There aren't many convenient ways to add custom-looking gauges to your interior. Sure, you can break out the fiberglass and incorporate some gauges into your one-off center console, but for the best bang-for-the-buck, pillar pods pack an incredible value. When one of our favorite project trucks needed some specialty gauges installed to keep track of some important engine functions, we knew that Auto Meter's A-pillar pod was a quick fix that would look great, especially after it was paint-matched to the rest of the interior. Once again we headed to Auto Essentials in Thousand Oaks, California, where Richard Chronister and his crew had the information flowing into the cab in no time.
The factory A-pillar trim...
The factory A-pillar trim just pulled out of its top clip with a firm tug.
The gauges that we selected...
The gauges that we selected to install are all electrical, which means they each have a sending unit. The vacuum/boost gauge uses a 2-BAR MAP sensor, the wide-band air/fuel sensor uses a special 02 sensor, and the fuel pressure sensor uses a sending unit.
Richard labeled each gauge's...
Richard labeled each gauge's wires on both ends and zip-tied them to existing wires running up the pillar.
The gauge's lighting wires...
The gauge's lighting wires were soldered together and wired into the dash light dimmer switch so they can be adjusted together.
With the driver-side dash...
With the driver-side dash trim removed, Richard wired the gauges' power supply into a constant-on 12-volt ignition source near the steering column, mounted a ground to the body, and fed the wires for the boost and fuel pressure through a new grommet in the firewall behind the dash.
The wires for the air/fuel...
The wires for the air/fuel meter were fed through expandable sheathing before passing through a new grommet that was installed after drilling through the floor.