custom center vent gauge pod installed

[e30sd]

wait, track car? so you don't take it to like gayfests and burgermeats in pnw? i don't get it.

[VacMan]

Based on the last pick the OP put up the two gauges to the far right don't look fully seated. Look closely and you can see some of the gauge housing behind the ring.

[Jand3rson]

wait, track car? so you don't take it to like gayfests and burgermeats in pnw? i don't get it.

Right. Because if you lived up here, you wouldn't go.

At least our meets aren't mainly populated by lambo-door E36's and 1200 of the same xeroxed 19 year old asian kid with a supercharged E46 M3.

Its an f@#*ing TRACK CAR!!!

Jesus!

Further adding to the fact that I'm not the one having a bleeding vag about it...

You guys crack me the fuck up sometimes.

[.cj.]

Holy drama! This thread went to shit fast.


Cris

[einstein57]

i don't get the screw in stuff. It would be super easy to fabricate a pod from the OE vents to just clip in to place.

[dom]

doesn't need to look pretty. his car hauls ass.

[Jand3rson]

I didn't know it was a track car. For a purpose built car, it serves it's purpose just fine.

[dom]

pictures here:

http://www.s14.net/forums/showthread.php?t=24189

[Mtriple]

Further adding to the fact that I'm not the one having a bleeding vag about it...

Hey pot, its Kettle... YOU'RE BLACK!

[MR 325]

Nice car, I think I have a pic or two of it on my screen saver actually.

Also nice to see another Autometer fan.

[PaintPro21]

Interesting comments...

It probably would have made a difference if I would have pointed out that this is a dedicated track car. I don't daily drive this thing. It just sits and sits unless it’s being worked on, taken it to a local meet, or go to a track/autocross event. I'm getting concerned about oil starvation on the track so I slapped these in this past weekend. I was intending to deal with the gauges while relocating the oil filter over to where the cruise control unit used to be, and setup the plumbing to accept an accusump system installation over the Christmas break.

Sadly I ran out of time so I just got the gauges done in a hurry. Some of them aren't fully seated since the housing is slightly bowed. This is a result of how it’s seating against my warped dash. I could do a small amount of dremeling and they would seat right, but I don’t want to hack it up if I’ll be installing a newer dash soon. I just wanted it done since I care about function over form. All the gauges are angled towards me, but the last (and least important) volt meter is not at the same angle as the others. This could be due to me receiving one of strikers test samples as I received this about 8 months ago, after the thread was first started.

I didn't want to screw them in, but I anticipated having to pull the housing out multiple times over the next few weeks. It doesn't bother me the least as I look out the windshield when I drive, and I don’t even use them at night when I’m driving to or from the track, so I just turn them off. I wanted quality full sweep gauges so I went with these Autometer gauges that I get wholesale. I sure would love to know how a short-sweep VDO gauge is superior to what I installed. I hope the argument has nothing to do with it the VDO just matching the interior better or glowing amber when lit.

It's not a show install as it's in a track car with Recaro SPG bucket seats, Schroth 6 points and a weld in roll bar, but it's extremely functional.

I appreciate everybody's input. Almost everyone could look at this project in the right context. But clearly there is always someone who jumps to the oddest conclusions, and just post the first thing that comes to their minds no matter how ridiculous it is.

[AndrewBird]

The pod looks like crap too, is it blow molded plastic? Each gauge is pointed a different direction.

I think you meant vacuum formed.

[uofom3]

I'm still not a fan of having guages in that area. Also - do they have any kind of warning lights? I can't see any with the picture but I could be wrong. I still feel this is the best setup and it does NOT restrict vision.



You have a really solid m3, and I've seen you put a lot of quality stuff on it over the time you've had it. I just wouldn't skimp on the guages if you are serious about them being useful in the application that you need them in (i.e. their functionality/visibility/information is very important). Just my 2cents, but they certainly are better than nothing and important to have.