So does anyone know if the 05-07 lower center dash will fit in a 99-03 truck. That way I could make the gauges work in the small glove box and possibly wire up the brake controller, plus have some auxiliary switches to boot...

 

It will but not 100% you have to trim somento the main dash behind it in a couple area. Nothing major. The brake controller can not be made to work. But the upfitter switches can be. Just needs the harness and relay box for them. When I had that panel in mine I stuck a prodigy p3 brake controller in that spot where factory controller is and it looked OK.

 

If I were to do it again I would not put a 3 gauge pod on the pillar. You have said that you did not desire this location, I am just offering some reassurance that you are on the right path.

I thought I would need to keep an eye on things like EGT, FP and boost (ZF6 so no transmission temp), but after getting the truck running right and safely with a mild tune and some air induction upgrades, I don't even have to check the gauges every once in a while. If I were to do it all over again and knowing then what I know now, I would have 100% install the F-650 lower dash or the 05-07 lower dash like you have pictured and made it work. I would have also put $1,000 into Google, Microsoft, Tesla, Amazon, etc when they first went public. I don't like the on top of the dash pods, the instrument cluster pods, the steering column pods or the over the mirror pods because if the truck is running right, you don't need them in your direct view 100% of the time.

The CTS is a good idea, but I would still put it lower in the dash. I run the ATOTO A6 Pro with FORScan once in a while. Again, the truck just does it thing and there is no need to run additional gauges in my opinion. Some people like to watch the boost gauge or the IPR % go up and down, that is not me. I like to ride along with the radio and music off and enjoy the scenery, solitude and sound of the 7.3L getting work done.

I hope this helps.

 

That's right. Here's how I attached mine.

 

I know this isn’t what you’re wanting based on the comments, but figured it was good to drop here for future readers. CNC Fab has a pillar mount for the CTS. I would consider getting it but it won’t work with my A Pillar gauge pod in place.

https://cncfab.us/products/edge-prod...ar-mount-18603



My truck has a combination of old version CTS and A pillar. It just worked out that way as things get added on.
I’m not crazy over the 3 gauge pod and it does obstruct the view just a bit.
If doing it from scratch now I would go all CTS3.

I wonder if there’s a way you could incorporate a CTS into the dash or somehow hidden to prevent theft. But Bwguardian I think you said you already the gauges so that’s probably a moot point.

 

So all the trimming is done behind the panel such that when it's installed everything looks correct? Nice to know about the controller and switches, but just seems like if you had the plug pigtail for them it could be wired up to work...

 

Do you think this would work on the 4 pod unit with the additional weight of the extra gauge?

 

Correct. With the panel installed you csnt see where anything was cut. If you jsut had the pigtail you could wire it into seperate relays but the factory relay box will simplify it a lot.

 

Here are some pictures when I had the stock 99-04 dash in mine. With a 05-07 lower panel and the big radio/cluster bezel installed. Can also see how I mounted the prodigy brake controller where a favtory 05-07 one would go.

 

Looks like you had the 05-07 upper/cluster dash too...guess that far passenger side air vent was the odd ball. Did the center glove box door interfere with the manual 4x4 shifter? Looks like I might be able to get the 4 gauges inside that glove box which would be good to open and view when needed. Did you have those auxiliary switches hooked up? I'm assuming the cutting of the dash needed is where the 05-07 lower center dash meets the 99-04 upper/console dash part. This is looking like a serious contender if I can get the 4 gauges in there...

 

Yea it had the 05-07 radio/cluster bezel as well which I mentioned. You just overlooked it. 😂 But as for interfering with the 4x4 shifter I honestly don't remember 100%. I do not believe it did but don't hold me 100% on thst. It didn't interfere with the Zf6 trans shifter slightly but I never opened it much. Just to put air in the bags. The upfitters were hooked up. I used a factory 05 upfitter harness and fuse/ relay box. Cutting was in the ash tray/door areas behind them where the main dash structure is cause they are in different spots.

 

Good question - I don't know. It was about getting enough surface area for the adhesive on hot days. The plastic velcro part always held, but the adhesive sides on the windshield would start sliding on really hot days (over 100F). This particular brand of velcro has held up, and I cheat by having the mirror pushed up against it.




Sous has a good point that ideally we should be setting up our trucks so that we do not need to watch the gauges much. For me, I consult them often because I'm constantly fiddling with tuning, and testing different hardware.

 

I did indeed see the a/c controls knowing they were the newer style, just didn't acknowledge it...I don't miss much given my profession...

 

I would think there would be a way to attach the front of that pod to the roof in one way or another, but I haven't put my hands on it to see what there is to work with...

 

100% agree on leaving the A-pillar alone. There was no way I was going to remove my grab handle.

I ended up getting 5 gauges (twin EGT, boost, trans, and fuel). I went with the overhead triple pod and the 650 lower dash (picture below). They were fun to ogle in the beginning but, as @Sous mentioned, they move down the list as you get your truck dialed in.

I didn't have any wild tunes but when I turned the wick up for some fun, I did pay attention to the gauges to make sure I wasn't flirting with disaster. Twin EGTs were a quick half-split when trying to figure out which side (or both) was suffering an issue and having fuel pressure at a glance was a bigger comfort than I expected after so many years of tunes without gauges (yes, I know..bad idea).

I also used an old Android phone (purchased at Walmart but not activated) that I installed Torque Pro on to monitor other PIDs at my whim (lower left on the windshield - out of my primary field of view).

If I was going for 4 gauges - without the lower 650 dash as an option - I would go with an overhead gage pod (I did not have any fitment issues with my pod above my rear view mirror). I bought mine (Autometer) through RiffRaff Diesel but Autometer still sells a quad overhead pod on their website.

Just my .02