Best place to mount a gauge?

[otto]

i mounted mine ontop of the steering column just off to the left, it does block my view of the fuel gauge abit but i recon it looks pretty cool there.

[JimX]

What sort of idiot would smash and grab your $100 boost gauge? I think you'd be more than likely have a thief smash and rifle through your console for spare change, and any CD's lying around. I know of many people that have had that happen, but I've never heard of a thief targetting an A-pillar gauge. The friends I know that have had this happen didn't even have any loose change or CD's visible through the window, the thief just took a chance and found them.

The only problem with the instrument cluster mount is it can interfere with the reading of the other gauges. When I got my car my gauge was there, and it blocked off the tacho from around 5000rpm and up. So I removed it and later had it mounted on the A-pillar. If you can do it carefully enough though and have a small bracket, it won't block your view of the gauges. My mounting bracket wouldn't permit this though which is why I moved it to the A-pillar.

Anyway, if a thief can see a boost gauge mounted on the A-pillar he can see it on your dash, so if you're worried about a thief stealing it, then best don't put it in your car at all.

As for legality, I'm pretty sure you can be defected for having it on the A-pillar. But I've gone through several RBT's and no cop has even commented on mine, so in Sydney at least it tends to be something they generally ignore. But I'm sure that if I pissed a cop off they would quickly defect it. In that case though it could a distraction from something more of a pain in the arse to fix - like being too low or something. If they just want to look for one thing to quickly defect you, the A-pillar gauge is easily fixed and preferable to almost any other defect IMO.

[Driver]

My friend gregor at the perth show had his a piller guage stolen from his r32 at mid day in a car park.

[Messiah]

Well its in and installed now, it turns out that routing the tubing is actually pretty easy... heres how i did it.

For an S1 R33

1. Remove the dash panel below the steering wheel.

2. Remove the lining that runs up the a pillar then along the top of the drivers door.

3. This should reveal a gap at the base of the a pillar.... run your tubing down this to get it under the dash.

4. take the end of the tubing and tread it through the existing hole in the firewall (located just behind the right hand edge of where the stereo sits, maybe a little higher)

5. this should exit just to the right of the intake manifold if your looking at the engine from the front.

6. Now comes the choice of lines to tap. The closest line is the line that runs to the stock boost sensor (little black box located in the back left corner of the engine bay when viewed from the front). This line leaves from the back of the intake manifold and runs straight left. This is nice and convenient, But if like me you have an apexi mech boost gauge, the supplied T peice is too big for this hose, so instead use the hose from the front of the manifold, its thicker and just like the one from the back... it will gauge the intake manifold pressure. For this i ran under the air intake and other leads to the front.

7. Cut the desired hose where u wish to join and insert your T peice.

8. Attach your gauge hose to your T peice.

9. use cable ties or similar to tighten the join on the T peice

10. find and attach gauge wires to power if applicable (i'm not going to tell you which one, just find on with power when the lights are on but non when they're not (lighter adapter for instance).

11. Depending on the length these wires can either follow tyhe tubing or instead shortcut down the side of the dash and under the panel removed earlier, dont worry when we put the panel back on it will be protected/hidden.

12. Next replace the 2 removed panels (the a pillar panel and the footwell panel

13. connect your gauge to your hose and wiring and mount as needed....

All done with no hole drilling...

did i miss anything?

[JimX]

My friend gregor at the perth show had his a piller guage stolen from his r32 at mid day in a car park.

So, would it have been safe if it was mounted in front of the gauges?

[Driver]

I dont know

Im just saying its easy for a theif if they really want take the a pillar gauge to do so.

[RBVS]

What was it over the pits for in the first place? Were these compliance engineers? In other words; where can I go to get a cert if I put a gauge on?

at the licenceing center, fill out an modification form, i got permits for piller guages a have two, air pod, upgraded intercooler and pipe work, basicly anthing thats not stock. iv been pulled over, or stuck i a car park on a crusie and these permits have saved my ass heaps.

o and the permit for the conversion, i never had to see any enginers, no body work had to be cut. This is all done just at the general licenceing center.

[red17]

Best place on an R32 is the drivers side air vent, its round and the perfect size for a boost guage. Of course this means you have to direct all the air from the centre vents onto the driver in summer