Hello ya'll,
So a few months back I asked here on the forum whether anybody knows a vendor who can install a dual gauge pod on an A-pillar for our cars. So the answer was no and I had to fabricate one for my vehicle. So I went to a local shop for them to custom work what I was interested in. The quote I got was absurd ($600) and that was for just doing the fiberglass bonding without the upholstery work. So with some reading on the process I went and bought the materials needed to do this mini-project. I started my research on this forum. As far as I know only two people attempted to do this before me; bpd1151 and Geswek. Your posts were very helpful in getting started on this project!
Anyhow, here I will try to walk you through what I did to achieve this outcome. I am not sure if this could be considered a how to for the subject in matter but would like to let you all know that I am by NO means an expert and I am sure my process has some limitations, however, the output is good and received a lot of compliments thus far. This can help anybody who is interested in starting a mini-project, which turned out to be an enjoyable one, for sure. So here it goes...
First, you need to buy three things:
a- Universal dual gauge pod ($14.99) through this website.
http://www.glowshiftdirect.com/Universal-Dual-Gauge-A-Pillar-Pod.aspxb- Bondo Fiberglass repair kit ($15) from any auto or hardware store. Like this one.
c- Bondo fiberglass filler ($7.99).
While waiting for the gauge pod to be shipped, you can start by removing your A-pillar from your vehicle. It can be removed by pulling the pillar gently with your hand from the top. It will get caught halfway. So you need to manually slide a metal clip on the top/back of the pillar. After doing so the pillar should slide out with you.
You need to remove the stock upholstery and the Sony speaker from the pillar so your fiberglass cloth can stick and make the whole pillar strong.
Now, once you have your gauge pod try to cut any "extra" edges from your gauge pod with scissors so that your gauge pod can be situated on the pillar without having any jumping edges. Small imperfections are fine as this is a universal gauge pod and later you will bond both these pieces together and you can sand any imperfections. But try your best to have it situated on the pillar with minimal edge clearance as much as possible.
Now use tape or paper glue as at this step you DON'T want these two parts to stick just yet. Now go back to your car and reinstall your pillar and make sure you like how the gauge pod is positioned. If you don't like what you see reposition it accordingly. Once you are done, use a pencil to trace down the position of your universal dual gauge pod on your pillar.
Drill two large holes with a hole saw on the pillar to run any wires you want.
Apply a couple of layers of fiberglass cloth on the A pillar to strengthen the whole structure. The instructions on the Bondo Fiberglass repair kit box are sufficient and clear. Follow what it says!
http://3mauto.com/bondo-fiberglass-resin-repair-kit-420.html#DcCogQtxElKDPdgv.97
Now, let it dry then position your universal dual gauge pod on your A-pillar to fiberglass it. You have several options. You can use screws or super glue or whatever to stick your gauge pod to your A-pillar. I would not recommend metal screws as in places where there is a big variation in temperature (Canada) this can compromise the whole structure down the road.
Now fiberglass this bad boy.
Allow the material to cure.
Use sand paper to sand and smoothen the surface in preparation for Bondo's fiberglass filler also called putty.
Apply Bondo fiberglass filler. Read the instruction on it and follow what it says.
Allow the material to cure.
Sand what you just made and follow the instruction on the putty package. It will tell you what sandpaper grit you need to finish the job.
You have three options now. Either paint the whole thing using primer like this
or black paint it like this
or you could find a company that can upholster your pillar. I did both and found that using upholstery makes it look like a factory job. So I did some research and found a company who does this kind of work. Here is their website:
http://www.nolimitautotrim.com/If you remember at the beginning of the post I removed the stock upholstery from the factory pillar. This was given to the upholsterer so that he can find an exact replica of the material before starting the job.
Here are the pictures after putting everything together. I have also incorporated my Alkycontrol methanol injection light bulbs in the pillar. So that everything I need to monitor is just where I need it.
I hope this post can add some knowledge to the community for anybody who wants to go this route. Please let me know if you have any questions or comments. I will try my best to provide the best answers to my knowledge.
Cheers
