1960 tachometer, what kind of engine?

[firstgear]

My 1960 does not have the original engine in it, but to the best of my knowledge the tachometer is still the original. It has a limit of 6500RPM, does anyone know what kind of engine and intake was the originial set up or is it not possible to tell from the tach?

your wisdom as usual is appreciated!!

Herb

 

[JohnZ]

There were three different tachometers in 1960, none of which had a max dial of 6500; need the following information to see which one you have:

1. Generator-driven? (Only F.I. cars had distributor-driven tachs)

2. Max dial reading (biggest number at end of travel)

3. At which rpm do the various colored ranges start and stop?

 

[firstgear]

will have to check this weekend when I can get back to the car....from memory it seems that the maximum RPM reading was 7000...grrr....I suffer from CRS....Can't Remember Sh*t.......will check this weekend....

oh yes...one more dumb question...how would I know if the tach was generator driven versus distributor driven? what would I look for?

 

[JohnZ]

Unless your '60 is a fuelie, it has a gearbox on the back of the generator that drives the tach cable; will look like the photo below (except your generator is on the passenger side - photo is a '57):

 

[firstgear]

I will have to get pictures....I think the tach drive is long gone from my car....I know for sure that there isn't a set up like that on the back of my generator....my generator looks kind of like that....but my generator is on the driver side of the car....not passenger....

forgot to say, my bad, that the engine that is in there now is about a '73 Camaro 350 cu in....I am trying to figure out what was in there....besides the tach is there any way else to figure that out?

 

[JohnZ]

Not really - not many "clues" on a C1 other than the tach to tell what was in there originally. Fuelies had a tapping plate riveted to the driver's side inner fender for attachment of the air cleaner, but that's about all. If it's not a fuelie and there's no tach drive gearbox on the back of the generator, don't see how the tach would work, unless it's been converted from mechanical to electronic. Got any pics of the engine compartment?

 

[firstgear]

will get some this weekend.....

 

[firstgear]

got my picture.....

here is the picture of the tachometer...

so what kind of engine might the car have had in it?

 

[firstgear]

engine compartment....looking from the right side of the car to the left side of the car....

if I need to blow up the picture in any area to make it more clear I can....this motor is a 350 cu in from about a '73 Camaro according to the casting numbers on it. I am trying to get an idea of what was in it originially....before I go hog wild on changing things....

 

[Tom Bryant]

Hi Herb,

I can see many things in your engine compartment that have been changed from original but I think there are a few clues that we can pick up on. Starting with the tach; it is the one used with the hi-lift solid lifter engines. That would be the 283/270 hp dual quad or the 283/290 hp fuelie engines. Of course we can't rule out the possibility of someone changing the tach at some time in the past but for now we'll asume it to be original.

Your generater and regulator should be on the passenger side. If it had been a fuelie there would be holes on the hood lip just above where your regulator is mounted for a steel bracket that the air cleaner mounted too. Also there would be another hole in the area of your regulator for the lower air cleaner brace to mount too.

The Air cleaner used a 4 3/4" flexible hose that ran from the air cleaner foward to that round fitting on the radiator support that's just under the hood support. Depending on what month your car was built the hose could have been supported by one, 2 or no brackets bolted to the inner fender panel. Look for screw holes along the panel where a bracket (strap) would have been bolted above and below the hose. All 1960 cars had another bracket that bolted lower on the side panel and retained the hose just to the rear of the radiator support connection.

One of the most telling items to look at is the radiator suppoert connector it'self. On the front side (grill side) look to see if the hole is covered by a circular flat steel cover held in place by 4 pan head Phillips screws. If this panel is in place it was most likely NOT a fuelie. Fuel injection cars didn't have the plate because that's where they took in air and the 4 holes for the cover screws were not drilled. No holes, no plate it's probably a fuelie.

You can also check inside your front render panels to see if there is any evidence of Fuel Injection nameplate holes that have been filled. Most people would just smear some bondo in them so there would be some sticking through from the rear.

There are some other differences between engine installations but over the years with engine changes a lot of these clues are lost.

Tom

 

[firstgear]

thanks Tom.. I will have a look at see based on your coments....I won't be able to check for a couple of weeks....but after I do I will let you know what I found....(can't check very easily as the car and I are apart by about 35 miles, so usually need a reason to go over for an extended time frame to get bang for the drive, but I will let you know what I find).

thanks again....stay tuned!

 

[JohnZ]

Some suggestions for you to put on your "things to do" list when you get to it:

1. The 4" flexible fresh air hose to the heater inlet is missing; that will let engine compartment fumes into the cockpit through the heater. I'd replace that - it clamps to the heater at the rear and to a collar on the radiator support at the front with clamps, and has a bracket that supports it in the middle against the inner fender.

2. Someone has removed the spacer between the water pump pulley and the fan, so the fan is rearward of the shroud; this may cause some idle and in-town cooling problems for you. Install the spacer (Paragon has them) and it will place the tips of the fan blades half-in and half-out of the rear of the shroud so the fan will really pull air through the radiator.

3. I'd replace the rubber hose and plastic fuel filter from the fuel pump to the carburetor with a steel or braided line and fittings; all that rubber hose isn't safe on the pressure side of the fuel pump.

 

[firstgear]

Some suggestions for you to put on your "things to do" list when you get to it:

1. The 4" flexible fresh air hose to the heater inlet is missing; that will let engine compartment fumes into the cockpit through the heater. I'd replace that - it clamps to the heater at the rear and to a collar on the radiator support at the front with clamps, and has a bracket that supports it in the middle against the inner fender.

2. Someone has removed the spacer between the water pump pulley and the fan, so the fan is rearward of the shroud; this may cause some idle and in-town cooling problems for you. Install the spacer (Paragon has them) and it will place the tips of the fan blades half-in and half-out of the rear of the shroud so the fan will really pull air through the radiator.

3. I'd replace the rubber hose and plastic fuel filter from the fuel pump to the carburetor with a steel or braided line and fittings; all that rubber hose isn't safe on the pressure side of the fuel pump.

wow...good catch on all that stuff!!! right now I am trying to figure out what to do...one of the things I am look ing at is replacing the motor with a ZZ4...and possibly a DeWitt radiator with the electric fans.....anyway you guys could make some house calls to the far west side of Cleveland?

thanks, Herb