In my current project I have a mechanical tach as a place holder in the dash. I have a couple electronic tachs I'd like to run, first one then the other when I complete the set, still need a speedometer. Both are Stewart Warner and both require transmitters, which I do not have. My first thought was to buy a transmitter that could work for either, but also was considering converting the tachs to modern self contained units. 'did a little on line research and watched a couple videos on the conversion, looks simple enough but thought it would be good to hear what others that have done it have to say. Picture of mechanical in dash and the alternate electronics..
Paul, this is what you need. Early solid state sender. They show up on eBay occasionally and sometimes come with a tach like this one I got at a swap meet and when I took the cup off there it was
Try contacting E-Bay seller's navy32 or sixty 7 gt-500. They deal in high quality SW vintage gauge's. They're kind of pricey but it's usually NOS stuff in the box. Hope this helps.
My buddy sent an ancient tach to a guy up your way to have it updated and cleaned up. It came back quickly looking fabulous. We haven't tried it yet - I have his engine here in my shop. I can get the info from him if you like. Honestly, I wouldn't worry for a minute about modifying an old tach as long as it looks the same and you can put it into use in a car. They are pretty useless not working and just collecting dust on a shelf in the shop. Gotta get 'em out there where folks can admire the timeless style of the old gauges.
I'm watching this thread with interest because I have a similar issue. I have a 5" Stewart-Warner Vac-Tach I'd like to convert too but it is a very different design with a electric motor drive controlled by a module that fits inside a 1950's model distributor. That won't work for me because I want to eliminate the motor drive because its too long and bulky to fit in my roadster dash the way I want and the old distributor modules are unobtainable anyway. Any suggestions or leads on somebody that could convert it to modern guts?
I'm guessing that was Seattle Speedometer. They do great work. Moved from Seattle to Ellensberg a few years ago.
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