custom dash idea...

[exitspeed]

What do u guys think. The shae follows the arch of the driver gauge cluster and the red circles represent gauges. I want to fiberglass my interior andthought it would be a nice addition.

[Dousan_PG]

bleh nasty
either remove yoru center AC vents or put the gauges between the 2 sets of ac vents (you can fit at least 4 gauges iirc

on top would be just funky and ugly!

[WhiteNissanS13]

wow what kind of steering wheel is that? my stock one doesnt look like that?!

[KiDyNomiTe]

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid65/p7e8fe6e35ca5a4d5fd287bfa84861150/fbeb244a.jpg

should be able to fit 4 there no problem.

The S13 has plenty of ac vents, take out a few. The driver in a way has 5, take a few out. In the pic above if you add ".orig.jpg" to the url you'll see he put one under the guages.

I don't really like having the guages so far though (referring to the ones on the pass. side). I really like Halo's setup. Some two guage pod designed for a RHD car that he fixed up to work on LHD cars, nice location.

EDIT: Ya what is with your steering wheel, it bulges out more than mine, and whats with the lever on the left side?:confused:

[Bill Roberts]

I am not a fan of carving up a perfectly good dash unless you can do a damn good job.

The lever on his left is aftermarket cruise. My 89 has cruise built into the steering wheel His wheel does look pretty fat, I got a rubber grippy cover on mine.

[old_s13]

I highly dislike when people remove the AC vents, I find that the worst choice of them all.

The second worst choice is carving up the dash, but hey.. its not THAT bad.. that option is a bit more acceptable to me, because atleast its functional. Not aesthetically pleasing, but nonetheless, functional.

The a-pillar CAN be okay, as long as its done cleanly like the S15 -- I think that car only has ONE gauge there. Anything MORE than that, and it interfere's with the drivers vision and is a distraction. I absolutely HATE the pillar-gauge pods.. UNLESS its S15-style.

Personally, I would either stash them in the glove box.. since its convenient and non-interfering in there. OR, do what I did.. mount them under the AC controls. Since my stereo wont be mounted in the DIN location, I didnt need that area.. so I just filled it with gauges. If you have a stereo, you can fit 3. If you dont care, put 6 like I did.

Thats my view,
- Mike

[KiDyNomiTe]

IMO the glove compartment is better for things like boost controller, turbo timer, afrs and other little things.

Guages are meant to be monitored, and the glove box is kinda far. The ac vents on the driver side are right in your face, but not in the way of viewing the road. A quick glance down a few cm below the speedo and you can see them. Only positives about the glove box is sleeper style, but people shouldnt be staring in your car anyway.

[TheTimanator]

This is also another option...this is a picture of an actual silvia so that's why there faced that way.

[nocomedown]

ive always thought that it looked pretty nice if they were in the little hole type thing underneath the stereo and ac controls like old_s13 said. not too obvious and not out of the way at all

[twitchy]

kidynomite, how do you put gauges in the passenger side? Drill big holes?

[Dousan_PG]

putting gauges in the glovebox is pointless, imho
espeically from a pesron who goes to the track often
i like the AC vent removal, espeically when you have no more AC and such

putting them in the din area (stereo area) is good too.

i hate pillar gauges. hate them A LOT

[revat619]

Originally posted by dousan36
i hate pillar gauges. hate them A LOT

I'm just curious as to why you hate them so much?
IMHO, that seems like one of the best places for them. Reason being, the driver doesnt have to take his/her eyes that far away from the road to take a glance at the gauges. However, anymore than 2 gauges in the A pillar is overkill imho. Anyway, i'm not trying to start an argument or anything, i was just wondering why you hate them. :)

[Dousan_PG]

i like my vision clear straight on
one..eh i can live with but i'd rather not
my frend has some on his z32...cant stand it.

just my personal preference.

[AKADriver]

I'm not a fan of pillar gauges either. They don't obstruct the view, but they're actually TOO close to the line of sight... If you put something like a boost gauge, air/fuel gauge, etc that moves around a lot up there, you're going to have needles and LEDs constantly jumping around in your left peripheral vision. Distracting! One other reason the S15 boost gauge is nice, it sits relatively low for a pillar gauge and it's small, so it's not constantly in the driver's PV.

