Tach

[GilroyRacing]

Does any one have a tach in the mercury, and if so how did you wire it up?

[GilroyRacing]

also what about oil pressure and fuel pressure.

And what about the trans temp as well?



thanks for the info

[Mercracer]

All new tachs and guages will come with wiring instructions. The tach connects to your ignition coil and to power and ground. If you have an MSD box, they have an output for your tach so you connect to that unstead of the coil.

[Archangel]

The major issue with aftermarket gauges in these cars is not so much how to wire them up, but where to locate them - unless you build a console to put on the tranny hump, there really ain't no place where they'd look good.

[CheeseSteakJim]

I'm planning on clamping a tach around my steering column, as long as I can find a place to set it where it doesn't get in the way of the other gauges, but I can still watch it.

I've often wondered why no one's attempted to make some A-pillar gauge mounts out of some wire and fiberglass, maybe with bondo to smooth it out a little. Could be a hot item to sell to the Panther crowd.

Now I wish I had removed the a-pillar from my parts car before I junked it.

[1987cp]

More common tachs like those from AutoMeter are easy to wire: just ground, ignition hot, and a third wire goes to the green side of the coil connector.

I also have a cheap tach I got from JCWhitney for about $25; that has four wires - basically the same thing but it connects to both sides of the coil instead of just one. Took a little trial and error to get it wired, too, since it didn't come with clear instructions like my AutoMeter did.

[biglinc1]

wish i had the LSE pkg on mine, then i could put the marauder gauges on there and swap out the cluster too. kinda thinking about a grille/headlight/parking light change anyway to give it a better exterior look

[1987cp]

Not up to speed on whale-body stuff; what's LSE stand for?

[Archangel]

I'm planning on clamping a tach around my steering column, as long as I can find a place to set it where it doesn't get in the way of the other gauges, but I can still watch it.

Man, if you gonna do it do it the right way - bolt the tack to the steering column's top plastic cover, and use bolts with washers and lock nuts when you do that, also hide the wiring under said plastic cover - much clean install than a huge worm drive clamp and buncha wires all over the place.

[1987cp]

Man, if you gonna do it do it the right way - bolt the tack to the steering column's top plastic cover, and use bolts with washers and lock nuts when you do that, also hide the wiring under said plastic cover - much clean install than a huge worm drive clamp and buncha wires all over the place.

Point, but a big aircraft clamp does have a strong precedent in American hotrodding, plus it's less permanent if you decide to do something different a year or so into the future. A short piece of 3/8" wire loom will take care of the wiring mess if you like the coarser look.

Incidentally, no one should overlook the possibility of a 2-1/16" mini tach being installed in place of the factory clock unit (this is what I did initially). Looks decent, works great, no hacking of original parts required.

[CheeseSteakJim]

Man, if you gonna do it do it the right way - bolt the tack to the steering column's top plastic cover, and use bolts with washers and lock nuts when you do that, also hide the wiring under said plastic cover - much clean install than a huge worm drive clamp and buncha wires all over the place.

lol, that's what I meant to say. I didn't think to go into that much detail on the subject though. :P

Incidentally, no one should overlook the possibility of a 2-1/16" mini tach being installed in place of the factory clock unit (this is what I did initially). Looks decent, works great, no hacking of original parts required.

Well, my clock on my Town Car is different from yours in that it's an analog one and it's in the gauge cluster. I could hypothetically cut it out and replace it with a tach, in fact I believe I've seen someone do just that. I love my analog clock though, it's just too classy and gets too many comments to remove.

[87_crown_vic]

i think somebody has done an "A" pillar gauge cluster before. they just bought one and used a heat gun to form it to the "A" pillar.

[1987cp]

Well, my clock on my Town Car is different from yours in that it's an analog one and it's in the gauge cluster. I could hypothetically cut it out and replace it with a tach, in fact I believe I've seen someone do just that. I love my analog clock though, it's just too classy and gets too many comments to remove.

Oh well, my way worked great in the Mercury it was installed in. I guess a Town Car doesn't have any analogous holes in the dash that would conveniently house a single aftermarket gauge, huh?

[Lincolnmania]

mine is held on to the column with a zippie tie

[P72Ford]

I have the autometer sport comp 0-8K, 3.375" pedestal mount tach. I have it mounted on the A pillar, hidden behind the spot light. Mine was a four wire setup: tach sender (picked up at a plug on the drivers side inner fender (not right on the coil), ground, switched 12V surce, and illumination. It took me an hour to install it cleanly, with its own harness. Oil pressure can be picked up right above the filter. I made a tee and attached the gauge sender to one end, an the factory idiot light sender to the other end. It works well. The best tubing to use for a mechanical unit (nice full sweep) is actually a hose. There is a local place around me that makes braided steel hoses, although they are expensive. The copper tubing is okay, but it tends to crimp in my opinion. I chose to use the nylon hose. I covered it in a length of vacuum hose to sheild and protect it. That way there it is bendable, and also protected. I think it works very well, although a braided hose would be the ultuimate.

Trans temp, you can put a sender in the pan (electric or mechanical). You can buy a drain plug kit ($7 at summit/ jegs; to put a plug in your factory pan), and then just install the 1/8th inch NPT sender instead of the drain plug (into the plug housing). I think thats the simplest and most leak free method. I was going to do it, but I have no more room for gauges.

Fuel pressure is cheap if you put it outside the car (mechanical; on the hood, etc), expensive if you buy an isolator to bring it in the cabin ($150+ at Autometer). I guess you just tap into the fuel rail. Use the fuel line on a carbed car.

If you are looking for mounting locations (I have a 90 CV): I have O.P and water temp where the radio used to be. I have vac on the tunnel under the ash tray, and I have volts mounted to dash, so that it hangs right in the instrument cluster. If you have a radio in the stock location, consider a pillar pod. You will need to modify it as they don't make one for a Box era panther.