"A" Pillar Gauge Mount

[My imp]

Has anyone mounted gauges on their "A" Pillar yet? When I asked Summit for the part #, Summit wants me to buy one of each part, then return the ones that don't work! They tried to sell me some POS universal fit that wasn't even close. Thank
You, Larry

 

[Mr.Lopar]

haven't done it, but that's what your gonna have to do.
buy a universal and make it work, fiberglass it all up and cover it or paint it so it looks factory

 

[My imp]

There are like 10 different ones that say "Dodge" in their application. This doesn't include the ones that say "Dodge truck, Charger, Challenger, Viper, etc..". All they say is "Dodge". The contours all look correct, except that they don't have the dogleg that goes down into the jamb. That a no biggie there. If needed, I will modify an existing A pillar molding. However, it'd be a lot easier to just buy one. I went to the trouble to remove one from the car to match it up, with the thousands of $$$ I've spent at Summit through the years, the least he could've done was to bring the pieces out to be compared, not spend $800-$1000, just to have it credited to my acct. Which ones did you try?

 

[NoCar340]

Are these all AutoMeter parts? I have a catalog handy, but I already know they don't get into specifics as far as the contours the pods fit. I also know they don't make one specific to anything other than late-model cars & trucks... i.e., they don't go back to the '80s or prior. I think Mr. Lopar is right on this one, and to be honest, I almost think you'd be better off starting from scratch.

 

[My imp]

Look at the Summit catalog. I believe #93012 ? I think? Keep on going from there & see how many the top contour fits, length looks about right, angles, pod sizes all look about right. The bottom is slightly different on some, top on others, but the universal one he recommended wasn't even on the same planet, let alone in the ball park. The next time I go down I'll see if I can find a more cooperative employee that'll maybe bring out the one I want, rather than the one that's universal that everyone else buys. The least amount of modification needed, the better. Even after the mechanical fabbing is done, I still have to cover in headliner material. Removing the material from the stock piece showed recovery wasn't going to be easy, with 3 gauge pods, it just might be best left to professionals!

 

[kkritsilas]

My Imp:

just throwing out ideas here. Would it be possible to cut out the pod part of the universal A pillar, and then cut out an equivalently sized area on the factory A pillar, and glue/bond the pode into the factory orignal A pillar? then use interior paint (probably from SEM) on the completel, bonded A pillar to make the colors come out right? Might be a way to get a good fitting A pillar gauge pod. I may be way out here.

Kostas

 

[kkritsilas]

Looked at the Summit link, and then got distracted. Found this though:

http://www.summitracing.com/int/parts/sum-800104k/overview/

If they made one of these with a black face, 3 3/8" in diameter, with a fuel gauge as one of the sub dials, I would be so all over this. It would allow the standard J body fuel gauge to be replaced, giving both a tach, and some other of the missing gauges. Would be much better if they used electrical senders for Oil Prsssure and Water Temp, though.

Kostas

 

[NoCar340]

How about something like this? 4" diameter; inside the bezel it's about the same size as a J-body speedo/fuel gauge... leaves the other pods for, well, whatever you want to put out there, I guess.

 

[kkritsilas]

Those are great. Fixes all of the issues that I have with the J body dash (missling gauges, and no tach). Where are these from? Do you know if they are using electrical senders? Sort of too bad on the digital odometer/trip meter, but otherwise ideal. Is that actually a GPS speedometer? It would fix the speedo accuracy issue right there, and eliminate the whole speedo calibration thing when changing rear end gears or trannys. I'd leave the actual temp gauge in the factory standard position, and use the water temp readout for engine oil temp. Volts I would end up hooking up to the car stereo in trunk to see what voltage was going to the amps. Could also do the reverse, I guess, use the gauges in this setup for engine functions, and the ones in the dash for the other functions I was talking about.

Kostas

 

[My imp]

The last resort is to take the pod section & graft it to the stock a pillar. That was more or less what was going to happen depending on how close it is. All I figured I need to do, is to graft the bottom where the dogleg follows the dash to the kick panel. Thanks for all the suggestions. I just wish that the people that were getting PAID to help me showed this kind of enthusiasm & variety of suggestion. I showed the ass clown behind the counter the part & the picture in the catalog, & without looking, he said nope, it won't work. Then proceeded to pull something out that looked like someone grafted a double pod on a piece of 4" PVC that they cut in half. I never said you weren't going to have to modify it? The contours weren't even close. Not to mention that it only had two mounts, I wanted three. Guess I had to modify that too! Who knows, it was close to Christmas, he could've been riding the cotton pony, didn't like Mopar, didn't like Imp.'s, who knows? Holidays are over, I have a $20 discount coupon I need to burn in the next few weeks. We'll see.

