LAT tach pic

[Hoghead]

Decades ago I took a MGB tach face, and blacked out positive earth and 4 cyl to make a poor mans version of the LAT tach. I now want something better for the new car

I have searched Google images and find a couple of "LAT tach" pics but they are not identical.
Does anyone have a pic of a genuine LAT 22 tach?

 

[michael-king]

From the LAT brochure...

Iirc a spitfire tach has same face

 

[Warren]

Try this

https://photos.app.goo.gl/QDoirsXvTfWKpDoi8


I have seen others that did not look this nice.

 

[66TigerMK1A]

Warren, I'd say that pic is another 'recreation' as the part# 00B is for a Sprite positive ground one. I have another recreation here but they put in 'V8' ... Both of those will be as inaccurate as original using the 'loop' on the back which all 'RVI'(impulse) tachs use... I'll post pics of my 'V8' one, one that sold as NOS on Sunbeamtigerparts.com which 'may' be the real deal and one I had built for my Sprite @ Smiths instruments which is a modern tach so not only would it take signal from a coil or elec. ign box, it's also adjustable from 2-16 cyl. and is VERY accurate! I wonder if I have some made similar to the 'NOS' one with modern 'guts' if there would be any interest in the 'Tiger' world ??

Michael... the RVI 2401 is generally for a Sprite/Midget and possibly early MGB... the 00B signifies positive ground ...I have several 'spares' for the wife's Sprite

 

[Warren]

Aussie version

I have a picture of the one from STP.com of John B's someplace. The letters are rather crude as pictured in the BoN as well.
I don't remember what is in my box of nice gauge's for car number 2 , but I would pick yours if it wasn't for the Lamentations reported , " that's an MG tachometer."

 

[66TigerMK1A]

Maybe I'll ask on Facebook if anyone is interested... I know I wouldn't be but then again I don't like 'pie' mags either so each to his own...

What I think is funny about the LAT22 catalogue page description...

- Fits in normal aperature without modification Geez probably wouldn't sell if you had to cut the dash to install lol


-Matches Sunbeam Tiger instrumentation - Really ? Bezel, pointer and font/size are completely different... how is that 'matching' ??

 

[0neoffive]

From Rootes in 1968

Purchased from Rootes dealer in 1968: The tach on the far right was from my original race days in 1968/69.

 

[Hoghead]

I have a picture of the one from STP.com of John B's someplace. The letters are rather crude as pictured in the BoN as well.
I don't remember what is in my box of nice gauge's for car number 2 , but I would pick yours if it wasn't for the Lamentations reported , " that's an MG tachometer."

The one shown on STP.com and the LAT brochure are not the same, hence my original post. I do not have a BON so nothing to compare
Or is the LAT brochure vapourware and the STP.com the real deal?
Did they change along the way?

 

[Hoghead]

Maybe I'll ask on Facebook if anyone is interested... I know I wouldn't be but then again I don't like 'pie' mags either so each to his own...

What I think is funny about the LAT22 catalogue page description...

- Fits in normal aperature without modification Geez probably wouldn't sell if you had to cut the dash to install lol


-Matches Sunbeam Tiger instrumentation - Really ? Bezel, pointer and font/size are completely different... how is that 'matching' ??

If we can determine what is "correct" and you make them, I will be first in the queue to buy one.

 

[michael-king]

Purchased from Rootes dealer in 1968: The tach on the far right was from my original race days in 1968/69.

Randy, your tach is the same as the ones used in the works rally tigers that they pod mounted iirc.

 

[66TigerMK1A]

My opinion/guess would be that the brochure one was a MG gauge with the 4 cyl etc blacked out for the pic The STP one looks like what ‘Smiths’ would have done IF they actually made them. I know that lots of Alpine tachs have been ‘adjusted’ to read reasonably (for a RVI gauge) correct so if it was a really low demand item, a few MG tachs could have been purchased ( did they have sharpies in ‘65?) and ‘built’ locally at ‘LAT headquarters? I’ve never heard of/seen one in a Tiger but not ruling out they existed. Too bad that Smiths box in the STP ad was turned the wrong way as I’ve had NOS gauges in original box and the part # is on there. I’m going to ask Smiths’ next week if there’s any record of that gauge but doubt they would if it was a small custom order 55 years ago

So... if I was to get some done...I think the brochure version would be best so when someone asks, you have that as ‘published’ evidence...hey,that’s all Wikipedia needs...that’s why there’s what 633 MKII’s :O

Maybe there’s a tiger owner out there somewhere that believes they have an original LAT 22. If so please post a pic here

 

[michael-king]

Given all the others gauges in period would list X CYL id say sae bet was 8CYL on the face.

