Decisions Hood tach or not???
 

I've got this 70 455HO cloned to be a Judge! Some buddies want me to put the hood tach on & so do I but I just hate the thought of cutting a hole in the hood. Just looking @ some photos not all judges came w/ the hood tach or did they. (Option?) Any suggestions?? However I did see a Judge in the Pontiac mag same Palladium w/ black top & flat black hood tach looked pretty sweet!

Linklater, grow some b.lls and cut that hole in the hood like your brother did.

With all that horsepower, you'll rear end somebody looking around your steering wheel trying to see the dash tach...

Gimme a call before Xmas.

Purist view
 

I'm a purist, so I'd say if the hood is original, don't cut into it. Adding stripes to a GTO to make it a clone is reversible, cutting a big old hole in the hood is not.

Any idea of cost of another hood

Any idea of cost of another hood. It is a #'s car!

They repo those hoods. I think around 350 or so. I'd get one of those and cut it long before I'd cut an original #'s. Then you would have 2 and then it's just a matter of interchanging them when you get the inkling for a change.

I've done the same on my 72, except it's for my deck lid. one I have a spoiler mounted, one not.

PB said it. It is YOUR CAR not anyone elses!!!! You can sure tell by the advice to just go ahead and cut it up. Hole in hood is not an easliy fixed item.

Anyone have or seen a repro hood. What kind of quality??

From what I have heard, the aftermarket hoods fit well, but they need a little trimming for one of the hood scoops to fit properly(not a big deal) and the middle part of the hood has a line that is a little too well defined that needs to be worked to look a little more smooth to be factory looking. I guess neither is that big of a deal.

Has anyone had problems with this aftermarket hood hitting the fan shroud? The pics of the aftermarket hood I've seen doesnt have the divet for the fan shroud in it like the original 69-70 hood has. They disigned the hood just like a 68 that uses a different fan shroud. Anyone?

Keith

I haven't used one, but If it was mine, I'd pick up the second hood and cut that one - a good used one if I could find it.

repo hood
 

I had a repo hood on a '69 I owned. No problems.. It was already painted when I got the car, but fit and finish seemed good, I never noticed any issues, and I'm kinda picky.

If you have ANY doubts, I suggest you order the repro tach. When you get a load of the blueprint for cutting the hole (hole??? It's the freakin' grand canyon) you may have 2nd thoughts. Although I promise if you decide to you will only cry for a second! Have a quality body man do it for you...so you don't have to witness it & keep the cutout...would make a great metal drink coaster! That 1st night time drive with that tach glowin on the hood and the needle sweepin across the scale will instantly erase any doubts you may have had. 1 of my friends is a die hard ford guy (there is just no accounting for taste) and he NEVER fails to drool over the hood tach! I know if ford ever used a hood tach he would instantly install 1 on his excruciatingly rare ford. DO IT!! It is, IMHO, 1 of the coolest things ever put on a car! And as a possible dealer installed option, any car could have had 1. Of course the ultimate solution is a 2nd hood.

dude... BEAUTIFUL car! i remember seeing the silver GTO in HPP you mentioned. totally gorgeous!

i say GO FOR IT! i got a hood tach from the parents many moons back for my 16th birthday. seeing a hole cut into my T37 was traumatic, but it was well worth it.

Link, why worry about a new hood, just do it and cut that hole, that's what they did at the factory or dealer, that's what you have to do to get a hood tach! It will be just like it came from the factory . . . . . .

I'm trying to find a pic of my ride with the hood tach prominently shown, can't find a good one . . . anyway, the hood tach is a really cool option, looks really cool, more people comment about the hood tach than anything else . . . . really adds that muscle car look . . . .

I agree with Pepper, easier to see through the windshield, you can put a clock in the RH pod . . . .

Take it to a body shop and let them do it, it comes with a template. Just make sure it looks stock, outside is body color, inside is flat black . . . .. put a thin bead of clear silicon rubber underneath to keep the water out, the repros are plastic and are a little uneven . . .

They look really, really, good on 70-72s . . . .

