Early tachometers - Teach and Win!

Big A, I'd clean those gauges up before writing them off as "bad condition". They look pretty nice to me. Whatever you do, DO NOT have the faces rescreened! To me, and I would guess a lot of other SW collectors, the gauge is worth half if it's been rescreened.

Here's some pics of my oldest 8000 mechanical tach, and a winged electric 8000 tach. The mechanical is not a Maring conversion but a true SW, and you can see it is not as artfully typeset as other SW gauges usually are. I take this to mean it was a quick response to seeing a market for high RPM tachs and filling it in a hurry. Can't read the date code on the back of this one.

The electric is date coded to August 1955.

 

Agree 100%. I usually reface only my complete re-builders. Would not re-face yours, they're fine.
Stewart Warner made a lot of one-offs. After having thousands go through my hands, I still run into odd-balls.
I know they were making winged gauges at least in early 1949, per Tommy's post.

 

Here's an early one on e-b** # 300034505473 you can check out....

 

This is a bit OT.
I have had this oddball in dash tach I can't find any info on.
Under the RPM X 1000 is printed: Shift Indicator

In the lower right is printed: Offy Products Milford PA 1960
In the lower left : World Rights Reserved.

Anyone have any info on this one?
Sorry about the bad pics.
Carl

 

The red logo does look like a football.

 

No worries, I feel the same way. From the front they will not change (maybe a bit cleaner), but I would like to run them. I just want to make them work, no look new. They were stored in a damp basement for 50 years and they are not in great shape. Some are worse than others.

36C8 was good enough to pass along some info for me, so I think I'm headed in the right direction.

 

Why don't you want to run a mechanical? Is it cost?

I know some of the drives for flatheads are bringing around a thousand on Ebay, but its gonna cost close to that to have your old electric converted to modern internals. The original mechanical head might cost a little more than an original winged electric.

What kind of tach are you looking for? What kind of gauges does it have to match?


For my next flathead build, I think I'll investigate a tach drive off the back of a generator, rather than spending big bucks for a crank drive. I bet my machinist could whip up something.

 

OK I had to log onto internet explorer to load a picture but here it is Ryan. Oh yeah the clearing the cache didn't do anything for my crappy Aol...oh well

 

Oh yeah, Ryan try here.
http://www.williamsons.com/

 

here's one I picked up at an old truck yard. the owner said it was from an old deisel truck. reverse rotation. very nice, back lit, mechanical ... I've been watching SW's since I picked up a "pressure" gauge with a crescent pointer and got over 200 bucks for it.

anyone know of an automotive application for a reverse rotation tach??

 

...heres the other side

 

www.roadsters.com has some SW info

 

That's the same kind of Police Special I have in the sedan I built (search Bud's B), but I've never had mine pegged!

 

You'r lucky allright.

These two are the nicest couple of old racing gauges you could own in my opinion.

I looked at a pair on eBay a while back.......was a tought decission not to saccrifice A LOT to take them home.

 

Here's my mech S&W tach and some others from the shelf.

The tach housing is no deeper than a regular 32 speedo.

Paul

 

Good stuff! An Auburn panel is my current project...

 

Are cables for these old S&W tach the same? I'm thinking of the end/conection that goes into the tach.

In other words: What to look for? Haven't got a cable yet. I also have to make some gismo for connecting it to the crank. I'm using stock 32 motormounts on my deuceframe and that leave out the pricy nice old bracket on eBay I guess. It's bolted to the 2 holes where the mounts go.


Got any gauges for the Holy grail 36C8???

Paul

 

Aren't all the mechanical tachs designed for automotive use driven off the distributor?
Making a crank driven cable too fast?

 

so its not 'merican but smiths was making tachs for british cars in the mid to early 50s. they had badass gold faces too....

 

CLICK!

I saw a Hildebrand distributor extension for an early Hemi, this weekend at a local swap meet. It had a horizontal hole in it with a drive gear inside. The guy wanted $50 for it and I had no idea what it was. Damn...

 

Thanks. When I had the chance to get these gauges I didn't hesitate...Here is a picture of my dash and some of the other Stewart Warner gauges I don't have them all in there as I was still collecting them when I took the picture. All 2 5/8 and I have two more smaller matching gauges to drill into each side. The dash I custom made with engine turned panel and polished stainless border with rivets.. 8 gauges total.....Lucky

 

Just need a 60 amp gauge. I've got all the others and an 8k backmount tach.

 

I run one of the distributor sandwich type in my flathead powered dry lakes modified. It was missing the dist. parts, so I sent it to a so. calif. shop and had electronic guts put inside while keeping the old crusty face and glass. It ran $200 for the conversion, but works great and keeps the old patina. I see those type of tachs all the time at swap meets and ebay and they are usually missing the dist. parts to them. They can usually be bought at a reasionable cost.

 

Lucky

nice dash endeed.


36C8

Is that 8k backmount tach custom made into an old housing ?



Gauges are fun. I owe my interest to my friend, klazurfer, who showed an Auburn panel and some gauges up under my nose some years ago to let me sniff.
It stuck.
Paul