# 1967 Hood Tach Installation



## My Custom S (Jul 26, 2008)

Good afternoon!

I have purchased a reproduction hood-mounted tachometer that I want to install on my 1967 Pontiac Tempest Custom. Although the tachometer appears correct, I'm not at all satisfied with the installation "template" that was provided. It makes absolutely no reference to location on the hood relative to the rear or left edges of the hood. Is there anyone who has a factory-installed hood tach that could tell me what the dimensions should be from the gauge face edge of the tach to the rear edge of the hood (nearest the cowl) and from the left edge of the tach to the left edge of the hood? This would greatly assist me before cutting into my NOS hood. This is my first time on this forum, unfortunately the POCI tech forum does not appear to be up and running yet and I have scoured the internet for this information to no avail, so I thought I would try here.

Thanks again in advance for any help you can provide!

Matt
POCI Memeber since 1994


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## 67/04gto (Jan 15, 2005)

when i put one on my 67 i centered up betweenn the braces above the master cyclinder


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## My Custom S (Jul 26, 2008)

67/04gto,

I appreciate the response. I have seen one installation where it appeared that the tach was installed into the rear brace somewhat. I don't know what is correct. I suppose at the end of the day I should put it where I think it looks best and fits my line-of-site. I don't know what the dealers used as a reference since they were dealer installed until a bit later in the '67 model run. I suppose they may have just stuck them on there where they thought it looked best from the driver's vantage point as well.

If I don't get any difinitive dimensions I'll just go with my gut.

Thanks again!


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## 67/04gto (Jan 15, 2005)

all the ones ive seen in person the tach wasnt drilled through the support thats why i just centered it in the center and i had it within eye sight


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## My Custom S (Jul 26, 2008)

I agree. According to the illustration I have seen there actually was a reinforcing strip that was used on the underside of the hood that the tach was riveted to and no part of the tach or installation hardware went through the hood reinforcing. I appreciate your feedback. Hopefully I will get a second opinion with some firm dimensions before I get started on this tomorrow. Out of curiosity, where dimensionally did your hood tach end up relative to the edges of the hood?

Thanks again and have a great night!

Matt


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## Eric Animal (Oct 28, 2007)

Hey Matt, Welcome....I have a hood tach at home for my 67. I also have a template. I will check it out tomorrow and post the results. Eric


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## My Custom S (Jul 26, 2008)

*1967 Tempest Hood Tach Install*

Hey Eric,

Thanks Man, I would appreciate any information you have. The tach I bought also came with a template but it only gave the information of the large hole relative to the four smaller holes for the mounting studs. It did not locate any of the holes relative to placement on the hood. Centering it in the bracing just above the master cylinder is where I'm heading unless I can get some more definitive information. Again, I appreciate any info you can provide!

Matt


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## Eric Animal (Oct 28, 2007)

Matt, If you measure out 9 inches from the rear of the hood (cowl), then measure out 10 inches from the edge of the hood (driver's side, at fender), the intersection of these 2 points will be the center of where to drill a 3-3/4 inch diameter hole. Next. set the tach into the hole and mark the location for the 2 stud holes. The tach should sit into the holes with the front edge touching the hood 4-5/8 inches from the hood edge (cowl)....According to my calculations this WILL involve cutting into the brace under the hood skin. This will make more work, but a better job as the tach will have more support........I haven't installed mine yet, as I have the original hood on my car....there isn't enough JIM BEAM inthe house right now to give me the b-lls to take a 3-3/4" hole saw to the hood  I hope this helps......put masking tape on the hood first and lay the job out......Measure 25 times then cut once...................Eric :cheers


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## Rukee (Feb 8, 2007)

I have a tourch, can I come over??


