C body Tach interest

[70NEWYORKER]

I was going to offer some help and with a bit of digging have found that the 70 Plymouth and Dodge clocks are wholly different than the Chrysler one I have on my shelf. Keep forgetting they had many ways to skin the same cat.

 

[cudak888]

I was going to offer some help and with a bit of digging have found that the 70 Plymouth and Dodge clocks are wholly different than the Chrysler one I have on my shelf. Keep forgetting they had many ways to skin the same cat.

It's surprising how much Mopar went bespoke on some of their very similar components. By comparison, I lost count how many different Fords, Mercurys, and Lincolns shared the same clock (and if not identical in appearance, identical in mounting) - or similar-enough-to-swap headlight switches, radios, wiper switches, etc, etc.

I swear though, I think the plastic armrest unit in my '68 Satellite (4-door) is the same casting from the same supplier as the one in my '71 Mustang. Someday I'll have to actually take both apart to find out.

-Kurt

 

[Fury Pursuit]

There is no separate part number for a Tach bezel. They used the same bezel regardless of Tach, oil , clock or nothing . As I recall, even the blank is a block off plate

Dave is correct.

 

[cudak888]

View attachment 171559 View attachment 171556 View attachment 171557 View attachment 171558

This is phenomenal, thank you. It explains why I thought the bezel was a different size: The clock housing is a full quarter inch wider than the tach: 3-3/4".

Now the dirt and witness marks on the front of the clock I'm working with make perfect sense - and now I have a better sense of what scale the tach is to the clock.

It also gives me an idea of the room I've got to play around with behind that bezel.

-Kurt

 

[cudak888]

I've been toying with a slightly simpler design than the one I did earlier - I won't have time until this weekend to build it, but I'm hoping it'll be less fiddly and complicated.

I also figured out a better way to mount the gauge face - which should take care of most light leaks. Unlike the '68 Satellite's tach, this design doesn't require the face to float from the tach - which should allow me to omit the two mounting screws in front.

One other thing - I'm re-thinking the idea of rotating the tach mount so the needle sits at 0 on the horizon line. There's no need for this. When the stock needle is removed and replaced with the 3D printed part, re-positioning the needle when the tach is at rest will achieve exactly the same thing. It'll sit where it belongs at 0, and it'll peak at the proper location at 6k.

-Kurt

 

[polara71]

Without it looking like the original I wouldn't be interested.

 

[cudak888]

Without it looking like the original I wouldn't be interested.

To each their own.

As I mentioned at the start, this version would require an existing clock bezel plate which automatically negates any semblance of originality where you can't see it. Since it'll be made out of two different 3D printed plastics which everyone will have to paint themselves AND uses a cheap Chinese tach, it doesn't tick the box of original materials or components either.

That, and the center of the needle isn't steel, it's one whole 3D printed part.

All this is supposed to do is put a smile on the faces of owners who want the novelty of an original-looking tach without spending the same price of a junkyard project car to get it. It's why I did the one for my '68 Satellite, and why I'm doing this one (and I'm not making diddly squat on it either).

If you're interested in impressing Galen Govier on the other hand, this project isn't for you. It isn't going to stop me from finishing, now that I've started it.

-Kurt

 

[cudak888]

Some more progress tonight. I'm one of those who prefers a certain level of functional elegance, and I just couldn't stand the curvatures and fussiness of the previous housing. Knowing what I know now about the clearances and actual size of the tach, I came up with this.

It might be more material to print and slightly costlier, but I feel much happier with the end result:

With the face insert. By making the face fit to the housing, and not to the tach, I'm able to omit the two mounting screws in front which give the tach away as a repop. The screws were necessary on the Belvedere/Satellite tach because of the way that particular dash is designed, but not here.

-Kurt

 

[cudak888]

Just checked - housing price is currently around $45 at Shapeways, not including the inner bezel.

I still have to put two guides on the bottom, but I'm going to try a few tricks to shave material off this thing to bring the price down while building the remaining bits.
-Kurt

 

[barnfind]

Moving right along, looks good Kurt

 

[cudak888]

Moving right along, looks good Kurt

Thanks, Bill.

