anyone ever mount gauges on the A pillar?

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diymirage

diymirage

HP@idle > hondaHP@redline
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pretty straight forward question, i like the look of having 2 or 3 additional gauges on the drivers side A pillar but it doesnt look like anyone makes a replacement pillar pod for the A body
(not that it matters, it would probably cost more then i want to pay anyway)

so that just leaves us to do it ourselves

in all likelyhood, this will become a winter project, but no reason not to kick the idea around now

i was thinking of buying a "universal" pod and grafting it to n existing pillar

any suggestions on what to use to weld the two materials together?
and how to finish it off to make it look like a single piece?

pod.jpg
 
I've had it on several cars I've owned before and I really like it...but those were pieced designed for the cars they were on

I'm a little overwhelmed at the thought of making it myself
 
That's so fast, and also so furious!
 
What about using roll bar mount ones and just renove the bar part and mount to the stock pillar, even can keep the ball on it to position it where you want it.

20161005_163443.jpg
 
Looks like you need some fiberglass mat. Make a mold of the a pillar. Put some Vaseline on it, tape up things and then put up some chopped matte. Let dry, clean up the mess and cut one up, then mold it together. One day I'll make one. For now it's on the lists of to-dos. I have a mold for my 65 Valiant rear deck already. Just not enough time to make it an actual piece.
 
I've done this before. I used a universal pod and screwed it to the plastic A-pillar. Get it where you want and don't worry about making multiple holes. Positioning is everything. Don't forget to make 1/2" holes for the wires and such behind the pod. Scuff the entire front area with 80 grit and then use fiberglass mat and resin.

Scuff that out and use short hair fiberglass to fill in pin holes and low areas. Finally if you want smooth then you'll need to skim coat the entire piece with bondo and sand out using 200. Primer and paint. As for texture, there a few methods, I use paint that has a wrinkle effect or I keep it smooth.

It's not very hard but it's time consuming.... so prepare yourself for some labour.

Riddler
 
x2 here Riddler! I pretty much did the same thing with mine but used a damp sponge on the wet JB Weld to duplicate the look of the textured dash. I wish I still had the thing ... and the car. I miss that little beastie.
 
I bought a set of gauges today, got home all excited. Then realized my a pillar is only 1.5 inches thick. :(. No a pillar gauge pod for me. Too narrow. Oh well. Guess I get to cut some holes in my dash...... or better yet. Maybe mount them on top of the dash??? Lol. Damnit.
 
I knew i forgot one Lol hey i like to know whats going on in my engines especially this one that will be twin turbos.
 
Here's what I did. I bought a standard sunpro 2 tach then I cut the base of the bracket then reangled the base how I needed it and re welded it. Haven't wired it in and installed it yet but that's one of the next things I do on the car

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IMG_2050.JPG
 
Lol, my son and I were just talking about a pillar gauge set up for his valiant. I told him we could custom fabricate one out of a universal one or build from scratch. I used to do custom fiberglass work.
 
I've been pondering the same thing. I've also toyed with the idea of mounting them in the centre of the dash pad kind of like the 65 mustang idea. I was going to start researching making my own dash pad, with hopes that it didn't look to "home made"
 
sorry guys, i almost forgot about this post

let me know what you guys come up with
im still thinking on the pillar would be best for ease of viewing
 
I cant stand gauges looking like an after-though.
There is alot of un-used space in the dash around the radio.

lPCFVP.jpg
 
Saw a car once had a dash full of aircraft gauges.air speed ,compass,artificial horizon and the likes.
 
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