Technical Copycat Sun tach?

Digging through a box a buddy gave me, I came across this tach. I googled it but came up empty. A quick look and you could easily mistake it for the real thing. Anybody know anything about it?

 

Big wheel ? I have never seen an advertisement in the car magazines for this brand of tach. Found most web searches not helpful.

 

That Big Wheel tricycle is too new. Loved the e-brake as a kid.
As for the tach, many used that style face. May even be a Sun sold thru that JC Whitney catalog?

 

For some reason, I'm thinking that BigWheel was an auto parts store franchise, like Champion, O'Reilly, etc. ???
IDK, also don't remember it as being very good quality either. Maybe I'm hallucinating today w/o benefit of either pharmas' or natures' stuff(Unusual headache is kicking in). .
Marcus...

 

"The Big Wheel" was the leading Auto parts store/speed shop in Minneapolis in the fifties and sixties. They were successful enough to be able to sponser a top gas dragster (driven by Bruce "Stormin'" Norman) during the NHRA fuel ban in the early sixies. I don't know if they were a franchise (probably not), but they were a major player back then. They were located on East Lake Street and was one of our destinations for our Saturday "excursions" to the big city.

 

Well Garlits did it with Dixco, why not Big Wheel with Sun?

 

Definitely a cheap version, all plastic even the lens. I'll hook it up and see if it works. If its working I'll clean and detail it. I'll put it in the car, it'll be a one off here in Canada

 

Interesting store brand Tach. Canadian Tire has been putting there name on parts up here for years.

 

I know that Sunpro made a few Super Tachs with different faces. Some said Sunpro and some only said super tach (no caps) and some said Super Tach II, etc.

 

Sunpro made the recent "look-a-like" Sun tachs, but they sold the design to Bosch.

 

Thanks, Tubman, but I seem to remember some in smaller cities in mn, mankato being one of them. & not much hi-po stuff.
Was never at the one on lake st, from what you say, that would've been a good store.
Marcus...

 

There was a Big Wheel store on University in St. Paul just west of Snelling. It changed into a Crown Auto late '60s or very early '70s. They had photos of dragsters and other race cars by the counter and if I remember right some performance stuff on display.

 

Hmmm. Sounds like it was a chain. I seem to remember that the Lake Street store had an area deedicated to "high performance" equipment. I clearly remember purchasing my first "hop-up" part there : a Mallory dual point conversion kit for my '51 Ford.

Now that you mention it Rich, I remember the Univesity Avenue store as well.

 

I think Crown Auto was the name I was looking for as a missing link. Remembered the stores' location, couldn't remember what it was before that. Kinda doesn't matter, as they're both gone. & the physical area it was in, has morphed into other things anyways.
Marcus...

 

Interestingly I had just read about "Big wheel" mag wheels. ( Cragar knock offs ) that were sold at Sears. Possibly Sears sold some of the Big Wheel products. I have look though some old Sears catalogs.

 

I have a old metal Tach that looks like that 'cept R.P.M. thousands is in a red oval, reads 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8, 8.5 . Says Sun Electric Corporation Chicago Ill USA

 

Mankato had a Champion Auto and a Crown Auto and a Big A. I do not remember a Big Wheel. I do remember Big Wheel in the Twin Cities. Towards the end I believe they we called Big Wheel Rossi.

 

That's the famous Sun "Football" tach, which SunPro was trying to duplicate (I believe gthey were legally restrained from using the Sun logo). I bought one when they first came outto see if I could disassemble them and add my own face "decoration".

They have them sealed up really well.

 

Here is the tach I have

 

So, you can see why Bosch calls them "Look-a-likes".