Tach mounting options

[napcoguy]

I am planning on installing an aftermarket tach but am having an issue thinking of the best mounting location, mainly for aesthetics. Does anyone have a pics or good ideas of where to mount a tach?
Thanks

[Mattchu60]

I mounted mine to the bottom of the dash below where the radio is. I didnt want it on the top of the dash or on the column as it would cover up the other gauges there, and also move every time I shifted gears. I plan to get a factory tach at some point.

[Tiger Joe]

i put factory tachs in my 79 and 87. I really like that look in these trucks.

A buddy of mine has a smaller (maybe 3") tach mounted to the a pillar just above the dash. seems like a pretty decent location

[Desert_Eagle02]

I have a tach mounted on my column with a clamp. The old school look haha. Mine is a stick shift without tilt so there's plenty of room on the column. Also it doesn't get in the way of the gauges for me, I can see them all just fine.

I had an '84 K10 some years ago that the previous owner mounted one on top the dash off to the right of the gauge cluster. Although it was a convenient place for it, I hated it because it was mounted through the expensive dash pad. So if I ever went the factory tach route, I'd need a new dashpad. So I do not recommend that location.

I plan on in the future getting a factory tach. for mine. But for now the one on the column works just fine. And I personally don't think it looks bad there either.

[RotaryRocketeer]

I've got mine on the pillar. Canted a bit towards the pilot, about 1/4" off the dash pad. Looks good and doesn't get in the way.

[LuvNLife]

My vote would be a digital tach under the area by the ash tray. The digital display is way quicker and easier to read than a pointer, and using a 3 3/8" one, it's not overly large. Just my $.02...

[akart]

Many trucks have a blank in the instrument cluster. Like where a clock would go. I got a small tach and will put it there or in a housing below the ash tray. Also I have a large tach which I may put on the steering column. So.I am still deciding too. But I am leaning towards the column mount. I will fit the larger one on the column and see how that looks and if I don't like that I will use one of the other options. It's just money,have fun!

[AJBert]

I've been thinking of doing the GTO on the hood tach. I've never seen it done on a truck before.

[Leonard60]

In my 1979 truck I found a dash bezel from a diesel. I then found a digital tach and installed it in the start glow plug hole in the bezel it looked pretty cool.

[sweetk30]

i have used these on a lot of builds with no problems for years .

0-6k range http://www.autometer.com/2-3-4-tach-...ini-black.html

0-8k range http://www.autometer.com/2-3-4-tach-...ini-black.html

also evilbay tends to be fairly cheep on them price wise . last one i got was about 40.00 shipped .

1 hose clamp to steering between speedo and fuel . then before wires run under rubber ring add black shrink tube to hide them . no need to shrink it . wire in and piggy back off the dash light fuse 1 side or the other i forget gets you dim option on it also .

have to get pic for you . but i can say its the cleanest / simple / cheepest / dont stick out like a rice burnning honky tack option .

[LT7A]

Originally Posted by sweetk30

i have used these on a lot of builds with no problems for years .

0-6k range http://www.autometer.com/2-3-4-tach-...ini-black.html

0-8k range http://www.autometer.com/2-3-4-tach-...ini-black.html

also evilbay tends to be fairly cheep on them price wise . last one i got was about 40.00 shipped .

1 hose clamp to steering between speedo and fuel . then before wires run under rubber ring add black shrink tube to hide them . no need to shrink it . wire in and piggy back off the dash light fuse 1 side or the other i forget gets you dim option on it also .

have to get pic for you . but i can say its the cleanest / simple / cheepest / dont stick out like a rice burnning honky tack option .

I like those tachs. Thanks for posting links. Are they clockable so that you can mount the bracket at any angle or does it have to mounted to something horizontal?

[Desert_Eagle02]

Originally Posted by sweetk30

i have used these on a lot of builds with no problems for years .

0-6k range http://www.autometer.com/2-3-4-tach-...ini-black.html

0-8k range http://www.autometer.com/2-3-4-tach-...ini-black.html

also evilbay tends to be fairly cheep on them price wise . last one i got was about 40.00 shipped .

1 hose clamp to steering between speedo and fuel . then before wires run under rubber ring add black shrink tube to hide them . no need to shrink it . wire in and piggy back off the dash light fuse 1 side or the other i forget gets you dim option on it also .

have to get pic for you . but i can say its the cleanest / simple / cheepest / dont stick out like a rice burnning honky tack option .

That's exactly how mine is. Simple and clean, and I can see my speedo and fuel gauge just fine.

[sweetk30]

mount tabs molded to the bottom .

i did cut them off a unit 1 time and put in a hole and used a hose clamp on it to hold in place . worked real good .

but as other guy above said it dosn't block the view of the others .

[LT7A]

Thanks, understood. I have an automatic though, so I have to decide if I want to live with the "swing-away" tach option, since clamping it to the steering column will have it moving with the column shifter.

[raceman6135]

I used an Autometer #5265 extended length mounting bracket:



Mine was installed "upside down" to how it is shown in the image above.

I bolted it inside the cubby hole on the upper-right side of the instrument cluster; my truck did not have air conditioning, so it had the cubby hole as opposed to an AC vent.

I drilled holes for the wires and the mount in the upper surface of the cubby. This way, I accomplished a couple of goals:

1. no holes in the dash pad
2. did not block other gauges as it would have if mounted on the steering column
3. good visibility -- don't have to look below the ashtray to see it
4. the wires are barely visible
5. if i sold the truck and wanted to keep the gauges and mount, the new owner would barely be able to see the holes inside the cubby

I've attached a photo. Sorry for the poor quality, and I no longer have the truck so there is no chance of me getting any other photos.

In the photo, you can see that I have mounted a tachometer to the top part of the bracket and a vacuum gauge below.

The bracket is mounted as far to the passenger's side as I could get it, but still angled toward the driver. This allowed me to maintain partial use of the cubby.

[Bandit130]

I purchased a digital 2". Removed ash tray (ash holder only) and it fits in its place perfect with no drilling or brackets. The blue light is so bright in the dark, all I need to do is close ash tray and it can't be seen. Easy, if the digital will work for you. I'm ok with it.

[sweetk30]

Originally Posted by LT7A

Thanks, understood. I have an automatic though, so I have to decide if I want to live with the "swing-away" tach option, since clamping it to the steering column will have it moving with the column shifter.

ahhhh I forgot my trucks are stick shift column . then I install a lokar shifter for the automatic .

[xs-style]

The tach in my 78 is a factory cluster.For the k5, I went with a small tach in the corner this time. Nothing fancy, but it gets the job done.

[MASONGMC]

I put my tach inside my change pocket .

[truckin 79]

A small Sun Tach mounted under plastic gauge bezel worked for me

[napcoguy]

truckin 79, that looks pretty cool, I have my triple gauge pod mounted under the ash tray so that spot is taken. What kind of mount did you use to be able to use that location?

[truckin 79]

It was the stock mount that comes with Sun Tachs. I just used a big F'n hammer and made it flat . I had to drill one hole to line up with lower steering column cover and with fuse box right there it was a easy install.
By the way nice truck I can see why you won this month.

[abig84]

on my truck i just had a dummy light in the top left slot of the dash so i just stuck mine in there

[Jsfucttruck]

I guess I lost a installed pic from my old pick up. This was quite the pita to use with a visor. I ended up having to trim down another triangle bracket to stand off the piggy backed mounted tac. To be able to use the visor, I had to trim it and then get it re covered. I have all the parts and pieces around here. somewhere. When I went from a 85 K30 to a 78 K20 Burb, the trim was a different color and style.
I will eventually replace the dash mounted one with it.