We really suffered over picking a location and option to mount these gauges. At this time, the A-piller just didn’t seem like the right location for the car and we saw a few custom solutions where the gauges were located to the right of the stereo. After a bit of research we found Ortiz Custom Pods (part# Dual Pod – DashSpeaker Trim – OCPI). They had a unique solution to replace the grill for the center speaker in the dash with a gauge mount similar to what’s found from the factory on the 370Z. The center grill pops out easy with a stereo installer’s pry tool and the new gauge pod and gauges pop right in. The real work starts powering up the gauges and hooking into the lighting system.
We found Ortiz Custom Pods and really appreciated the multiple options for gauge location beyond the standard A-pillar mount. This particular location mimics the factory gauge location found on the 370z with the speaker grill cover on the center of the dash.Autometers Elite oil temp gauge measuring temps from 100-340 degrees, complete with oil temp sender.When you’re modifying cars, these sort of complications just happen. Our oil temp sender from Autometer was too long to work with the Earl’s adapter that tapped into our hot oil supply. We’ll come back to this later.Disassembly of the dash and finding a good location to tap into for power wasn’t as difficult as we initially thought. Louie pulled out a factory wiring diagram and found a great location in the ashtray light that had both power and a dimmer wire. First the gear knob comes off, then the shifter console, then the climate control, radio and finally the bezel for the navigation. It all came about with only about 4 Phillps screws.
1 comment
It’s a very helpful blog to know how to cooler engine oil and transmission fluid works. thanks for explaining.