Ok, first let me say "Thanks" for being here. I just signed up this evening, so let me jump right in with this...

I have a gauge style instrument cluster, but it has no tach. Today I visited my local JY and found a cluster in a '84 XLT that has a tach. 15min later it was on my front seat.

Thing is, I don't have a factory setup under my hood. After-market HEI and some other changes. So my question is...

Can I just hook up the factory tach in the new cluster hard wire? Would this be correct:

1 - to tach port on dist
B - 12v switched power
G & 8 - both to ground for V8 engines

Ideas?

Thanks!!

Oh, and do I need to peal back the PCB (green film circuit trace thingie) from the back of the tach, or just leave it there when I hard wire this thing?

 

On the 1987-96 F-Series, swapping the instrument cluster is a Plug-n-Play.

Ford hard-wired for the tachometer;
remove the original cluster and install the cluster with the tachometer.

It should work.

 

The best would be to open the donor cluster, remove the tach, open your original, remove the tach delete plate, install the tach, and put your original cluster back in. The truck is prewired for the tach - you don't have to do anything. If you disconnected the original coil wires for your aftermarket stuff, reconnect them to the aftermarket coil, and the tach should work (assuming it's not DOA).