... saying that his tach was reading correctly when the switch was selected to 6... but he had a V-8] then just mount it where you want it...


if you get a new one, you will get the instructions in the box with all the mounting wires and everything

[Y-Blockhead]

Well billy is almost right. The wire that he sez that goes to the #1 wire on the distributor actually goes to the + side of the coil. If you hook it up as he stated you get , what 40,000 volts to the tach instead of 12 volts.

my S/W has three wires, one to ground, one to coil(actually I have it plugged into my MSD but basically the same) and one for lights.

Y-Blockhead

[billy12360]

ohh sorry about that one... thanks for the correction yblockhead