• Welcome to the CaliforniaSpecial.com forums! - You are currently viewing the forums as a GUEST. To take advantage of all our site features, please take a moment to join our community! It's fast, simple and absolutely free.

    If you have problems registering or can't log into your account, please contact Admin.

    Please Note: If you are an existing member and your password no longer works, click here to reset it.

Dixco Hood Tachometer

RacingFan

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 3, 2002
Messages
146
Location
Hayes, Virginia
I know that Ford Dealerships offered dealer installed tachs on the Mustangs. Does anyone know if the Dixco tach was offered in 1968? How about the color? Would it have been painted body color? Thanks. I am considering buying one, just want to make sure that it is correct.
 

guest

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 28, 2009
Messages
603
I have an original "1968 FORD ACCESSORIES" catalog published by "FORD PRODUCTS MERCHANDISING DEPARTMENT, AUTOLITE FORD PARTS DIVISION" and they don't show any hood-mounted tachs available from Ford. However they do offer 2-styles of interior tachs...one called a flat tach, and the other a conventional dial tach. Don't know if that helps, but that's the information I have.

Scott
 

Invertedflyby

Member
Joined
Jul 31, 2005
Messages
13
I know this is an old post but I was just doing a google search and this came up. Did you ever find out any more info? My CS has a Hood Tach that says Ford on it, it is painted the same color as the car. The guy I bought it from said it was a dealer option but I haven't been able to confirm that. There is not alot of info on them.

After doing some research I think it's made by Dixco and it was offered by dealers around that time frame.

I'll be curious to see the Marti report when it gets here.
 

68 special

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 17, 2004
Messages
524
There's a guy here in Wa. , Graham, I believe that has a "dealer installed hood tach". I think he is the original owner. He has photos in the gallery. I think they were a dealer option. I have one on my car that I found at the swapmeet here. I haven't decided if I'm going to paint it or leave it black. I've seen them on Ebay and they can get pretty pricey.

Bret
 

Mustanger

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 17, 2005
Messages
1,974
Location
So Cal
[quote author=Invertedflyby link=board=1;threadid=260;start=0#msg14235 date=1126075119]
I know this is an old post but I was just doing a google search and this came up. Did you ever find out any more info? My CS has a Hood Tach that says Ford on it, it is painted the same color as the car. The guy I bought it from said it was a dealer option but I haven't been able to confirm that. There is not alot of info on them.

After doing some research I think it's made by Dixco and it was offered by dealers around that time frame.

I'll be curious to see the Marti report when it gets here.
[/quote]

If this tach is dealer installed, most likely it won't show up on the Marti Report (records of what came from the factory). From time to time, Branda sells a hood tach with the Ford logo on it, and I think he also says it was a dealer option ... :)
 

Invertedflyby

Member
Joined
Jul 31, 2005
Messages
13
Good point. I thought the Marti report only told what came from the factory. But how does he recreate the window sticker without knowing what options were put on at the dealer? Just thought I might get lucky.

I just got off the phone with the people at this place www.tachman.com They said it was an option at that time and the best way to tell is how it was put on. She said if it is screwed on it most likely came like that, but if there is silicon on it then it was probably added on. I don't know why people adding a tach would put silicon but oh well. The tach I have looks like the one in the upper left corner of that homepage.
 

meadowsdk28

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 22, 2004
Messages
172
Location
Martinsville, IN
I have a 69 Ford Muscle parts with the Dixco Hood tach in it. I bought a very good repro a few years back and still haven't put it on because I don't have the Nads to cut my hood. I really love the look, but not yet enough to drill!!

To answer the original question, I don't know if they were offered as a dealer installed option in 68. I do KNOW for a fact that as a young kid while going to work with my dad at a local Lincoln-Mercury dealer, I witnessed him installing a hood tach on a brand new Cougar. What year? Who they heck would I know. I was like 7 or 8 at the time. I just remember how my dad hated that he was cutting into the hood of a brand-new cougar.
 

6t8-390gt

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 19, 2004
Messages
490
Location
Central Virginia
I AM NOT FAMILIAR WITH A HOOD TACH BEING AVAILABLE IN '68, BUT AGREE THAT THEY WERE OFFERED IN '69. IS IT CORRECT? I GUESS THAT DEPENDS ON WHO YOU TALK TO. ANOTHER EXAMPLE IS THE LOUVERED TAILLIGHT PANEL OFFERED FOR 1967. IT WAS NOT A FACTORY OPTION IN 68, BUT AVAILABLE OVER THE PARTS COUNTER. IS IT CORRECT OR OK? I SAY YEAH, THE MCA SAYS "PROVE IT WAS DEALER INSTALLED" OR IT'S WRONG.
 

