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DIY A-Pillar Gauge Pod

zanethan

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#1
As we all know the gauge pod options for our cars is on the lacking side. About the only affordable one is the vent pod but many of us want to run 2 or 3 gauges. So I decided to improvise. Here you will find a guide to building your own 2 or 3 gauge a-pillar pod for under $50.

Items you will need:
1 - A-Pillar interior trim piece, which should have come with your car. (I bought a spare incase I messed up)

2 or 3 cheap swivel gauge pods. They are about $6 on Amazon, see link below

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00S...F8&qid=1487019761&sr=1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65

Hack saw

Pop rivet gun (or very short screw driver and ratchet driver with socket)

Drill

Drill bits

Assorted rivets (or 1/2" machine screws and nylon lock nuts)

With all that sorted lets get started. First start by cutting off the tabs on the single gauge pods. You want to make sure you cut them as close to the actual pod as possible. After trimming off the mounting tabs you will need to drill a small hole in each pod. I used a 3/16" bit to drill about halfway where the removed mounting tabs were. (Make sure you have the correct size of rivet for the hole you're drilling)



Next, line up where you think you want your pods. This will vary from person to person since we're all different heights but I placed the first one about 3" from the bottom and then placed each pod 6" from that. Some electrical tape and patience will help you to decide the best location for each pod.

After you've determined the location of each pod you're going to use the same drill bit as before to drill you're a-pillar trim piece. Make sure that you drill on the "spine" (where it curves inward to make a v-ish shape) of the a-pillar trim piece. If you drill anywhere else the gauges will end up facing more toward the window than you.

Once your holes are drilled you just need to rivet each one in place. Don't worry about getting the tilt of each one perfect as you will be able to adjust them once you rivet them on.

*EDIT-Alternative mounting method*
The rivets work and I haven't had any issues out of them but you could also use a 1/2" machine screw with a nylon lock nut. One of the pods was yanked of during the instal and I used that combo to reattach it. It's a bit more sturdy but also slightly more difficult to attach. You will need a very short screw driver if you go this route.



The last step will be to drill holes for the wires. Just align the holes in the pods mark and drill the a-pillar trim where you need to run wires through. If you want to be extra slick then use some plastic split wire loom in black to hide the wires from view.

Ta-dah! You now have a 2 or 3 pillar gauge pod for less than $50 that looks almost stock.







When mounting your gauges you will most likely need to wrap the inner section with electrical tape as they are held in via friction. I had to on my instal. If done properly the gauges will stay in place.
 


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kivnul

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Interesting idea. Do you anticipate the pods trying to rotate due to bumps and vibration? I could see you having to add weight to the back of them to keep them balanced. I also wonder if they would bounce around a lot with said vibrations or if the rivet is sufficient to keep them still. Please let us know how it works out once you have the gauges installed and a few miles on.
 


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zanethan

zanethan

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Thread Starter #3
Interesting idea. Do you anticipate the pods trying to rotate due to bumps and vibration? I could see you having to add weight to the back of them to keep them balanced. I also wonder if they would bounce around a lot with said vibrations or if the rivet is sufficient to keep them still. Please let us know how it works out once you have the gauges installed and a few miles on.
I don't anticipate them moving once the gauges are installed. The pods are very snug as is. Yes you can adjust them but I doubt they would rotate at all on there own. Additionally, the wire loom should prevent any additional movements. Not sure what you mean by bounce around a lot. They definitely aren't going anywhere. I tried to pull them off and they wouldn't budge. Won't have the gauges in until a few weeks from now but I'll update with the final results.
 


kivnul

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#4
.... Not sure what you mean by bounce around a lot. They definitely aren't going anywhere..
Kinda like on some older cars the outside mirrors vibrate and you cant really see out of them very well. I could see the pods vibrating up and down from the single attachment point.
 


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zanethan

zanethan

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Thread Starter #5
Ah that makes more sense. But I doubt it'll be an issue.
 


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#6
Neat. I like your ingenuity. Like kivnul, I would also be concerned with the single connection point of the rivet, seems like it could work itself loose and change the angle. Maybe a bolted connection, or some type of ring... you've got me thinking about this. (Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking what you've done. You are taking the initiative, getting things working, filling in the gap. Kudos.)

I'm in to see the final product.
 