Honestly, I kinda wish I could find something out there, available really cheaply, that just so happens to have a clear acrylic lens that's 3.5" x 2". Anything straight off the shelf that you could find anywhere in the U.S. (rather than ripping up a factory clock) and equally ideal (not to mention probably less scratched up than a used C-body clock lens).

I know this could be laser cut by two different companies I know, but that's just adding needless additional expense.

-Kurt

 

[Welder guy]

This is a great thread I will be watching it closely. Mark me down for a tach for sure

 

[71Polara383]

Thanks for taking the time to try this! While I would love to have an original, first I would have to find one, and have the money to spend on it. Both of those things happening at the same time is the hard part. I am paying attention very closely to this thread. While it's not a "correct" part, it can still function and fit with the dash layout in the car. I'd put something like this in my car before mounting a big stupid tach to my column or dash.

 

[cudak888]

FYI, I've decided to hold off on committing the design to what you see here. I'm convinced I can find something out there - cheap - that can be repurposed for the lens. If it can avoid the additional purchase cost and destruction of an original clock, all the better.

If not, I have a source to get clear acrylic laser cut to the correct size. The only thing is that - between the acrylic and the vinyl decal - it may make more sense for me to sell these already painted and assembled. And since I don't want to run afoul of our host Joey's rules about selling, I may have to do these through eBay. I don't know.

Either way, the goal is to have a completed tach that can be sold for under $100 (better yet, cheaper) so long as I neither make nor lose anything in the process.

-Kurt

 

[Welder guy]

FYI, I've decided to hold off on committing the design to what you see here. I'm convinced I can find something out there - cheap - that can be repurposed for the lens. If it can avoid the additional purchase cost and destruction of an original clock, all the better.

If not, I have a source to get clear acrylic laser cut to the correct size. The only thing is that - between the acrylic and the vinyl decal - it may make more sense for me to sell these already painted and assembled. And since I don't want to run afoul of our host Joey's rules about selling, I may have to do these through eBay. I don't know.

Either way, the goal is to have a completed tach that can be sold for under $100 (better yet, cheaper) so long as I neither make nor lose anything in the process.

-Kurt

You could use a clear welding helmet lens. They come in all sorts of different sizes and prices.

 

[cudak888]

You could use a clear welding helmet lens. They come in all sorts of different sizes and prices.

That's an excellent idea, though almost all of them seem to be 4.5" in width - which would get in the way of the mounting holes. There's a deal at my laser cutting supplier though, and I'll probably have some acrylic cut up to exactly 2" x 3.5".

I just saw this thread though, and I'm wondering if anyone would really care for the 3D printed one at this point:
I finished building my 69 fury dash Tach today

Opinions?

-Kurt

 

[71Polara383]

If someone would produce something that looks just the one welder guy produced I'd want two right now. Just saying. I don't care if it's 3d printed or my old clock. It just has to be the spitting image of the original tach without the price tag.

 

[barnfind]

Kurt, are you concerned people want new? or is a a fitment type of issue from the clock that wont work? If one from a clock works, I just scuff old lenses up w 2500 grit and polish, voila!

 

[barnfind]

I put one of the B kits together and it was a fun project, took less than and hour once I had all the paints and parts in one spot. Cutting a clock back is an option. I did like how easily the B tach housing and guts went together with the kit. I hope you press forward with this Kurt to give the C crowd another option. The needle button is still needing refinement, and welder guy did an outstanding job with his build especially the tach face. my.02

 

[cudak888]

If someone would produce something that looks just the one welder guy produced I'd want two right now. Just saying. I don't care if it's 3d printed or my old clock. It just has to be the spitting image of the original tach without the price tag.

Kurt, are you concerned people want new? or is a a fitment type of issue from the clock that wont work? If one from a clock works, I just scuff old lenses up w 2500 grit and polish, voila!

I'll keep on chugging away with the 3D printed version then. I've been a bit busy trying to take care of another partially printed 3D printed project in the meantime and haven't had time to work on the tach, but as soon as that one is taken care of (I have to get it and its video done by next weekend), I'll get back on the job.

My desire to get away from the clock is just to prevent a bunch of nice old C-body clocks from getting converted into tachs. It could wind up in an eventual ruination of good original clocks, worthless as they may be.

-Kurt