[KiDyNomiTe]

Originally posted by twitchy
kidynomite, how do you put gauges in the passenger side? Drill big holes?

it's not my car, but I would assume you just take measurements of the gauge. I am also guessing that there are two different levels to the guage, one bieng the outside bezel the other bieng on the insde. Not sure on this, but just measure and cut out the dash and wire like usual.

I am not sure about this but it should be the same as installing gauges anywhere else just with the added part of cutting out the dash.

If you want to ask the owner contact MI SO [email protected] or just aim him at MI SO FST

[old_s13]

Most gauges dont need constant monitoring, some are good only for tuning and diagnostics -- that is why I suggested the glovebox. Think about it, if gauges were THAT important cars would come with billions of gauges from the factory. The most important thing is having ACCESS to certain gauges. The most important gauges are oil pressure, water temp, and boost (if applicable).

The a-pillar gauges are rediculous, they are usually too close to the driver's face and you need to adjust your focus to view them. By the time you adjust focus, look at them, and re-adjust to the road.. you can cause an accident. They are *okay* if its your last option, but personally.. I find them a distraction and obstruction of view.

Mounting them on the dash is okay, but sloppy. Anyone who's removed a dash knows how important it is to simplify. The more organized your wiring is, the easier it is to remove your dash. Running gauges on your dash can be very sloppy and will make dash removal more difficult.

Again, this is why I chose the radio area. Plus, I would never ditch my vents OR AC for anything. Even if I didnt have AC, I need heat and ventillation.. the more vents the better.

- Mike

[DuffMan]

Theres a set of circular adapters that mount up to a drill for cutting holes like that. Forgot what they are called, they look sort of like a metal cup with teeth along the top edge of it. Used mainly for wood working but work okay when cutting through plastic.

[misnomer]

That steering wheel is a factory base model wheel iirc. My sister's '89 has it (plus cruise control buttons). It probably looks thicker than it is because of the camera lense. As far as guages. . . . I'd prefer guages to be closer to me, but hey it's your perogative :-)

[DoriftoSlut]

Since we are on the topic of gauges, i will come to the defense of the glovebox. Why do i plan on putting mine in there? Cops. Even though you SHOULDN'T be hassled for having gauges, a boost gauge may spark suspicion in Mr. officer, and Me, with the SR, does not want any of that. So... SAFC, gauges, turbo timer, boost controller, etc... in the glove box you go!

If or when i have a track only car, I will remove the center vents. Also, i like the vents fro street b/c I can rock the dope Xax cupholder and cellphone holder like Dousan! JDM tyte, here I come! Ahh.. pointless thread, put gauges wherever the hell you please...:rolleyes:

[fogleroller]

here's one on an MR2. He used PVC pipping to angle the gauges

http://noclownz.dnsalias.net/temppics/tg1W8.jpg

http://noclownz.dnsalias.net/temppics/tg4W8.jpg

[the head]

1. the things to cut holes that attach to a drill are called hole saws

2. I don't like pillar pods because you are constatnly having to refocus if there is more than one gauge up there

3. Some gauges should be monitored while you are driving have you ever looked in high end sports cars? most of them have signifigantly more gauges than a 240sx and the ones that are the same are not as accurate on the average compared to an aftermarket piece

[brianglawson]

Originally posted by Dorifto180sx
Since we are on the topic of gauges, i will come to the defense of the glovebox. Why do i plan on putting mine in there? Cops. Even though you SHOULDN'T be hassled for having gauges, a boost gauge may spark suspicion in Mr. officer, and Me, with the SR, does not want any of that. So... SAFC, gauges, turbo timer, boost controller, etc... in the glove box you go!

If or when i have a track only car, I will remove the center vents. Also, i like the vents fro street b/c I can rock the dope Xax cupholder and cellphone holder like Dousan! JDM tyte, here I come! Ahh.. pointless thread, put gauges wherever the hell you please...:rolleyes:

i here ya, but not for reason of the cops, for reason of if someone else drives my car, i will have a different lock on the glove box so they cant play with mr. boost controller:)
i would have boost gauge in clear view though, that would be it

[SilviaDriver]

good job bring up a 4month old thread

[Bliss]

Would you rather he started another thread? Maybe this will start another discussion, ain't that big a deal.