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zanethan

zanethan

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Thread Starter #8
Gauges and all the installation hardware have been ordered! Should be able to install everything in a week and a half or so. Expect an update around then.
 


CanadianGuy

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#9
Looks great. Need a few more pictures can you take one from the side when the pillar is on the bench? Want to see the gap (if any) of the pod to the pillar.

I may steal your idea...
 


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zanethan

zanethan

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Thread Starter #10
Looks great. Need a few more pictures can you take one from the side when the pillar is on the bench? Want to see the gap (if any) of the pod to the pillar.

I may steal your idea...


I can get some more later this afternoon but this was after attaching the first pod. Theres no gap between the pods and pillar.

*Edit as promised here are additional pictures. Let me know if you want more.





 


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zanethan

zanethan

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Thread Starter #12
*Update*

So everything got here way earlier than anticipated. I stuck the gauges in and will drive around with them in for a few days to see how steady they are.

While installing one of the gauges I did end up messing up one of the rivets (it wasn't riveted on right the first time) and I used a machine screw and nylon nut to secure it on. It's more steady than the other two but I still don't anticipate the riveted ones moving around. After the first drive nothing seamed to move. Will update in a few days if I have to switch out the other two.



 


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kivnul

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#13
That is a fabulous shade of blue on your other car. Plus you may want to blur out its license plates. Thanks for the update.
 


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zanethan

zanethan

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Thread Starter #14
That is a fabulous shade of blue on your other car. Plus you may want to blur out its license plates. Thanks for the update.
Thanks! It's the tailgating mobile. It's a bit over the top lol.
 


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zanethan

zanethan

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Thread Starter #15
*Udate*

As promised here they are!

Day


Night


As for fears of them moving around or jiggling too much I have had no issues with either at this point and I have been going out of my way to hit the rough spots on roads.

All in all I'd say it's a complete success! Total time invested is about 10 hours including building the pillar pod and installing the gauges (includes an oil change due to the sandwich plate). I'm happy with them, feel free to steal and improve my idea if you so desire.

For those interested operating oil temp seams to be about 190F and operating oil pressure seams to be about 40-50psi under load and 20psi while idling. Max boost I've seen is 20psi.
 


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JeffCo
#17
also, the sandwich plate - how does it affect the oil filter? are you using the stock size or the larger one?
 


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zanethan

zanethan

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Thread Starter #18
Gauges are prosport performance series, they are decent gauges for the price. Probably not the most accurate gauges on the market but I just wanted something to give me more insight to what the engine was doing. That being said they seem to be highly recommended among many different communities.

I went with the electronic boost gauge as I like the start up sweep and not having to run a vacuum line into the cabin. They also make a mechanical gauge in the same series.

The sandwich plate is also from prosport and added about 1.25". I'm running the stock filter and had no issues getting it on after installing the sandwich plate. I doubt you'd be able to run a larger filter with the sandwich plate. Also, the oil pressure sender has to go on the passenger side of the sandwich plate due to clearance issues. It's a tight fit but it does all fit.

Total cost cost for all the gauges/sandwich plate/vacuum block came out to around $250. You can order the gauges on Amazon or directly from prosport. Prices are the same but if you have prime you'll get free shipping from Amazon.

Due to the way our automatic lights function the color switching on the gauges doesn't occur correctly. You have to manually turn your lights on and off if you want the color to change at night. I may be able to work around this with a time delay relay but haven't had a chance to look into that yet.

And finally here's what they look like from outside.
 


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#19
Groovy. I like this idea. I have some general questions about gauges. A mechanical boost gauge requires a vacuum line run to the gauge, while an electrical gauge has a wire from a sensor to the gauge, correct? Are the sensors already on the car, or do you need to purchase and install them separately?

Sent from my Spaceship
 


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zanethan

zanethan

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Thread Starter #20
Groovy. I like this idea. I have some general questions about gauges. A mechanical boost gauge requires a vacuum line run to the gauge, while an electrical gauge has a wire from a sensor to the gauge, correct? Are the sensors already on the car, or do you need to purchase and install them separately?

Sent from my Spaceship
Yes a mechanical boost gauge needs a vacuum line run to it while an electronic one has a boost sender that you connect the vacuum line to then it sends the boost via a wire. As for the sensors, the needed sensor comes with the gauge so the oil temp sender came with the oil temp gauge.
 




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