Latest Acquisitions…

I have no intention of being a hot rod part collector. I’m just not one to own “wall hangers” or to hold on to shit that I might use “someday.” Instead, I always have it in my mind to own and buy just the stuff that I need and nothing that I don’t.

Of course, intentions aren’t reality when you have the disease and regardless of my sermon above, I have found myself with a pretty impressive collection of steering wheels, a shitload of rare valve cover sets, and… more gauges than I will ever use.

Here’s how it happens:

I’ve been cleaning up the dash of my recently acquired ’49 Ford coupe by ditching the reproduction S/W greenline accessory gauges and getting the stock cluster compatible with the nailhead motor under the hood. There’s also a greenline tach mounted on the column and while  I appreciate the functionality of the RPM reader, the location gets in the way of the overdrive lever. So, I decided to make a change.

And while I was at it, I figured I might as well do something as period as possible and throw the repro tach in the same box as the accessory gauges that I tore out of the car. So, I placed a wanted ad on the H.A.M.B. for a decent 1/2 sweep Sun tach. Before long, Moriarity shot me a text offering up the perfect solution. It was a 6k red football tach that could have been made anytime after 1956.

Mark didn’t have the transmitter, but another HAMBer did and I was set. I got both in the mail and quickly sent them off to Williamson’s Instruments for a solid state conversion.

Job done, right? Wrong.

In the meantime, I got another private message from a HAMBer that had a later 8.5k red football tach that was in mint condition and already warmed over by Williamson. Now, an 8.5k tach isn’t appropriate for the shoebox… but, the price was right and it was so damned cool. And… And… even though I don’t have a use for it, I couldn’t help myself. I bought it.

So now I have two great tachs ready to go. One has an immediate use and the other doesn’t. It’s a shelf sitter. And I don’t give a damn.

That’s how this shit happens.

BTW, I still need a good Sun tach cap as well as the mounting bracket for a flat surface. Anyone holding?

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In any case, what was your latest hot rod part acquisition. Post a pic…