Pics of Lark dash with Tachometer

[edpjr]

Several people had asked me about this find from an obscure used parts place in rural NC. It's a dash from a 1964 Daytona 4-dr, V-8, automatic with single exhaust. The motor, trans and everything else usable on the car is gone. Someone even destroyed the vehicle ID tag in the door jam. Why it has a tach, I have no clue. Seems like a very odd combination. The tach looks like the one in my Avanti.

[JDP]

Nope, that's a Lark tach. (Avanti with a silver disk)

[58PackardWagon]

64 Lark tach added later

[StudeRich]

It is from a Avanti Powered '64 Lark Type, it has the red lines. Must have been a just for fun add-on to the "not needed" Car instead of a ho-hum non-working Clock!
Sounds like something I would do, because I can!

[candbstudebakers]

with the black ring around the outer edge it looks like the one in my 64 super hawk, did 64 lark ones use the black ring??

[8E45E]

Why it has a tach, I have no clue. Seems like a very odd combination.

It does seem rather out of the ordinary, but I saw a similar case in a plain-jane (Canadian) 1965 Pontiac Strato Chief 6-cylinder two door sedan, except that it had a factory vacuum gauge. The vacuum gauge goes where the clock normally went, but usually the ONLY time one would ever see a '65 Pontiac equipped with a vacuum gauge is when it came with buckets and a console which contained the clock. This plain base model car I saw had the standard split-back bench seat, and no 'performance' engine/transmission options at all which made it 'odd'.

Craig

[Bob Andrews]

a plain-jane (Canadian) 1965 Pontiac Strato Chief 6-cylinder two door sedan,Craig

Wow, never heard of a 65 Strato Chief, and never saw a full-size 65 with a 6. Probably NA in the U.S., correct?

[8E45E]

Wow, never heard of a 65 Strato Chief, and never saw a full-size 65 with a 6. Probably NA in the U.S., correct?

They wern't stocked in the U.S., but a dealer could have special ordered one just as a Canadian Pontiac dealer had no problem ordering a Bonneville or a Catalina. I'm not sure about 1965, but I seem to remember reading a few of the high-performance Canadian Pontiacs (keeping in mind they came with 396 and 427 Chevrolet engines) were sold new in California as they could compete in the 'stock' class for the few who wished to have something different than the rest of the Chevrolets racing around on the track.

Craig

[Jim B PEI]

That's interesting Craig. I have only seen that gauge with V8s, with the bucket seats and console too (4 original cars, mostly 'back then') But, if it was going to be anywhere. it would be in Canada, since we have been obsessed since forever with gas mileage with our perpetually higher fuel costs. Ooops, I think that one of the 2door V8 cars had the gauge on the dash.

"Strato-chief" was available with a 6. (I seem to recall that the Laurentien was the low cost line in Canada, and Parisienne an upgrade, and that these names were adopted after 65 or 66--probably having to do with production at the Ste-Therese QU auto plant north of Montreal) Think of it as a Canadian Pontiac "Skybolt Six" type of thing. Actually, I remember seeing full-sized Chev wagons--like in 67? 68?, with the 250 six and Powerglide, and since Canadian Pontiacs were for the longest time both in thought as well as deed Chevrolets with Pontiac front, rear and styling cues, not really surprising.

Since they were 'Chevs' some hot Pontiacs with Chev engines were about. GM Canada liked playing at both ends of the market. <g> You could get a Camaro in 67 with a *230* and a Powerglide, at least in Canada, at least in early production. (My big Chevrolet book makes no mention of it, but since it is an American book, it might have lost sight of a few things Canadian) My mother tried one out, but went instead with a Camaro with a more powerful 250 six (155 versus 140 HP) and Powerglide.

I just ran across a Canadian Wagonaire hulk which has the vacuum gauge in the dash in the centre of the clock delete plate. Will take pictures onb the Spring parts recovery mission.

[Johnnywiffer]

Was there an optional clock that fitted somewhere else on the dash if the tach was in the clock space? Or didja have to carry a sundial to tell time?


John

[8E45E]

That's interesting Craig. I have only seen that gauge with V8s, with the bucket seats and console too (4 original cars, mostly 'back then') But, if it was going to be anywhere. it would be in Canada, since we have been obsessed since forever with gas mileage with our perpetually higher fuel costs. Ooops, I think that one of the 2door V8 cars had the gauge on the dash.

This car was in our local Pick Your Part about 15-20 years ago. Since the engines in those cars are the same as '65-'66 Studebakers, I ALWAYS check out a same-year Pontiac under the hood when I see one. This '65 Strato-Chief was no exception, and that vacuum guage did catch my eye. I knew the Pontiac guys would be all over this, so I removed it and sold it at a swap meet a few years later. The clerk at the parts counter at PYP had no idea what it was and had to explain to him its function, but that gauge was definitely installed at the factory as the stud nuts and vacuum line, etc. had no signs of a 'later install' apperance.

Craig

[junior]

You could get a Camaro in 67 with a *230* and a Powerglide, at least in Canada, at least in early production. (My big Chevrolet book makes no mention of it, but since it is an American book, it might have lost sight of a few things Canadian) My mother tried one out, but went instead with a Camaro with a more powerful 250 six (155 versus 140 HP) and Powerglide.

My neighbour has a factory 230 six '67 Camaro with 3spd manual trans and the RS package with a vinyl roof...very strange combo. I keep offering to buy it from him, but he won't sell it, and he won't do the rust repair either...drives it once or twice per year, very sad. Junior

[8E45E]

My neighbour has a factory 230 six '67 Camaro with 3spd manual trans and the RS package with a vinyl roof...very strange combo. I keep offering to buy it from him, but he won't sell it, and he won't do the rust repair either...drives it once or twice per year, very sad. Junior

That sure sounds familar! When I worked at an Esso station in the early 1980's a customer came in with a clean, low-mileage '67 Camaro with a 6 cylinder standard. It was the dark blue metallic with blue bench seat interior, though I don't recall it having a vinyl top. I just remember it as a nice original car that was purchased new by his grandfather. I wonder if its the same car??

Craig

[studebaker-R2-4-me]

with the black ring around the outer edge it looks like the one in my 64 super hawk, did 64 lark ones use the black ring??

Yes, the same tachometer used in 63-64 Larks. It is the exact same size as tachometer and speedometers used in Hawks. GT Hawks Tachometers have the an inverted arrow head needle painted white as with their Speedometer which is entirely different from this example. The difference between Lark's and Avanti's tachometer's is the size of the centre round aluminum disk

Allen

[edpjr]

Did you get my email? It took me longer to dig this thing out than I had planned.

Yes, the same tachometer used in 63-64 Larks. It is the exact same size as tachometer and speedometers used in Hawks. GT Hawks Tachometers have the an inverted arrow head needle painted white as with their Speedometer which is entirely different from this example. The difference between Lark's and Avanti's tachometer's is the size of the centre round aluminum disk

Allen