I have a 5-speed truck and wish to install an aftermarket tach at some point in the near future. The ones at Napa are not very clear on intallation instructions.

Any advice? Installing it in the cab seems pretty straightforward except for plugging it in for lighting power.

 

I bought mine at advance auto. It was very straight forward but be careful that you compress the splices when you tap into the negative wire coming off the ignition coil. I was going to buy a single pod a-piller mount to put mine in but it came with small bracket and I just screwed it into the a-piller right about the dash, fed the wires right down by the fuse panel on the inside of the dash corner, and down just below the steering column and drilled my 3/8" hole in the firewall. I routed the wires out to + and - on battery and green over to splice into the cable at the ignition coil. then I just plugged the white wire up to running lamps fuse so the back light only comes on when lights are one. It was a pc of cake. Get you some cable ties and run your wires wherever but not near a large source of heat.

 

I hope its not a HUGE autometer that has a HUGE yellow light that blinds you when you need to shift..... I cant stand when ppl put them in everyday vehicles.

 

Install of a tach is very easy. You just need a ground wire, a switched ignition power source, a light source that powers on with the dash lights, and then the tach signal comes from the wire off the coil (I think it was black with a brown tracer on my '99). For a tach signal, a solder connection is better then a splice. I also once read that for a tach, you should make your connection as close to the coil as possible. I can't recall why now, I think it has to do with signal strength or something.

I agree with 97Rampowerhouse. There are some really obnoxious aftermarket gauges out there. I went with this VDO tachometer because it almost perfectly matches the dash gauges, right down to the way the needle is designed.

 

I like that spot for the tac.
I'm adding a transmission temp gauge and I like your set-up, but it works better for a tac.

I'm going with this for my temp gauge, it was wither that or an a pillar with two gauges I really don't need...

 

I used to have my trans temp gauge in this pod, but decided a tach was better there. I moved my trans temp down to a dual pod (with a diff temp gauge) down below the ashtray.

I don't use my a-pillar for gauges because I put a grab handle there instead.

 

my tach was small enough to go on the a-pillar and look ok even without a gage pod.
I would have preferred a gage pod on either steering column or a piller but once I put it on the way I did I thought man that was quick and easy and looks fine to me. It was a $32 job.

 

Guys, I appreciate the guidance. I am NOT planning to put a huge drag racing Tach on my truck. I can barely make 70mph so I don't need all of that mess.

I like the small VDO that Silver_Dodge posted. I will either go with that or something similar.