weird tach dash

[Ricks1971]

Here's pics of that weird tach dash I just got. I think it might have been a C40 or C50 truck as I can't figure out what the gauge on the right is?

[too much stuff]

Never seen anything like that. I am not sure what the reasoning is. I am going to guess it was made by someone and not factory. Just a guess... Pic of the back?

[Ricks1971]

The back looks orginal. The only thing that looks modified is the hole on the righr side of the bezel.

[Longhorn Man]

very interesting... it was in a 10 - 30 series, the 40 and bigger trucks bezal wasn't like that... close, but not quite the same.
Looking at the way the numbers are on that vacume (???) guage, it kinda looks 'custom'... but the fuel guage looks so ... factory.

[CG]

Those only came in Corvette optioned trucks. Special hand painted vacuum gauge numbers too.

[DoobieBrother]

Someone painted on those numbers trying to emulate the font of the original. Maybe they were running turbo and wanted the gauges to look as stock as possible.

['68OrangeSunshine]

Sure looks like it's calibrated at 0 -30 "Hg, with a green/yellow/red band like a mid-70s Cessna 150 Manifold Vacuum [Mixture] gauge.
May be rigged for some heavy-duty hard hauling ore trucks that have to climb out of a pit with a big load. The hip pocket fuel gauge is interesting, too.

[eightbanger]

Originally Posted by CG

Those only came in Corvette optioned trucks. Special hand painted vacuum gauge numbers too.

[68C15]

Originally Posted by Longhorn Man

very interesting... it was in a 10 - 30 series, the 40 and bigger trucks bezal wasn't like that... close, but not quite the same.
.

really? I can't remember the last time I looked at a MD. any pics?



a 5000 RPM tach and a vacuum gauge favoring the lower end (10 to 15") makes me think a V6. but I would think a V6 would have a speedo that only goes to 50 MPH.

how did you acquire it? do you know the application by chance? or for that matter which region of the country it came from? my truck has a rear view mirror that I have never seen anywhere else. it IS original, but the PO/OO bought it new from an implement dealer.


edit; I see the lights on the left and wipers on the right. that means 69 and newer, right?

[Longhorn Man]

the tach is the same one that came with normal gas engines.... 5 grand is the highest tach you could get in a 10 - 30 series.
Attached is an inst panel in a C/40 and up truck... look where the column comes up, if you don't see it right away, then scroll up to the one in question.

And after asking my dad (a Cessna owner) I have to agree with the following...

Sure looks like it's calibrated at 0 -30 "Hg, with a green/yellow/red band like a mid-70s Cessna 150 Manifold Vacuum [Mixture] gauge

[special-K]

We can question the vacuum gauge,but that fuel gauge makes it factory for me.Even if someone with alot of talent painted up the gauge,what gauge is it and how would it work properly?The vacuum gauges we`re used to aren`t used for gauging fuel consumption,color-coded ones are and they need to need larger to me more visible.The bezel could be swapped or maybe in a special lighter truck.How about a +11,000# C/30?

[Shane]

Could it have something to do with a PTO option?

[Ricks1971]

Well I'm not really sure what it came from but I will most likely rebuild it and put a big fuel gauge back where the (not sure what its for gauge is). It is very interesting though!

[too much stuff]

Can we see a better pic of the fuel gauge? And a pic from the back? If you look close at the "vac" gauge, you can see the idiot lights at the bottom. Pretty sure that is a fuel gauge that was modified. Backside pics could help determine. Pull the sockets out and hold it up to the light and see what they read. I would think the little fuel gauge would be electric. How does that hook up? If it is just for looks i would say it is an oil gauge that had the L and H touched up. I think someone had alot of time into this for some reason. I think it is pretty neat...

[special-K]

Looking again I can see the letters show it`s home made.The p.o. of my `72 GMC mounted a vacuum tuning gauge that`s still there.It`s cool,you can monitor your fuel/air mix for optimum mileage.

[slow72]

Looks like they made the fuel guage out of a oil pressure guage face. The 'E' lines up so they just had to black out the other letters and turn the 'P' into an 'F' and so on.

[clay68c10]

Someone probably used a re-calibrated water temp gauge for the fuel gauge. If you change the resistor on the back of the gauge, it will read with different sensors. I re-calibrated my temp gauge so it wouldn't be in the red at 200.

[tdave00]

Originally Posted by clay68c10

Someone probably used a re-calibrated water temp gauge for the fuel gauge. If you change the resistor on the back of the gauge, it will read with different sensors. I re-calibrated my temp gauge so it wouldn't be in the red at 200.

Also, look real close at the letters in "FUEL". There's something a little weird there. The first two letters are lower than the last two. The letters in the other guages don't have this oddity. Not "buying it".

[breeh]

Do the "dummy" lights have the same labels as a standard fuel guage?

['68OrangeSunshine]

Originally Posted by Ricks1971

The back looks orginal. The only thing that looks modified is the hole on the right side of the bezel.

That hole is either for a Choke or Manual Throttle. The throttle would be necessary for a PTO set-up.
Also it's from a '70 or later rig. '67 & '68 trucks had the Wiper-Washer switch on the left above the Lights switch.
TDave-- I agree, the letters looks like LetraSet, a dry transfer decal you could use a stylus to rub letters onto surfaces. Very big before computers.
I wonder how he rigged the Vac gauge? The needle is GM, perhaps off the stock Fuel gauge and Speedo. Could be a surplus A/N aircraft Mixture gauge ['40s - '60s vintage] -- bombers and transports had larger instruments. Vacuum gauges are aneroid instruments, not electrical.

[special-K]

I believe it`s home made,a decent job,really a cool idea,and would like one like it.why does the fuel gueage need to be as big as the speedometer,anyway?

[MonteSS454]

I like the small fuel gauge. Shoulda been made that way and a bigger tach in the place of the big gas gauge.

['68OrangeSunshine]

Originally Posted by MonteSS454

I like the small fuel gauge. Shoulda been made that way and a bigger tach in the place of the big gas gauge.

Yeah, but where would you put your Vacuum gauge? [I just remembered they called it a "Suction" gauge in aviation -- "Mixture" was the rod control next to the throttle that went from Lean to Rich and was connected to the carb. It's been a while.]