6 volt positive ground tachometer

[std1940]

I am looking for tachometer recommendations for my Forty Ford 6 volt positive ground.
Stock motor 85HP with distributor converted to electronic ignition.
Thanks Tom.

[tubman]

I make a box that will run any commonly available 12 volt negative ground tachometer on a 6 volt positive ground system. This allows you to have a large variety in your choice of tachometers. There are some 6 volt positive ground units available from an outfit called "Westach", but they are expensive and kind of "agricultural" looking. Here is a short video I made showing it in operation :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaxpuDkWAqc.

It starts with the engine off; then the engine is started and revved a few times; it then scans down to the converter box itself, and then down to the 6 volt Optima battery, showing it is really 6 volts, positive ground.

[1931flathead]

How much are the boxes

[JM 35 Sedan]

I bought a small 2" face diameter Westach tachometer to use in my stock 35 fordor sedan that is still 6V positive ground. Cost was $124.65. They also have a steering column mount bullet housing and a light kit available as accessories. This is a very nice compact tach that does very well for what I wanted or needed. You can see their complete product line at www.westach.com

PS...if you do a search here for "tachometer" you will come up with four pages of posts on this subject. In several of the posts I checked, Westach comes up quite frequently as a good choice.

[tubman]

Originally Posted by 1931flathead

How much are the boxes

I get $120 plus 7.60 shipping.

[flatheadmurre]

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Tubmans box works very well.
Have run it in both my F1 and on my engine stand for over a year with no issues.

[54vicky]

I have several tach's from our racing days good quality I have been debating for a while buying one.how much to L6H 2C3 in Canada?Pm me if you like lack of tracking this post will be best.if not wanting to send out of lower 48 no problem

[FireEngineMike]

John, Do you have an original coil on the distributor (with ballast resistor) or a remote coil (without ballast resistor)? I read here awhile ago that the resistor does not allow enough voltage to trigger the Westach.

[tubman]

Originally Posted by 54vicky

I have several tach's from our racing days good quality I have been debating for a while buying one.how much to L6H 2C3 in Canada?Pm me if you like lack of tracking this post will be best.if not wanting to send out of lower 48 no problem

I'll check out the cost the next time I go to the post office (which is usually daily, since we don't have local mail delivery; I just sent one to Wales, and though it was kind of expensive, their estimate was right on the money). I think that these are a real good deal for guys that already have tachometers they like, since they can use them as is.

[JM 35 Sedan]

Originally Posted by FireEngineMike

John, Do you have an original coil on the distributor (with ballast resistor) or a remote coil (without ballast resistor)? I read here awhile ago that the resistor does not allow enough voltage to trigger the Westach.

I have an original distributor mount coil that was rewound by Skip Haney, a stock ballast resistor, an Optama 6V battery, and a Fun Projects electronic voltage regulator/cutout on my 35 fordor sedan. Perhaps the person who was having trouble, had something else wrong with their ignition system that caused too much of a voltage drop at the coil.

[JM 35 Sedan]

Originally Posted by FireEngineMike

John, Do you have an original coil on the distributor (with ballast resistor) or a remote coil (without ballast resistor)? I read here awhile ago that the resistor does not allow enough voltage to trigger the Westach.

Here's a post below from 2015 where several other folks are saying the Westach 6V tachometer is working well on their 6V system, and you also mention again that you've read somewhere that this tach will not work on a stock system. I'm wondering if you can give me a heads up to where you read this, I'd like to read the details he may mention on his setup.

https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showt...ght=Tachometer

[Tinker]

I'm curious. Wouldn't it be more beneficial to have a in-car vacuum gauge. You can hear rpms. Just asking as I don't know???

[flatheadmurre]

Depends on what you´re after...if you have a redline...and bad things happen after passing it...a tach is a good thing...
You want mileage...vacuum gauge would do it...
Tach ads that vintage race feelgood to...and the feelgood factor is never to be forgotten...
The issue with helmet distributors are that the coil voltage is around 3v making it in the middle between 0-6v....the tach thinks 0v is no signal and 6v is pulse...so if the triggerlevel is set to high it will not recognize the pulse of a helmet distributor.

[mike42]

I bought the Westech 6V model 4 years ago and it's really a nice unit. Small and fits perfect behind the steering wheel on column.

Mike

[FireEngineMike]

John, I am pretty sure it was on the Barn, just after I bought an original rebuilt coil from Skip. I have held off installing the coil and ordering a tach as a result. I cannot find the post with the issue and apparently did not copy it to a text file. I will go with your success and buy a Westach in the spring. Thanks.

[adileo]

This statement by Flatheadmurre is very true:

The issue with helmet distributors are that the coil voltage is around 3v making it in the middle between 0-6v....the tach thinks 0v is no signal and 6v is pulse...so if the triggerlevel is set to high it will not recognize the pulse of a helmet distributor.

Westech wont work with this setup, I called them and asked

[std1940]

Thank you for all the information !!!!!!!!
Thanks Tom.

[tubman]

My partner (who is an electrical engineer) in my "Tach Driver" project did all of the design of our circuitry. I talked to him today and he said the he can easily set the "trigger level" to any voltage required by changing one resistor.

[JM 35 Sedan]

Originally Posted by adileo

This statement by Flatheadmurre is very true:

The issue with helmet distributors are that the coil voltage is around 3v making it in the middle between 0-6v....the tach thinks 0v is no signal and 6v is pulse...so if the triggerlevel is set to high it will not recognize the pulse of a helmet distributor.

Westech wont work with this setup, I called them and asked

I thought this was pretty well explained in these previous posts....yes?/no?

https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showt...hlight=Westach

https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showt...hlight=Westach