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MG TD TF 1500 - Electronic Tach

Hello all,
Is there an electronic tach available for the TD? I would certainly like to get rid of the jerky one in my '51 TD.
Mark
mhb Mark

Sounds like a chronometric tachometer. Any chance that your Car # is lower than 10751? Bud
Bud Krueger

Definitely. I bought an electronic tacho to reset my mechanical tacho to give an accurate reading, They are fairly universal and take an input from the distributor.
Dave H
Dave Hill

Don't expect to match the original though (without a lot of work).
Dave H
Dave Hill

Very doable. Did mine back in 1972 when I rebuilt the TD form a pile of parts.
I got a small electronic tack form Halfords in Bromley.
Scary part was to cut off the raised portion of the original Tack so the modern unit would just slip inside the case. It was a smaller diameter unit.
Then cut back the new case so the original clock would fit to the original case as before.
I used Epoxy to form a web around the join to hole it in place, at the correct height. The original face was mounted to the new tack guts and pointer attached.
There is an adjustment on the electronic tack for Range and sensitivity which you can use to correct any difference. In 1990 I had Vintage Restorations in Tonbridge calibrate it for me. But before that I had just tweaked it with a friend, using the data in the manual and STD set up engine and gearbox. 15mph per 1000 rpm. Has worked flawlessly for the past 48 years.
Added bonus is if anything goes south with the ignition system, you will see it on the tach. The Original drive and cabling still in place. You cant tell it has changes and the gearbox on the dynamo no longer brakes causing lose of tach.

Rod





Rod Jones

Bud Krueger: I have TD8986 since 1977 and it does not have a chronometric speedo or tach. Does that mean before my ownership someone changed them? Not complaining, just wondering.
John Quilter (TD8986)

Likely so, John. The T Type Restoration Handbook of the NEMGTR says that the changeover from chronometric to magnetic occurred at TD 10751 for LHD cars (Oct 5, 1951) and RHD cars at TD 10779 (Oct. 8, 1951). The ammeter was upgraded from 20 amps to 30 amps at that same time along with the on-off panel lighting switch being changed from a switch to a rheostat. BTW, the latest TSO says a new edition of The Handbook is due out very soon. Bud
Bud Krueger

Mark:

How is this?

I installed it three years ago in my '53 race car. (The original only goes to 6k and I run mine up to 6500 rpm.)

More info at:
https://www.autometer.com/5-tach-8-000-rpm-in-dash-arctic-white.html

Have fun.

Mark




Mark A. Sherman

Bud,
Sorry for taking so long to answer. Yes, its 10042.Bought it from Geoff Baker.
Mark
mhb Mark

Gentlemen:
I really liked Mark S's idea about the autometer gauge so I ordered on. Glad to be able to get rid of the tach drive and cable as I'm going to replace the dynamo with an alternator.
Mark B
mhb Mark

This thread was discussed between 09/08/2020 and 13/08/2020

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