How should I lay out my gauges?
 

Im trying to figure out the best way to lay out my gauges. Heres what im thinking. Feel free to list your opinions on each set up:

1: 2 on A-pillar, 1 in the vent

2: 3 mounting bands
http://www.greddy.com/products/images/ga.gif

3: Universal pod shown below:
http://members.aol.com/flyrx7/images...-pod%20016.jpg

dont go with the mounting bands what ever you do!

Im partial to option 1, but I think the wiring might be a PITA.

I had a 2 pod A-Piller in my old car and 1 in the vent. I never finished the vent, cut out platic and put it in there to make it look factory but the a-piller was simple. Remove it from the car, drill holes for the wires and mount it on the piller. Run the wires through the fire wall.

Just takes a bit of time that's all. Make sure the connects are good or you could get feed back, bad grounds suck. I know.

Yeah, I just looked at my gauges last night, theres alot more wire to them than I thought would allow me to place them in option 1.

55 views and only 5 votes? Atleast vote people.

I voted option 1. There is probably a lot of wiring to it and it will probably be a pain in the ass, but it would look best IMO and probably give you the easiest view of the gauges.

i voted for #1, if you dont got enuf wiring, buy some more, gees

I voted for one, you can always find places to run wires.

There enough wiring to do option 1.

Even if I needed to extend it, I wouldnt want to. All of the ends are terminated, except the power.

Id be more than happy to put one on the the steering column, but Ive never seen a pod like that for FCs.

Thats nice. Are those 52mm? Ive got 3 60mm gauges, and Id love to put them where my HVAC controls are.

what is the HVAC controls? BTW: I might make an CF FC center console. If your intrested, let me know :D

BTW: where there any difference in dashs/center consols for FC's by year and/or models??? (I usually only work on FD's :D)

Tony,
I voted for option 3 because that's the closest to what I want to do with my gauges. The fellow that makes those pods pictured in #3 is doing an FC drop in replacement for the idiot cluster surround, exactly like the FD version for the center speaker. I, too, have 60mm guages and they don't fit in the HVAC area very well, that was my first idea a while ago. I'm still going to move my HVAC controls to the spot under the radio, and I'll use the open space for my datalink box for my gauges and my Auto Timer and if there's enough room, I'll put my idiot lights in there too. Also, I want to stay away from A-Pillar gauges. I am first in line for one of MikeL's gauge pods. I believe it's a Border copy, but he's converting it to LHD. It'll house two 60mm gauges on the left side of the gauge cluster, like a mickey mouse pod, but both "ears" on one side :D, and rid me of those damn a-pillar guages that EVERYONE has.

I recently stumbled across this thread where this guy made his own pods and radio surround. This is another option as well, since it'll be fabbed by me which usually means cheaper than buying one pre-made.

https://www.rx7club.com/forum/showth...55#post1653955

I wanted to use MikeL's pod, but A: the thread he had dissapeared off the face of the other forum, and when I PMed him several times about them I never recieved a response back. So I gave up. I wanted to do option 1, but I figured putting 60mm gauges into the 52mm pod would be a bitch, and so would running the wires, plus the three gauges i have are too valuable to place one as far out of sight as the vent, so I couldnt decide which one would go there.

So Im pretty sure im going with option 3 now.

Tony,
I've talked to Mike about the pods a few times, and he told me he was going to get back into the pod project when the weather improves. He also said he will make a new thread when he gets a few of them done and ready to sell.

Putting 60mm gauges into the 52mm pod is really easy, about a 10 minute job with a dremel. I've got my 2 60mm gauges in my A-Pillar pod. I just kept grinding away until the gauge popped in there, easy as hell.

That leaves me with the last one to stick somewhere.

the universal pod reminds me of my friend georges pod, 5 gauges, cf pod, right acrost the front of the dash, sick looking.

cool, eh?

Go here https://www.rx7club.com/forum/showth...&pagenumber=2:)

If you don't mind me asking, what model Momo wheel is that? Thanks.

fd3s800: I believe its an FC

Tony: Use a 2 gauge pod then a one gauge pod above it.

Why not 3 in the pillar?

how about a fourth option. getting one of those 3 gauge din pannels, like the one that saab sells