 

[NoCar340]

You could actually have them label the temp gauge "Oil Temp" or "Trans Temp" (I'd rather have it for the trans, really), and the voltmeter labeled "Stereo Volts" or "Audio Volts" if you wanted. The gauges are made by a company called Speedhut, and they're very customizable, often at no charge. They offer a staggering array of options (Want a 2.063"" tach? No problem!), various fonts or you can give them your own, face and illumination color options, etc. Most of this is at no extra charge, by the way, but if you want to get really silly you can. That speedo I pictured can also be ordered with a fuel gauge in there, rather than the tach, and yes--it's GPS. The display is multifunction, too, giving you GPS-measured quarter-mile, 0-60, etc. This line of gauges is why I went out and found the correct font for use with the '80-newer cars. I want it to look "almost factory".

Cheap? Not really, but actually considerably cheaper than AutoMeter's similar gauges, especially if you go through the AutoMeter Custom Shop. Also, all the Speedhut stuff is Made in the USA, which is important to me.

Gallery of their gauges. Just click on the first one and scroll through for a while.

Customization area. The Legacy gauges are really the best blend of cost v. options. Pay no mind to what they look like on the cover page, pick any gauge series listed, pick one gauge, and start customizing! It's fun for hours. You can even upload an image to put on the gauge face; I did it with an Imperial eagle on a tachometer.

 

[NoCar340]

The last resort is to take the pod section & graft it to the stock a pillar.

That's definitely a good option if you use the right plastic weld or adhesive. However, if you want to stick with the factory upholstered A-pillars, the cloth could get tricky in that area... but it's certainly within the realm of possibility.

Hmmm... smaller pods for tweeters, a la T300 Ram? Interesting...

 

[Mr.Lopar]

I haven't tried it, but no that anything older the 90 or so you wont find anything but universal, so im pretty sure your gonna be stuck to modding in one way shape or form

 

[My imp]

If all goes to plan, I want 2 gauges, 1 tweeter, & if space remains, a GPS. I plan on using 2 1/16" digital (imagine that!) gauges. I'll add a single tweeter on the passenger A pillar as well.

 

[My imp]

Oh, by the way, anyone needing any kind of audio/visual/electronics of any type, I use MCM Electronics. I've used their speakers in my PA, & there fantastic. Hey have specials & clearance items all the time. It's like a Snap-On truck for electronics!

 

[NoCar340]

Looks like a similar outfit to one I've had great service from, Parts Express.

 

[NoCar340]

If all goes to plan, I want 2 gauges, 1 tweeter, & if space remains, a GPS. I plan on using 2 1/16" digital (imagine that!) gauges. I'll add a single tweeter on the passenger A pillar as well.

The only problem I foresee there is the GPS, unless there are units out there that come with (or have available) a 2.063" adapter that clips to the back. This is the case with most of the diesel tuners we sell. It's a great place to put something like that.

If you do some digging around, there are ways to invent your own digital gauges. Auberins.com has a gauge they sell primarily for EGT, but with the right senders it can be used for any number of engine parameters including pressure, temp, volts, etc. It has a programmable high/low warning with a relay output, too. Engine gets too hot for your liking, it can override your electric fans. Oil pressure too low? Cut the ignition or an electric fuel pump off. If a guy's feeling ballsy, he could open it up and put the display in his intended spot with the remainder of the electronics elsewhere, including the control buttons and warning LEDs. The display itself is small and would be easily placed; the unit's face is 1/32 DIN. The numeric display is available in 5 colors: red, blue, green, white and amber.

In the case of the cluster I'm using, for $20 they'll put turn-signal & high-beam indicators in the speedometer, so I decided that the original spot in the Mirada cluster would be a good place for a digital volt gauge (gasp! digital!). I ordered one off Amazon for less than $7, also available in red, blue, green, or white. Blue & white are a little more expensive. It's small enough to fit in the existing hole. There are also amp gauges like this that come with a shunt (they cost more, obviously) but the temp gauges I found did not read high enough for automotive use.

 

[My imp]

They make a pod for GPS. My plan is to borrow an idea from my Son-in-laws Cobalt SS. With my plastic welder I plan to cut a slit in the pillar & secure it with friction clips, or whatever means present themselves.

 

[Mr.Lopar]

sounds like his cobalt might have the piller cover go missing lol

 

[My imp]

It's definitely closer than what Summit showed me! Might slip down there today again & see if I get a more cooperative counter man. Never know what they have in the scratch & dent racks. Maybe that stroker block is more realistically priced? Who knows?