Wanted: Vacuum gauge and Tach for 63

[63 Chevy Stepside]

Anyone have a good source for orig or replica vacuum gauge and tach for a 63? I think early classics has a tach for about 200.00 any others? I would like both to balance the cluster. All input welcome.

Thanks

[firenuttz]

do you want one for a chevy or gmc?, i have 2 for a gmc but they run off of a gear drive connected to the cam on the back of the block on a 305 v6

[jocko]

You're right, stock tach available a few places. I've found the best vac gauge match to be a mid-60's pontiac vac gage - similar lettering, and the sweep is such that it fits well in the funny shaped window on the left (opposite the tach). Was at Pomona for the LA roadster show and picked one up - the guy had THREE, and all were overpriced. It was a little embarrassing, but when we "almost" made a deal on one of them - I whipped out my handy vacuum hose strip that I carry with me at swap meets(!) and gave it a good inhale. Zilch. 2 of the 3 gauges he had weren't workin at all, including the one that we were about to close on. So, after that, he kinda drastically dropped his price on the one that did work just to shut me up I think. It worked and now the one working gauge is on the floor of my garage awaiting the proper moment to become one with Ol Blue.

[kieth]

I went on craigslist and found a nos batometer (sun) and a original sun tach 5000rpm for my 66 gmc, I used searchtempest to search the whole usa and came up with both items in just 2 weeks. I also found a set of gmc hubcaps paid $20.00 for them and the guy never shipped them to me.....so buyer beware on craigslist.....Kieth

ended up looking like this...http://kieth.smugmug.com/Trucks/66-G...8_X8WmmMg-A-LB

[kieth]

Originally Posted by 63 Chevy Stepside

Anyone have a good source for orig or replica vacuum gauge and tach for a 63? I think early classics has a tach for about 200.00 any others? I would like both to balance the cluster. All input welcome.

Thanks

I went on craigslist and found a pontiac vacuum gauge, call this guy

Nick 713-941-1554 Houston, TX

I saw one on ebay for $256.00

[jocko]

Yep, they werent' cheap at the Swap Meet either - for good ones, the guy was asking $175. But that was wit the chrome housing (common housing to similar pontiact tachs - which was fortunate because he had a tach with a cracked housing and was happy to part out the vacuum gauge guts to me - since I wanted to do an in-dash install, this worked out very well..) In the end, I got the guts of a working vac gage for about $70 I think. Still not cheap in my book, but was the whole reason I went to the swap meet. But then again the T5 I stumbled on along the way wasn't a bad thing either!

[Greg63]

Here is mine with the Pontiac vacuum gauge;



You can see it better here; http://67-72chevytrucks.com/gallery/...ser=35732&sl=g

Greg.

[markeb01]

Nice job, it looks like it could be a factory installation.

Just a suggestion for anyone shopping searching swap meets or junk yards for a used vacuum gauge. If you have one, bring along a hand operated vacuum pump like a Mityvac

Amazon.com: Mityvac MV8000 Automotive Tune Up and...
so you can measure the accuracy of the gauge. I've bought several used vac gauges over the years and every one of them read between 3-10 pounds low. Having contacted most of the advertised instruments rebuilders, I never found any that had the ability to recondition a vacuum gauge (of any brand) so you're kind of stuck with whatever you get. In addition to checking accuracy, this will also let you test for leakage if the gauge won't hold a setting.

[63 Chevy Stepside]

Thanks for all the info guys. Firenuttz, I need them for a chevy, with a 1991 350 engine. I don't know if I want to put 400.00 plus into two gauges. I would like the tach, but don't know if it would look out of balance without something else on the other side. May just hide a tach under the dash or something. I do like all your pictures Kieth. I enjoyed looking at them. Maybe I will look around for the vac 1st and see if I can find a Pontiac one before I get the tach. Greg63 your cluster looks very nice, thanks for the pic.

Rick

[63 Chevy Stepside]

Greg63, what tach is that in your cluster? I looked at more of your pics, very nice, great work.

Rick

[jocko]

Nice install - that is the same gauge I bought. 63 step, the gauge will work an any engine, vacuum is vacuum. I understand where you are comin from thought - it COULD be a lot of money - but for the vac gauge, I bet you can find one at a swap meet for much less than $200. The ones I saw for $175 were in perfect condition (except they didn't work.... but the guy was sellin em as if they did). Anyhoo - remember that all you need is the guts and the face - this guy was happy to part it out because the chrome cup and, mounting bracket and "pontiac" faceplate were all unneeded by me and easily sold by themselves without the vac gauge guts. So, I wouldn't give up just yet. Maybe wait it out for a few swap meets or something. I'm not sure what NE has to offer - but I have to admit, I'm feeling pretty lucky to be back in socal, dry car and old parts heaven.

[Greg63]

Originally Posted by 63 Chevy Stepside

Greg63, what tach is that in your cluster? I looked at more of your pics, very nice, great work.

Rick

Thanks Rick.

I bought both the vac and tach gauges off of eBay.
The tach is a Sun tach that was intended for a column or hood mount. It had the chrome cup attatched. I took it all apart (including prying off the chrome face to remove the lens) and worked it into the cluster. Sun made the tachs for our trucks back in the 60's so getting an 8cyl 12v stand alone tach was cheaper than trying to get the exact one for the cluster, and as you see it looks proper.

I think I paid $20 or $30 for the vac and $50 or $60 for the tach 4 or 5 years ago.
Greg.

[lakeroadster]

Originally Posted by Greg63

Here is mine with the Pontiac vacuum gauge;

Greg.

Man that is one sweet dash set-up. Nice job.