Vintage Stewart Warner tachometers can operate on a four-, six- or eight-cylinder engine with simple switching in the rear of the tachometer. They come as mechanically-driven or electrically operated. The tachometers have small lines representing graduations of 100 rpm with the large numbers representing 1000-rpm graduations. The tachometer is a vital instrument in a high-performance vehicle. It indicates how fast the engine is turning, its powerband and its limits.
Determine the best location for the vintage Stewart Warner tachometer, affording the best viewing angle, with a surface suitable for mounting and where the wires can be concealed.
Set the tachometer to the proper setting for your engine by positioning the switch on the rear to 4-, 6- or 8-cylinder. Mount the tachometer with the provided hardware. Locate a switched power source on the fuse block, using the voltmeter. Make sure the circuit is open when the ignition switch is off and on when the switch is in the "run" position.
Locate a switched power wire on the headlight switch harness just to the lower left of the steering column. The main harness connector is the best place. This is the large wire connector under the left side of the dash.
Connect the red wire from the tachometer to the fuse block main switched power using the appropriate wire terminal connector. Crimp it with the crimping tool and wrap it with electrical tape.
Connect the white wire to the switched headlight wire at the main harness. Use a butt connector, crimp it and wrap it with tape. Connect the black wire to a good ground on the engine block with a circular terminal. Make sure that it is a clean, tight connection. Connect the green wire to the negative terminal on the coil using the appropriate connector, once again wrapping it in electrical tape.
