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kevinbassplayer
Samba Member
Joined: June 15, 2006
Posts: 1041
Location: Nor-Cal
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 Posted: Tue Sep 19, 2006 9:33 pm Post subject: |
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James, Just wondering where you got that gauge pod. I have a 2-place pod I was going to install in the same spot but I don't like the angle of it (points down) which makes it a little hard to see the gauges fully.
Your clock actually works?! |
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aviatorjames
Samba Member
Joined: March 01, 2005
Posts: 232
Location: Half Moon Bay, California
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| Posted: Tue Sep 19, 2006 10:01 pm Post subject: |
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I made it custom out of fiberglass...
I couldn't find anything at all that would work.
...and I really wanted to mount them up high.
The face plate is a standard black-aluminum, two-hole mount. ($10)
It came with a 90' bend for mounting.
I bent it further to get a good angle on the sloped Vanagon dash.
Then I made a mold for the pod and used about five layers of fiberglass.
It took some time to trim, fill, prime and paint it, but it worked!!
I like this position for the gauges; very readable!
It's a bit "homebuilt", but it really doesn't look too bad.
james
_________________
...some days it's not even worth chewing through the restraints... |
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aviatorjames
Samba Member
Joined: March 01, 2005
Posts: 232
Location: Half Moon Bay, California
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| Posted: Tue Sep 19, 2006 10:04 pm Post subject: |
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yeah.. the clock works ..accurate too!!
..but it's got a digital "bruise" in the upper left corner.
james
_________________
...some days it's not even worth chewing through the restraints... |
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McHuntley
Samba Member
Joined: November 12, 2002
Posts: 791
Location: Costa Mesa, CA
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| Posted: Tue Sep 19, 2006 11:28 pm Post subject: |
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has anyone tried running the gauges up the A pillar next to the windshield?
I know there are small gauges, and mounts available.
Thanks,
Matt
_________________
Any opinions stated here are my own, otherwise someone else would have said them. |
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kevinbassplayer
Samba Member
Joined: June 15, 2006
Posts: 1041
Location: Nor-Cal
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| Posted: Wed Sep 20, 2006 8:28 am Post subject: |
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| aviatorjames wrote: |
I made it custom out of fiberglass...
I couldn't find anything at all that would work.
...and I really wanted to mount them up high.
The face plate is a standard black-aluminum, two-hole mount. ($10)
It came with a 90' bend for mounting.
I bent it further to get a good angle on the sloped Vanagon dash.
Then I made a mold for the pod and used about five layers of fiberglass.
It took some time to trim, fill, prime and paint it, but it worked!!
I like this position for the gauges; very readable!
It's a bit "homebuilt", but it really doesn't look too bad.
james |
Wow, that's dedication. I think that's a little further than I want to go. I was thinking about mounting my pod up higher, above the ashtray were the dash flattens out. It looks good there and fits pretty well but I would have to drill a hole in the dash to run the wiring though, which I'm not sure I want to do. I'll post pic's when done. Only have a few hours on the weekends right now to work on the van and I have several projects going at once! |
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psych-illogical
Samba Member
Joined: October 14, 2004
Posts: 1181
Location: AZ
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| Posted: Wed Sep 20, 2006 8:37 am Post subject: |
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| r39o wrote: |
Another console. Not the picture I had in mind. I hope to find that one too.
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Man, that custom dash is sweeeeeet! I just love it. Not everyone has the time/ability/money to pull it off but I'm always impressed with those who do.
_________________
83 1/2 Westy waterboxer
'57 Beetle-sold 
Coupla '81 BMW motorcycles (R80G/S; R100RS)
'96 BMW R1100GS |
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aviatorjames
Samba Member
Joined: March 01, 2005
Posts: 232
Location: Half Moon Bay, California
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| Posted: Wed Sep 20, 2006 9:56 am Post subject: |
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Bass Player Kevin...
Actually, it wasn't very hard at all.
It took me about four hours, over three days.
...and more importantly, I got it how I want it!!
I'm also very reluctant to make mod's that are irreversible.
