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Electric Tach Question... made by Smiths?
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Cal-Neva speed shop
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 04, 2016 8:18 pm    Post subject: Electric Tach Question... made by Smiths? Reply with quote

Hey guys, I have had this tach for some time now but I had a question about it. It's an electric tach but the cup says "Smiths Motor Accessories". Has anybody seen a tach like this? Does anybody have any information about it? It's puzzling why an English company is associated with a German product. Thanks!
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tom coughlin
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 05, 2016 7:02 am    Post subject: Re: Electric Tach Question... made by Smiths? Reply with quote

Interesting especially since it says VDO on the front. Here's the picture of another one;
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 06, 2016 9:37 pm    Post subject: Re: Electric Tach Question... made by Smiths? Reply with quote

It looks to me like someone found a Smith's tach that closely matched the original porsche tach in size and face layout/sweep, and they simply combined the two gauges. The chrome bezel from a Smith's gauge won't work with a 356 tach housing without some creative modifications (speaking from experience here), so my guess is that someone figured that out and decided to use the nearly all of the Smith's gauge to avoid making the 356 electric tach conversion a lot more work.

Many Smith's gauges and Porsche gauges from around the same era (possibly even European gauges in general???) can share very similar dimensions as far as parts go and can sometimes be interchanged (not to mention, replacement parts are easier/cheaper to find than 356 parts). Hell, they could have used silver button 914 guts, a Smith's tach housing, glass, chrome bezel, and 356 face (dial) and needle (for the sake of argument). You'd have to send it out to be recalibrated, but it's not all that far fetched, IMO. Just my 2 cents.

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PostPosted: Sun Feb 14, 2016 6:25 am    Post subject: Re: Electric Tach Question... made by Smiths? Reply with quote

It's a very nicely done conversion, that's for sure. The Smiths guts appear to be the RVI style current sensing type with the wire from the ignition switch looping through the back of the tach (no direct connection) before going to the coil positive. I suppose this was done for a 356 that was converted to 12V? Most if not all British cars were 12V post war and I've never seen a Smiths RVI tach that was 6V. Just curious about this one as I recently built a tach adapter for a fellow with a 356 electric VDO tach and have yet to find out if it will work. Tested fine on a 911 tach. Fred

youngnstudly wrote:
It looks to me like someone found a Smith's tach that closely matched the original porsche tach in size and face layout/sweep, and they simply combined the two gauges. The chrome bezel from a Smith's gauge won't work with a 356 tach housing without some creative modifications (speaking from experience here), so my guess is that someone figured that out and decided to use the nearly all of the Smith's gauge to avoid making the 356 electric tach conversion a lot more work.

Many Smith's gauges and Porsche gauges from around the same era (possibly even European gauges in general???) can share very similar dimensions as far as parts go and can sometimes be interchanged (not to mention, replacement parts are easier/cheaper to find than 356 parts). Hell, they could have used silver button 914 guts, a Smith's tach housing, glass, chrome bezel, and 356 face (dial) and needle (for the sake of argument). You'd have to send it out to be recalibrated, but it's not all that far fetched, IMO. Just my 2 cents.

Andy
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Jacks
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 15, 2016 6:40 pm    Post subject: Re: Electric Tach Question... made by Smiths? Reply with quote

Note how the Smiths/VDO tach does not have recepticals or lenses for the turn signal and hi beam indicator lamps.
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Cal-Neva speed shop
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 17, 2016 5:30 pm    Post subject: Re: Electric Tach Question... made by Smiths? Reply with quote

Here are some shot of the internals.


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Fred Winterburn
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 19, 2016 11:26 am    Post subject: Re: Electric Tach Question... made by Smiths? Reply with quote

Smiths RVI internals, most definitely. Those Hunts brand capacitors tend to crack apart, but sometimes they still work even with huge cracks in them. It looks like the filter capacitor (I assume that is the blue one) was a replacement when the tach conversion was done. The RVI is a good tachometer, but the conversion must have been done a very long time ago because there are better and cheaper ways to do it now that would keep it voltage sensing like the original tachs. Interesting piece just the same. I wonder if there are any more out there like it, Fred

[quote="Cal-Neva speed shop"]Here are some shot of the internals.
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ensys
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 24, 2016 10:25 pm    Post subject: Re: Electric Tach Question... made by Smiths? Reply with quote

Possible Take Two (or is it Three... or Four...):

As the trim ring attachment is decidedly not Porsche (note backside shot showing intact and matching slots and tabs);

As the face is clearly 4 or 5mm smaller than the case;

As we do not yet know the diameter of the case (what size hole is required, likely even inches);

As we do not yet know the diameter of the VDO face;

It is entirely a Smiths gauge with a VDO face, which may have been taken from some original application other than Porsche (I think (tho do not know) that the earliest use of VDO tachs in Porsches had indicator lenses)

Or not.
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