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I wasn't trying to put down the overall build or anything.
I just don't see why anyone would want that clutter on such a nice dash. The 5 gauges don't really serve a purpose. Maybe you want to see oil pressure and water temp accurately, boost too, but most other things belong linked to the ecu for data logging (to fine tune) and fail safes.
Even an AFR gauge isn't that purposeful once the car is set up properly. It's not something you will actively monitor and if it goes lean during high boost while driving you won't have time to do anything anyway.
I get it, not everything is for function. Just 5 gauges makes the dash busy on a super clean car.
I think the gauges are awesome too, but since your build is so damn clean I don't think its the gauges....I think its just the mounting brackets and the lay of the wires.
maybe a custom 1 piece mounting bracket to hold the 5 gauges with some wire loom for the cables. I don't think the wires have to be hidden - just tidying up.
if it were me - I would form a single aluminum strip to the couture of the dash for all 5 gauges, then weld some small blocks to attach the gauges to - powder coat it flat black. Maybe get the single gauge pod for the speaker cover on the dash, shave the pod and re fiberglass it to have a sleek entry point for the wires from the gauges to tidy up the wires.
its just that your car is so clean that things will stand out if its not fluid with the rest of the visual sexiness of your car.
although - the current 5 gauge set-up has personality which allows someone to feel more connected and engaged to it.
either way - its badass.
congrats on the car and in progress build to YOUR liking!!!!
Ben
Hey Ben, I appreciate your thoughts on this. I had always assumed that the dislike for the gauges was based on their existence, rather than the way they are mounted
You raise a good point that they could be housed in a custom pod that follows the contours of the dash and hides the wiring. Honestly this was something I never considered. From the perspective of the driver you actually can barely see the wires. It's only when you look from the outside of the car that they are noticeable.
Funny thing this, that whenever I am approaching the car on foot; there are so many other parts that catch your eye I still have never noticed the wires on the dash.
Personally I like the gauges standing in their individual mounts, and as mentioned the wires don't bother me. But now you have the gears turning in my brain so who knows what ideas I may have in the future!
Thanks again, Tom
Last edited by FEED AFFLUX v5; Sep 23, 2019 at 11:12 AM.
Its super late '90s/early 2000s JDM to have all the analog gauges and mounted to the dash with the band style mounts and wires exposed.
Not saying its a look I would do, but its definitely an aesthetic and I have seen it counless times on big shop made JDM demo cars.
I think it suits this build just fine; absolutely no slight intended - this car is a true JDM legend.
Love the vids, so glad you are still enjoying the car and sharing your enjoyment with us!
Thanks for the kind words BLUE TII
I am hoping to make some much nicer videos in the future, but unfortunately that may have to wait until spring 2020..........they are forecasting snow here Friday - Sunday, which means even if it melts they will have thrown grit and sand everywhere
I wasn't trying to put down the overall build or anything.
I just don't see why anyone would want that clutter on such a nice dash. The 5 gauges don't really serve a purpose. Maybe you want to see oil pressure and water temp accurately, boost too, but most other things belong linked to the ecu for data logging (to fine tune) and fail safes.
Even an AFR gauge isn't that purposeful once the car is set up properly. It's not something you will actively monitor and if it goes lean during high boost while driving you won't have time to do anything anyway.
I get it, not everything is for function. Just 5 gauges makes the dash busy on a super clean car.
TwinCharged RX7 - Absolutely no offense taken - I appreciate you taking the time to read my thread and comment
I agree, I really only need a couple of those gauges and the Power FC shows anything you could need. But you hit the nail on the head - these really are for form, not function. I LOVE looking at those mechanical gauges ,
I know they hark back to the 90's builds and many people will think them dated, but they match the OEM gauges well and for whatever reason I have always had mechanical gauges on my builds and I doubt that will ever change!
I also really like the way they are silhouetted from a distance such as the photo below, my brain always thinks "that car means business"
Last edited by FEED AFFLUX v5; Sep 23, 2019 at 11:30 AM.
Geez snow in September? Car looks great, the wires didn’t bother me as they kind of go with everything going on with the car. You mentioned mechanical gauge, did you mean analog or you actually have hoses and fluid running into the cabin?
Geez snow in September? Car looks great, the wires didn’t bother me as they kind of go with everything going on with the car. You mentioned mechanical gauge, did you mean analog or you actually have hoses and fluid running into the cabin?
Yeah, high altitude unfortunately means a very long snow season here. Taking into account how early they drop grit/sand for ice and how lazy they are to clear it up in the spring; I pretty much only have a driving window of 4 maybe 4.5 months (May-Sept).
We can get snow every month of the year. We only get six frost free weeks per year as overnight the temperature plummets even in summer. It is a pretty normal state of affairs to see 25-30 degrees in the daytime and 0-5 degrees overnight throughout summer. Not the nicest of weather, but it does mean lots of cool summer mornings for full boost drives before the heat of the day arrives.
My terminology was wrong, I meant analogue - there are no hoses/fluids coming into the cabin. Just the electrical connections for the gauges
Last edited by FEED AFFLUX v5; Sep 23, 2019 at 02:23 PM.
Doing some cleaning on my computer and came across these photos. Not the greatest quality but the content is hot!
Pictures of my cars previous life in Japan - some at the Fujita Engineering garage where it was built and even one with the legendary Fujita-San himself
It went from Japan to Canada and I am in contact with the guy who imported it to Toronto. We joked how cool it would be to get them together again in Canada. We discussed me buying it at one point.
It was then sold and went to the UK, Making mine the only one in Canada again. I am now in contact with the new owner who is doing a lot of work to get the car in top shape, he has even managed to squeeze an LT4 in there!
Last edited by FEED AFFLUX v5; Jan 31, 2020 at 07:35 PM.
It went from Japan to Canada and I am in contact with the guy who imported it to Toronto. We joked how cool it would be to get them together again in Canada. We discussed me buying it at one point.
It was then sold and went to the UK, Making mine the only one in Canada again. I am now in contact with the new owner who is doing a lot of work to get the car in top shape, he has even managed to squeeze an LT4 in there!
can confirm following that build. Say what you want about V8 swaps, but he is doing an amazing job with this car.
can confirm following that build. Say what you want about V8 swaps, but he is doing an amazing job with this car.
Cheers dude, my username doesn't really suit these days.... Car should be back from having engine bay painted this wee then back to fabricator (dynotorque) for heat shield and rear end. Need to start thinking about driveshaft anf gauges going to use Drake with speedhut gauges.
Cheers dude, my username doesn't really suit these days.... Car should be back from having engine bay painted this wee then back to fabricator (dynotorque) for heat shield and rear end. Need to start thinking about driveshaft anf gauges going to use Drake with speedhut gauges.
I have Speedhut in my car. I really like them. I am pulling my engine to paint the engine bay now also. I am doing all my own work in what little free time I have.
Well the snow finally melted and at long last the town is cleaning up the gravel off the streets. So I took the car for its first run of 2020 today!
Other than a slightly grumpy first fire up which was quickly corrected with a fresh set of spark plugs; it ran flawlessly. Here is to hoping that with my new work schedule that I manage to put in a lot more kilometers than the last few summers. I drove 50km today and considering I only drove a total of ~346km in 2018/2019 combined, it looks like I am off to a good start!
Last edited by FEED AFFLUX v5; Jun 16, 2020 at 11:43 AM.
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