I can un-screw the pod and drop the spare-change-receptacle back in!!
james
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...some days it's not even worth chewing through the restraints... |
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kevinbassplayer
Samba Member
Joined: June 15, 2006
Posts: 1041
Location: Nor-Cal
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| Posted: Wed Sep 20, 2006 7:23 pm Post subject: |
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Yeah, I'm leaning against that one myself. I've got all my wires run, just waiting on my decision of where to mount! I'll probably go with the pod I have (it's the old VDO type 2-place) seen here: http://www.egauges.com/vdo_acce.asp?Subgroup=Custom_Console
and make some kind of "angle" adapter to have it stand up straight. |
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aviatorjames
Samba Member
Joined: March 01, 2005
Posts: 232
Location: Half Moon Bay, California
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| Posted: Wed Sep 20, 2006 7:57 pm Post subject: |
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A couple more pic's of my installation...
The driver's perspective (sort of?)
Night illumination...
_________________
...some days it's not even worth chewing through the restraints...
Last edited by aviatorjames on Sat May 12, 2007 9:36 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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wbx
Samba Member
Joined: April 11, 2005
Posts: 1254
Location: Monterey, CA
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| Posted: Wed Sep 20, 2006 9:45 pm Post subject: |
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| McHuntley wrote: |
has anyone tried running the gauges up the A pillar next to the windshield?
I know there are small gauges, and mounts available.
Thanks,
Matt |
That is where i have my oil pressure gage. There is only room for one standard VDO gage there, but it is my favorite place for a single gage that i've seen yet. Fairly clean, although a bit "ricer" looking. I'll try and take a picture tomorrow morning.
-Damon
_________________
'84 Westy (first owner).......but my daily driver has pedals
My "perspective" mantra:
A Volkswagen Vanagon is just a material thing,
As such, it is of the earth,
And if i need to, I can let my Van go. |
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wbx
Samba Member
Joined: April 11, 2005
Posts: 1254
Location: Monterey, CA
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| Posted: Fri Sep 22, 2006 11:23 am Post subject: |
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Here is where i chose to put my oil pressure gage. I think it works out pretty well...
_________________
'84 Westy (first owner).......but my daily driver has pedals
My "perspective" mantra:
A Volkswagen Vanagon is just a material thing,
As such, it is of the earth,
And if i need to, I can let my Van go. |
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rs4-380
Samba Member
Joined: August 13, 2006
Posts: 449
Location: Maine
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| Posted: Fri Sep 22, 2006 3:28 pm Post subject: |
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2/3 of my junkyard setup. Still need to find an old audi to get the oil pressure gauge.
_________________
Dave
87 EJ25 Syncro GL |
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IanMay
Samba Member
Joined: August 15, 2006
Posts: 26
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| Posted: Mon Sep 25, 2006 9:33 pm Post subject: ok, educate me. |
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| What are the extra gauges for? Do I need some for my 84 to treat it right? Am I being a neglectful master to my prescious beast? Ian |
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kevinbassplayer
Samba Member
Joined: June 15, 2006
Posts: 1041
Location: Nor-Cal
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| Posted: Tue Sep 26, 2006 7:37 am Post subject: |
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rs4-380,
Were did you run the wires for that set-up? Did you drill though the dash? Basically have the same pod but for 2 gauges and right now I have it mounted over the ash-tray being held on with Velcro. The angle is not that great. I was thinking of mounting it where you have yours but was reluctant to drill through the dash. |
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psych-illogical
Samba Member
Joined: October 14, 2004
Posts: 1181
Location: AZ
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| Posted: Tue Sep 26, 2006 8:26 am Post subject: Re: ok, educate me. |
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| IanMay wrote: |
| What are the extra gauges for? Do I need some for my 84 to treat it right? Am I being a neglectful master to my prescious beast? Ian |
Not really. Gauges are for anal rententive and/or obsessive compulsive types and are mostly good to give you something to worry about when you're on a road trip. That being said, I like my gauges. I feel like I'm being attentive to the needs of my beast.
Oil Pressure: The life blood of your engine. Almost always runs just fine. A gauge will let you observe the slow decline in pressure over many, many thousands of miles as the engine components wear. Otherwise, the loss of oil pressure would typically be caused by some catastrophic failure in which case the idiot light would do a fine job.
Volt meter: Lets you know that your charging system is working. Here again, the idiot light does a fine job of letting you know whether or not it's working OK.
Cylinder Head Temp: This one would actually be pretty darned useful if you've got an air cooled motor. Running too hot is really bad for these and it's hard to tell if your inside the thing. You can smell it once you stop and get out.
