Jeep ‘Rally Pac’ Dual Gauge Mount

[maurywhurt]

My first car was a '65 Mustang, and one of the cooler options available for it was what Ford called a Rally-Pac. The Rally Pac was a factory dual gauge cluster (tach + clock) that mounted on the steering column. I always wanted one for my car back then, but never found one.

I'd been looking for a good way to mount a tach and possibly an oil pressure gauge on my CJ, but hadn't found a mount to accomplish this that I liked very much. Browsing on eBay recently, I came across a seller that 3D prints Rally Pacs designed for 2-1/16” AutoMeter gauges. After some discussion, he agreed to print a custom variation of his Rally Pac design for me that fits on the 1-1/2" diameter steering column tube used in many of the CJs. It would of course also fit other vehicles with the same size outer column tube.

In case this might be of interest to others, I thought I'd make a forum post about it. Here's the eBay listing for this version of the Rally Pac:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/188375446345

The quality of this customized rally pac is great. The column mount is very secure, with 4 bolts through the beefy bottom clamp that feed into threaded metal inserts in the upper housing. I painted mine with gloss black VHT epoxy, and got an AutoMeter Z-series tach and oil pressure gauge for it.

I haven't made the electrical connections yet, and the wires are currently just taped to the column. At the seller's suggestion, when I mount it permanently, I'll put a piece of bicycle innertube between the clamp and steering column tube in order to make it unlikely to ever slip.

Here are some photos of the test-fit.

 

[SIDSCJ]

I like that A lot!

 

[Daryl]

Looks like a great option to not cut the dash. Can you actually see the guages at that angle or would it be better to tip them back a little? I just bought one to give it a shot.

 

[maurywhurt]

Looks like a great option to not cut the dash. Can you actually see the guages at that angle or would it be better to tip them back a little?

That's a very good question.

The gauges are mounted high enough above the column that, viewed from my perspective, they’re not blocked by the steering wheel hub or the turn signal housing. Here's what I see:

I'm 6'-0", and my CJ has stock factory seats. From the drivers seat, my point of view is more or less parallel to and just over the top of the column, so for me, the gauges are easily visible. However, if someone fairly short were driving it, this could possibly be somewhat more of an issue.

 

[nickmil]

Nice

 

[CHUGALUG]

I have made my own to hold a Autometer 0-6000 rpm Sport tach and an Autogage 2 5/8" Vacuum gauge as well as my indicator lamps (Brakes, Turn, Bright, Fog, Driving)


Photo shows an older Dixco Tach which is a little off so I replaced it with the Autometer.



I just made an Aluminum panel that just fits the Chrome cups and barely extends around the gauges. Then has the lamps in the middle.

 

[timgr]

Needs more indicator lights...

 

[Steamboat Willys]

Looks like a F1 steering wheel

 

[maurywhurt]

I finally finished the wiring, and am pleased to say that the AutoMeter gauges installed in the Rally Pac work great.

The only surprises - both positive ones - were that the oil pressure is higher than expected (no doubt because it's a relatively recently rebuilt engine), and the RPMs at various gears & speeds are a good bit lower than I thought they'd be.

Here's a short video clip showing the new gauges working with the lights on.