Invertedflyby

Member
Joined
Jul 31, 2005
Messages
13
In searching the internet I found a post on some other mustang message board about a guy looking for a Dixco hood tach for his '71 Mach 1. I emailed him to ask if he found one and what he knew about them. Here is his reply.

"yes i got lucky and found a brand new one (nos) on ebay that went fairly reasonable for not knowing if it worked(but it was new and had never been installed) dixco hood tach.....from what i have learned from these they were a factory and dealer option from ford on mustangs in 1968 and 1969 and 1970 models limited mostly to mach 1's, bosses(mainly) and also a very few made their way into 1971 were dealer applied they left over ones to 1971 mach 1,boss's thus this is why i bought mine as i do have photos of a 1971 mach1 with one dealer installed when the car was bought new in 1971.....i hope this info helps and i can assure you you'll enjoy it it is awesome..the ford labeled one is accurate and the most sought after model as ford bought these from dixco in the late 1960's and put thier logo on the tachs(ford oval) for the 68,69,70 mustangs in the higher classes models..................."

He sent me some pics of his restored car as well, it looks good.
 

rvrtrash

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 25, 2003
Messages
3,649
I would question some of the '71 guys research. The '71 Boss came from the factory with a tach in the dash and most, if not all, the 429 and 351-4 barrel cars did also, therefore no need for a hood tach. The dealer may have talked some poor sucker into putting one on a 302 or 2 barrel car just to get rid of it, but it sounds like this guy is just trying to justify his decision. I wonder if the only '68's that would have possibly received one is left overs that didn't sell until sometime in '69, when the dealers had them available for the '69 year? :-\
Steve
(Just thinking out loud here)
 

mca

Member
Joined
May 18, 2004
Messages
21
Dealer installed, therefore it was not painted body color, but normally installed in its original black color. Could an owner request the dealer paint it body color - of course, if the owner was willing to pay for it. It was available in 1970, and possibly 1969, but not in 1968.
 

68 special

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 17, 2004
Messages
524
In the gallery on page 8, Bill Norman has a dealer installed hood tach and he is the original owner. If you wanted more info you might talk to him. Just thought I'd throw this out to mull over.

Bret
 

Invertedflyby

Member
Joined
Jul 31, 2005
Messages
13
I emailed Bill Norman a few days ago but no response yet. I'm not a mustang expert, I wasn't around when they came out so I'm looking to better sources. I thought MCA was one of the Beastie Boys until I googled mca and mustang to see what ya'll were talking about.

I put all the information I could find in this thread. So far it sounds like there is a good chance it came from the dealer but again I can't prove that. Yes I would like for it to have come from the dealer but if it didn't that's okay because looks cool and I'm not planning on selling it. I don't have the original engine and tranny anyway so my car will never be "pure"

Too bad the dealers didn't have computers back then so the information could be retreived easier.

How does Marti create an accurate window sticker if he can't include dealer options? Does anyone with a Marti report have dealer options listed on it? Maybe the dealers reported what they added on to cars back to Ford.
 

nfrntau

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 15, 2004
Messages
1,020
Location
Rosharon, Texas
Y'all correct me if I'm wrong. The original window sticker would not include dealer added options. It would only include factory installed options and options ordered and installed at time of delivery by the dealer.
Once delivered to the dealer, the car would already have the window sticker on it. Anything extra added by the dealer at that point would not be on the sticker unless it was hand written.
 

nfrntau

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 15, 2004
Messages
1,020
Location
Rosharon, Texas
I got curious and called my Dad. He sold Fords starting in 1951 and was a dealer from 69 until 2000.
He has no knowledge of hood tachs being a Ford option in 1968.
He said that on any Ford car, if a dealer installed an option not originally ordered with the car and a window sticker was required on that year car, it would have been on a supplimental window sticker supplied by the dealer to the purchaser.
 

dalorzo_f

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 7, 2006
Messages
1,886
Location
Brisbane Australia
As noted above, the window sticker would be factory, not dealer, options... in general.

I would doubt the dealer would order a car, then guess what options a buyer may want and install them before selling... if they knew that it would be cheaper for them to get it that way from the factory, rather than invest the time and $ to add on extras that may not be wanted (or negotiated down on price at sale).

... and many dealer options were installed well after the initial sale.
 
Top