Oil Temp: Another useful one for the air cooled crowd but it's so hard to know just when to start worrying. I've got a friend who has one of these on his motorcycle and he worries constantly. He's done a ton of research on oil temp and oil breakdown and there are as many opinions as there are oil temp gauges. I ride exactly the same motorcycle and I assume it runs very comparable temps. I don't have a gauge so I always tell him that mine doesn't overheat (ignorance is bliss). Mine's now got 160,000 miles on it and I'm doing a top end on it.
Outside air temp: This is one that VDO offers that I really think would be the most usefull. It would let you know whether or not to put on a jacket before you get out of your van.
_________________
83 1/2 Westy waterboxer
'57 Beetle-sold
Coupla '81 BMW motorcycles (R80G/S; R100RS)
'96 BMW R1100GS |
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rs4-380
Samba Member
Joined: August 13, 2006
Posts: 449
Location: Maine
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| Posted: Tue Sep 26, 2006 8:38 am Post subject: |
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| kevinbassplayer wrote: |
rs4-380,
Were did you run the wires for that set-up? Did you drill though the dash? Basically have the same pod but for 2 gauges and right now I have it mounted over the ash-tray being held on with Velcro. The angle is not that great. I was thinking of mounting it where you have yours but was reluctant to drill through the dash. |
yes, just drilled a 1/2 inch hold right under the pod. Being that that part of hte dash is metal, it's kind of a pain to get the drill in there with the windsheild angle. If you didn't want to do that you could always just run them down the defroster vent and drill a hole in the airflow tubing under hte dahs to bring the wires out.
_________________
Dave
87 EJ25 Syncro GL |
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aviatorjames
Samba Member
Joined: March 01, 2005
Posts: 232
Location: Half Moon Bay, California
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| Posted: Sun Oct 01, 2006 10:55 am Post subject: |
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BEWARE !!!
Kevin the Bass player, and anyone else thinking of using this adapter...
I bought that little brass adapter piece (by itself from another vendor)
It has the male VW 10mmx1 threads and female 1/8npt...
I threaded it into my case and it sheared in two at about 1ftlb!!!
...thank the gods for easy-outs!!
There is not nearly enough material between the female bore and the male threaded sealing-face adjacent to the hex!!!
Again, I'm speaking ONLY of the little brass adapter piece!
The other pieces in this kit actually look very nice.
james
_________________
...some days it's not even worth chewing through the restraints... |
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r39o
Samba Polizei
Joined: May 18, 2005
Posts: 9800
Location: San Diego
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| Posted: Sun Oct 01, 2006 11:16 am Post subject: |
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YIKES! I have that setup......I didn't like it os much to begin with. It could ruin a whole week or two if that broke.
What did you replace it with?
_________________
"Use the SEARCH, Luke" But first visit the Vanagon FAQ!
1990 Multivan EJ 22, Rancho trans 0.82 4th, Small Car front AC, CLKs w/ 215/65-16, homemade big brakes 303mm, Konis, Recaros, etc....
Click to see my ads for Cup holders, Subaru clutch fix and CLK wheels (no wheels currently) |
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kevinbassplayer
Samba Member
Joined: June 15, 2006
Posts: 1041
Location: Nor-Cal
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| Posted: Sun Oct 01, 2006 9:20 pm Post subject: |
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| I have the 42draft designs setup also, I haven't installed it yet. The rig they sent me doesn't look anything like the picture, it is actually better. The block that the sensors go in is smaller. I was wondering about just threading the hose into the case even though it is NPT and not metric. I know that the van-cafe oil pressure kit they sell tells you to do exactly that, put some teflon tape on the threads and screw it in. Anyone have any other suggestions? Should I try the adapter and just "go easy" when I screw it in? My gauges are in and all hooked up, ran the gauge wire to the engine, just need to install the senders. Any other suggestions would be appreciated! |
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joetiger 
Samba Member
Joined: January 27, 2005
Posts: 5078
Location: denver
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| Posted: Mon Oct 02, 2006 6:17 am Post subject: |
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I found oil pressure and temp gauges from a VW Rabbit Cabrio and mounted them with a $5 mount from Ebay. It's not exactly pleasing to the eye, but it serves its purpose. I used a six-prong plug just under the mount and cluster cover, so to remove everything I just pull the cover up and unplug.
The gauges don't interfere with my line of vision at all, and it's nice to have them right there close.
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