The scan of the LAT brochure is from an original and they definitely adjusted the images as they removed powered by ford from the rocker covers... And dont know of any actually made like that...yet strangely they didnt remove the pbf from the patch photos

 

[67 Tiger]

These pics aren't too good, but this is what is in my car. When I bought the car in 1978 the PO said this was a LAT Tach, bought from CAT.

 

[66TigerMK1A]

Interesting...

Pics of that tach surfaced back when we started doing the Automter 8K Cobra tach conversions. I remember the ‘60’ being like that and we flipped it the other way on the new faces we did..,
Don’t remember it being called ‘LAT but there was a pic of the same one in a pod on a rallye car iirc. so probably was one of what sounds like 3 different versions sold as LAT 22

 

[Hoghead]

Interesting...

Pics of that tach surfaced back when we started doing the Automter 8K Cobra tach conversions. I remember the ‘60’ being like that and we flipped it the other way on the new faces we did..,
Don’t remember it being called ‘LAT but there was a pic of the same one in a pod on a rallye car iirc. so probably was one of what sounds like 3 different versions sold as LAT 22

The plot thickens.........

 

[Hoghead]

For those FB holdouts - I only am on FB for this Tiger group and can be counted among the FB Luddites and/or haters

After a lot of research, and talking to those with far more knowledge on this subject than myself, I now believe that the "Smiths" LAT 22 tach was the Marketing Departments wet dream. Note that Marketing was not above doctoring brochures.
I am also questioning that the Smiths LAT tach(s) sold lately on the net are genuine or clones like mine.

Is it possible that the Smiths LAT tach was a Parts Dept offering only?
If anyone can disprove that the Smiths brochure tach was genuine and available, I would love to hear about it.

I can find no documented instance of a car being fitted with the Smiths brochure tach, and the only documented fitment of a LAT tach is the Sun FZ8.
A 1964 purchase order from Rootes to Shelby for 29 of anodized tach bezels, a pic of the Shelby race car wearing this tach, BON reference, and the early LAT 1 kit brochure with Sun tach, and at least 2 Owners having one, reinforces the fact that the Sun was the early offering and actually sold to the market.

There is evidence that a Smiths 8K tach was used in a factory race car, and sold at Rootes Dealers, but not the Smiths MGB style as shown in the LAT 22 brochure below

I have two Tigers and have been running run a clone of the Smiths wet dream tach for 4 decades. The BON shows such a MGB clone.
I am hoping that Jim can repo the "Smiths" LAT tach using his modern gauge guts for my modified car, and have ordered one. Far more practical than the short scale length on the Sun, and matches the car.

For my stock car, I have decided on a Repo Sun FZ8, and made an anodized bezel using dimensions provided by Sun LAT tach Owner Bob Melusky. I will drill for a cosmetic bakelite adjustment knob. Not the most visible tach due to the scale length, and will stick out like a sore thumb due to the mismatch, but a cool period mod all the same.
So cool I bought one for my 1960 Stude resto rod pickup

I made a few extra bezels and have 3 left if anyone is going this route
Pics attached

https://www.summitracing.com/int/parts/bgs-fst8050/overview/

 

[Warren]

Handy

"Departments wet dream. Note that Marketing was not above doctoring brochures. I am also questioning that the Smiths LAT tach(s) sold lately on the net are genuine or clones like mine."

Given the handy , which means something else now but in my context means creative my guess would be that people made their own.

 

[Forrest39]

Sun Tach

When I got this car, I was wondering what moron put in the heathkit sweep tachometer.
After a little homework I discovered that I am the moron because that's actually a Sun tach which was a LAT option that went with the 'cobra kit' that my car had according to the owner from 1970. I haven't seen one in another Tiger yet, so I think I will leave it in there!
-Kevin

 

[Hoghead]

When I got this car, I was wondering what moron put in the heathkit sweep tachometer.
After a little homework I discovered that I am the moron because that's actually a Sun tach which was a LAT option that went with the 'cobra kit' that my car had according to the owner from 1970. I haven't seen one in another Tiger yet, so I think I will leave it in there!
-Kevin

I was a moron before doing this research, and now a more informed moron. The challenge will be to inform other morons when they say what is that cobbled up POS tach doing in your car?

Another instance of the Sun FZ8 Tach and no question that this was sold as a LAT tach.

Is that a chrome bezel? My research showed that it was anodized aluminium?

 

[Hoghead]

"Departments wet dream. Note that Marketing was not above doctoring brochures. I am also questioning that the Smiths LAT tach(s) sold lately on the net are genuine or clones like mine."

Given the handy , which means something else now but in my context means creative my guess would be that people made their own.

I made my own using a MGB face around 1979-80, and in still in my car now.
The big question is if there ever was a genuine LAT Smiths tach per the brochure. If so was it a unique Smiths face or edited MGB/Sprite face?