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## My Custom S (Jul 26, 2008)

Mr. Animal,

Thank you for the dimensions, that is what I was looking for and it appears to agree with what I have seen in the field as far as cutting into the rear underhood bracing is concerned. Since this is NOT a concourse trailer queen restoration underway, I will start with the dimensions given and then adjust from there. This particular tach has (4) mounting studs, so I'm not too concerned about utilizing part of the underhood bracing for additional support. If it means sliding the tach away from the windshield an additional inch or so to avoid the bracing, I may just do that. At the end of the day it has to sit dead center in my line of vision and not so far that I need to prop a magnifying glass on the dash!! This is an NOS hood but I've already had a visectomy so I'm ready to start cutting! I'll take a few pictures and let you know where I ended up and perhaps that will help you with your project. Hopefully my hole saw will do a slightly better job than Rukee's tool of choice, however before it's over with I may have well used one!

Thanks again for the info and support. I'll report back later.

Matt


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## Eric Animal (Oct 28, 2007)

Matt, Sounds like a plan to me.....Rukee's torch will cut faster, and is a lot more fun to use.......however, the hole saw will make a neater job. POST SOME PICS!!!!!! E the A


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## Rukee (Feb 8, 2007)

Eric Animal said:


> POST SOME PICS!!!!!! E the A


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## Eric Animal (Oct 28, 2007)

arty::agree


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## My Custom S (Jul 26, 2008)

Guys,

Finished the project and I'm very satisfied with the results. I learned alot from the endeavor and feel like I can comment intelligently on the subject. I will post photos and captions this evening. I will be able to assist you with yours now Eric, thanks again.

Rukee, cool photo! Maybe another time...


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## My Custom S (Jul 26, 2008)

*1967 Pontiac A-body Hood Tach Installation*

This may not apply to all aftermarket hood tachometers since the movement hump on the underside of it may be in a slightly different location, but for the one I bought off of eBay with the glass lens and proper blue/black face, this is how I installed it:


1. I measured 10.25-inches from the left edge of the hood and drew a line with a pencil from the cowl towards the front. 

2. I then measured how far from the rear edge of the hood at the line I just drew that the underhood bracing was located, noting the deeper "web" of the bracing at 6-7/16" from the rear edge and the "flange" of the reinforcing that extended 8-1/8". I did not want to cut into the deep bracing, or web, so I decided to locate my 4" O.D. hole such that the perimeter would just be beyond the deep bracing. This put the center mark of the 4" hole at 8-1/2" from the rear edge f the hood, again along the line drawn from 10-1/4" off of the left edge of the hood.

































3. I deburred the hole and then set the tach into it to locate the holes for the four (4) mounting studs. The face of the tach is 5-1/2" from the rear edge of the hood at the 10-1/4" line drawn first. Once the studs were located I drilled these out and deburred the holes.









4. This location is perfect for me because sitting on the seat and with my height being 6'-2" the top edge of the tach housing does not stick up beyond the leading edge of the hood, thus there is no obstacle with the road. I wonder if the GM engineers had thought of that one? Actually, I hadn't noticed that either until after I had set the tach, but it was a nice bonus!









5. The finished product as viewed from above
http://www.geocities.com/mjcortelli/dsc01787.jpg

Again this worked out great because I utilized the "flange" of the bracing as reinforcement to the two front studs without getting into the deeper "web" of the bracing where the studs would have been too short to penetrate. That would have been potentially disasterous! I was amazed that I could find no formal information on the web or in the Pontiac manuals or other literature that accurately described where to locate the hood tach. Although where I put mine may not have been the exact location technically, it is just right as far as this particular tach is concerned taking into account the bracing. To have installed this tach free of the bracing in my mind would have put it too far away from the windshield and it would have stuck up above the leading edge of the hood as viewed from the driver's seat. I hope this info helps anyone else looking to do the same project. Now I just have to restore the rest of the car!!


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## Eric Animal (Oct 28, 2007)

You're a brave man....looks real good. I wish I could figure out how to post pics like those.....:cheers Eric


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## Rukee (Feb 8, 2007)

Eric Animal said:


> I wish I could figure out how to post pics like those.....:cheers Eric


http://www.gtoforum.com/f10/posting-pictures-5063/
:cheers


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