Thanks for all the comments my brother just did his #'s 69 droptop w/ tach & spoiler & it does just set the car off from before. There's a good guy in Clagary that builds GTO's etc that did my bros so I think in the spring & will have to do it. I can't see myself ever getting rid of the car anyhow. My brother has a new tach w/ the 5500 red line just waiting for me. One more question? I think it would look best to have it flat black to set off the black top? Or should a guy paint it silver?????????? Just another kind of cool note he was born in 69 & I was in 70. GTO's are top shelf!!!!

Sweet looking vert - but is that anti-freeze?:eek:

I THINK the only ones to come with the tach painted black was the polar white judges(and the rear spoiler to match), but I could be wrong. Pretty sure any other color came with the same as body color tach(and spoiler).

Ford did use a hood tach on around 1970 cars like the boss mustang. I think it was a dealer option and it was made by Dixco. They are alot more cheesy looking in quality than the pontiac ones IMO, but they are worth alot more because of the rarity. I had actually bought one from JC whitney a long time ago for like 40 bucks because I thought it may have been the correct one for a pontiac(they had just a drawing in the book). Well it was taller than a pontiac one, had an adjustable redline needle on the face, was just cheapo looking to me and I didnt like the looks of it. So it sat in my closet. Fast forward like 10 years I find some of them on ebay in the same box being sold as a Boss/Mach 1 Mustang Dixco hood tach and they were all selling for well over 500 bucks. Needless to say I put mine on ebay and fetched over 600 bucks for it :D I wish I would have bought out JC whitney of them back then. ANYWAYS, the moral of the story is, I dont know what ford your friend has, but some of them did have a hood tach as a dealer option and would be correct if he loves them so much. I do like mine and whenever people see it that have never heard of such a thing, they think its just the coolest thing :).

Link, your Palladium goat looks terrific, stock in every other way that I can see, why paint the tach black, it won't look right, IMO, agree with 428GTO, seems I read too that only the Polar Whites had the black tachs . . . .. .

link- I say make the car the way you want it especially if your going to keep the car. Why spend $360 plus shipping plus bodywork & paint to get a different hood only to have the original hood sitting around with the possibility of damage or theft if your going to keep the car anyway. It would probably be cheaper to fix the hole in your hood if you ever decide to go back than the initial install of a different hood. Good luck.

As far as I know, white cars were the only ones with blacked-out tachs. I'd do it body color (silver). Friend has a white RAIV Judge with white tach/wing. IMO looks better than black.
428..thanks for the info! I'm emailing him tonite about ford tach. If he can find that it was a dealer option I can almost guarantee he'll have 1 next year!! If you were curious, he as a special order 70 cyclone spoiler 429CJ that makes 70 hemi cuda verts look common place (1 of 3 and they can't find the other 2). Yea, I know, it's not a hemi vert and it never will be, but an awesome car nonetheless. He has all documentation on the car, so if not a dealer option he'd never do it, BUT.......if a dealer option...he'll be on ebay till he finds 1!! Thanks again!
Oh, yea, I repeat...link, paint yours silver, in my opinion. I think it will look better and you'll never have to hear anyone say, "only white cars had black tachs!"

I just went and did a little searching and it looks like they were mostly dealer installed on 69 and 70 boss and Mach 1 mustangs. Its possible that they could have been on others of the era but thats all i found in a brief search. Good luck!

As GtoGuy said, don't get a repro hood and leave the original one lying/hanging around........guaranteed you'll back into it with your quad.

Gettin at it. Scott is going to bring tach @ Xmas. She'll be on by spring.
Merry HO HO to all! Thanks

But now you will have 2 tachs
 

Does your car have a tach in the dash? Hood tach sounds great - wish I had one on mine, but two tachs will look kind of funny.

Thats why you get an in dash clock to replace the in dash tach, It's too bad they are such a pain to change though. Dash removal is pretty much necessary I think, at least partially.

http://i20.ebayimg.com/02/i/05/ca/5c/8f_1.JPG

I like the hood tach, and i would keep the car looling original with a silver one. Also, it is good to see you have kept the original outside mirror. I love the look of the original chrome remote mirror.

My friend's 72 has one- installed it myself. Dale couldn't do it, or even watch... It is funny to see people about twist their necks off looking at it on the road.

I know it will look silly w/ 2-tachs but the one indash has a rev limitor in it! As of right now the dash is quiet & has no squeaks. Hood tach will be going on "Silver". I will through a pic out there in a couple months Thanks, Cheers.