1965 Chrysler 50 Tach Hook Up

[Fabuglas]

I have a 1965 West bend "Golden Shark 500" Which seems to be basically identical to a 1965 Chrysler as they bought West Bend that year. There is a tach wire (Orange) for a tach. I would like to buy a tach and spedo that match each other for the boat I am installing the motor on. The tach salesperson told me that I need to determine the pulses, or voltage in order to make sure he has a tach that will work with my motor.

Does anyone know the information I need to properly select a tach that will read accurately? Is it possible to hook a tach gauge to this motor or is the lead for a hand held service type tach only?

 

[Justinde]

Re: 1965 Chrysler 50 Tach Hook Up

I would go for a tiny tach. They are a digital unit.

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: 1965 Chrysler 50 Tach Hook Up

Whether it is magneto ignition or points, battery, and coil ignition. the tach is the same: A standard tach with multiple settings by a switch on the back--1,2,4,6. The pulses are one (1) per revolution. The signal is either taken from one of the kill wires if magneto ignition or one of the coil wires(I think negative side) if point, battery and coil. If your West Bend has positive ground, I don't know if a standard tach will work AND I don't know it they are easy to find. A tiny Tach just might be your only option.

Be aware that for some unknown to me reason I have NEVER been able to get a tach to function correctly on a Chrysler 2 cylinder 45, 50, or 55. Perhaps Nordin will chime in with some advice.

 

[Fabuglas]

Re: 1965 Chrysler 50 Tach Hook Up

Thank you for the advice.
I was incorrect in my post. The tach wire is a Purple wire according to the owners manual. It runs in the wire harness down to the ignition switch with other wires such as the Orange temp sensor. This idea to install a tach just may be more trouble than is worth doing. As far as setting idle adjustments, I can simply error on the low side by ear to avoid damaging anything when I am shifting into gear. I am learning why this motor was given away.
I appreciate the Tiny Tach idea. I may do that just to have a reference for tune ups. I am trying to restore this 1964 Fabuglas 14' runabout this motor came on. Adding modern instrumentation and controls would certainly be a great upgrade that provided some reliability as well as possible safety upgrades. That said, it would look out of place installed in a boat of this vintage.

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: 1965 Chrysler 50 Tach Hook Up

While it is not possible to accurately set idle RPM by ear, it is possible to set it approximately.

Set the RPM high enough so that the engine idles reliably without stalling when in forward gear. It should "clunk" when shifted into gear but the noise should not be overly loud or harsh and the boat should just ease forward as the engine goes into gear, not lurch.

However, when checking propeller sizes, it is not possible at all to determine wide open throttle RPM without a tachometer. Even an overpropped engine will sound correct to the ear. Thus, performance will always be approximate unless checked with a tach.

Vintage tachometers do come up for auction on ebay and you may be able to find one.

 

[Fabuglas]

Re: 1965 Chrysler 50 Tach Hook Up

Sound advice Frank. Thanks again.
I have emailed a couple of places that specialize in salvage and parts for old outboards. I am hopeful they will have a tach for my motor.

I need to investigate the correct prop dia and pitch for my motor and boat. What is currently on the motor seems undersized for a 50 HP. I believe the correct prop info will be mentioned in the owners manual for the boat. It seems odd to me that the lowest part of the motor is the skag at the bottom of the prop shaft housing. I have not seen that before. This leads me to believe the dia of the prop is undersized.

 

[Nordin]

Re: 1965 Chrysler 50 Tach Hook Up

Fabuglas your engine with batteryign. use the purple wire for tach signal. The purple wire is connected at the rectifire soo the tachsignal is an AC signal from the alternator. You have to count how many pols the alternator has, I beleave it has 20 then you have to buy a tach for 20 pols. Chrysler had a tach that was multiple 2,3 and 4 cyl. Try at ebay but I think they are not so common. I have one.... but not for sale.

 

[carholme]

Re: 1965 Chrysler 50 Tach Hook Up

Re post #6:

The skeg is there mainly to protect your prop and because it sits lower than the prop tips, I do not believe is a valid reason to assume that the prop is undersized. As Frank states, you determine the correct prop based on WOT rpm, using a tach.

My worry would be if the prop did sit lower than the skeg.

Gerry

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: 1965 Chrysler 50 Tach Hook Up

If your engine is indeed the same as Chrysler, the correct prop diameter is 10 3/8 to 10 1/2 inch diameter. Pitch will vary, most commonly from 11 1/2 to 13 1/2 inches but others can be found

 

[Nordin]

Re: 1965 Chrysler 50 Tach Hook Up

There is one (problem)? different. The old WestBend/Chrysler up to 1967 I think, did not have a propshaft with splines. It had a shaft with a sharepin. Newer props with splines can be bore, you can change shaft to one with splines or change the lower unit if you want. A lower unit with spline propshaft can be just bolt on. The ratio is the same.

 

[byacey]

Re: 1965 Chrysler 50 Tach Hook Up

This motor is positive ground. You can easily reverse the polarity to negative ground by reversing the coil terminals, and changing the rectifier for the alternator.

Once you have done this, you can use pretty much any stock automotive tach with this interface circuit:Tachometer interface for old OMCs - Bill's simplification - Slideshow View