Submitted by bsheridan@rest… on Wed, 06/17/2009 - 16:54

I recently bought a 1954 XK120 OTC with a 1961 Corvette 283 V8 engine installed. The XK120 came with an after market electric tachometer by Sports Comp.

Does anyone know how hard it would be to find and adapt an XK150 electric tachometer to the Chevy engine or perhaps use the electric signal from whatever source the Sports Comp tachometer now uses.

I live near Los Angeles. Can someone recommend an auto electric company or person that can help me convert to an XK150 electric tachometer (first I need to locate one).

Submitted by bob5837@roadru… on Thu, 06/18/2009 - 05:26

Thanks to both Dave and Willian for their help

I was suprised Dave remembered my vintage XK120 racer. It had a very low mileage 1952 engine & transmission that would have been perfect to replace the Cporvette engine in my XK120.

Anyone out there willing to "donate" an XK120 engine for a good cause? The good cause being to help me to replace the Corvette engine in my XK120 with a real XK120 engine! My kitty kat deserves better than to be part Chevy... :-)

Submitted by woebegone@mind… on Thu, 06/18/2009 - 00:23

I think the tach drive you are looking for has an odd output that only drives the tach (no external power or grounds). Closed loop.
Same as or similar to MK2, E's, etc.
The issue is, WHERE are you going to connect it?
You cannot tap into the camshaft on a SB bowtie.
Flywheel blocks access from the rear, water pump (and timing cover) from the front.

Mallory used to make distributors with a cable tach drive out the side that would work with either the original cable drive tach if the direction is correct, or to mount a tach generator.
What I would do, as an old hot-rodder, is mount the tach unit behind the original face, see if I could connect an original needle to the tach, and see how it works.

If you have a sweep on the existing tach that is close to the Jag unit, you might get away with it.

Too bad you got rid of that race car.

Coulda dropped the engine into this one, put the SB into the race car......