I finally got my Gauge Pod holders today. All 3 of them. Now I am in a quandry. I know I'm going to use 2 of them for sure...the 3rd is kinda iffy now for me.

Pictures below. Help me pick. The Autometer one has you drill 4 holes in the A-Pillar...and it looks kinda ricer. ...I'm not sure I like it.



Roush A/C Vent Gauge Pod (x2)






Autometer F-150 2 Gauge A-Pillar Mount (Part #15312)






and as funds allow, I'll get the following gauges to fill the holes in
1. Tranny Temp Gauge
2. Water Temp Gauge (for the E-Fans)
3. Wideband A/F Gauge

 

does ur a/c still come out of the vents with those installed?

 

IMO, u have to use the autometer pods for sure. they are bad a$$ lookin. thats where i would put the boost and transtemp gauges. and then the A/F meter in the left hand vent by the door. seems thats where the least amount of air comes out anyway. But thats just my thoughts. Its your truck and your doin one hell of a job with it. keep up the good work buddy

 

I'd say use both, depending on the amount of gauges you want, only thing is though the a-piller pods creates alot of attention (but sure is nice to have the gauges at eye level), i had a tripple set in the civic and a couple times sitting at lights someone beside me asked what the gauges were for..

Ps. I'm surprised you went with a boost only, gause instead of a boost/vac

 

Here's another alternative. I used a pillar from Propods. It replaces the entire pillar. I think they have 2, 3, and 4 gauge units. No drilling, simply take out the two bolts that hold the stock pillar in place and bolt this one on. The Autometer setup is nice (I had one) but I needed 3 pods so I changed to the Propods unit. I have Autometer UltraLite / UltraLite II gauges because they match the Roush instrument cluster face. The Autometer gauges are a wide band O2, boost/vacuum with manifold and a PTEC performance gauge (upcoming article on installing all 3). Below that I have a DashDAQ with a Roush F150 theme I created using the DashDAQ Skin Editor. I can select different digital gauge layouts with that from 3 to 24 gauges at one time. The mount looks nearly OEM (still have to make the black trim around it a little neater). The folks who make the Gryphon donated one of their mounts (same the Edge uses). I made the opening big enough to fit the DashDAQ using a Dremel tool.

Sorry about the screen going wide with the 3 pictures.

I thought about using the vent mounted gauges, but I love the factory vents and don't want to loose the aiming functionality, plus the location doesn't feel like its going to be in my line of vision when driving.

 

Ken i like it, i loved having the gauges on the pillar but i was.. am a "ricer" hahaha

that dashdaq is a nice unit, does any of the site sponsers sell it?
at 700bucks it's a bit pricey DashDAQ Series II from Drew Technologies

 

I think just the Roush, those are a pretty neat idea actually.

Off topic- What's the display setup in the corner of the dash for?

 

The display on the center of the dash is the Roush/Brandmotion GPS system. Basically, its a Magellan GPS in a special casing so it looks OEM.
The display on the left is a DashDAQ. They are incredible computers. Full blown Linux system. Does GPS, digital gauges (literally hundreds of gauges to choose from), diagnostic code reading, datalogging and much more. The will be releasing MP3 and video playback updates on their web site soon. I'm in the process of doing a review article for it, just finished my first draft of the article. This thing is down right amazing. Yeah, its pricey, but it combines so many things that separately would cost more. Also, since it runs Linux I think its a matter of time before people start porting over some of the thousands of free Linux applications over to it.

Its not just for performance vehicles, its an all around package. I have to say that out of all the electronic gadgets I have ever used in a vehicle this one is the best. There's a version of it for the diesel guys that does tuning and I hope in the near future they'll release that capability for the gas trucks. I'm getting the GPS module this week and as soon as it comes in I'm selling my Roush GPS --- one less thing taking up space!

The nice thing is it works well with a Y-cable on the OBDII port so you can still connect other devices to the OBDII port.

Sorry Tylus, seems I inadvertantly high-jacked the thread.

The DashDAQ has a Skin Editor which lets you create your own custom skins. Here's a Roush theme I made which matches my dash and the gauges in the pillar pod. I plan to post it on the DashDAQ forums, as well as a version with a Roush Mustang background.

 

I vote use the auto meter or go with FTE Kens suggestion about the propods they look pretty sweet and the vent gauges just seem kinda tacky to me. They take away from the general aesthetics and symmetry of the inside of the truck, normal vents on the passenger side / gauge vents on drivers... Just my .2 cents

Ken I'm looking forward to your write up / review of the dashDAQ!!

 

that interior is awesome Ken. and the Dashdaq looks kinda neat. I want that Wideband you have. But for $250+ for a good one...it'll wait a while. I'd rather have Custom Tunes first


now I've got to get me a Ford Racing Steering wheel cover. I didn't know anybody made a cover big enough to fit our steering wheels. Is it ridged or just smooth?


the 3 pillar isn't for me though. I use my grab bar all the time and would really miss it.
yes, it just isn't directed anymore. Roush claims you still get 100% flow...and it felt cold when I tested it...so I think I like 'em
assuming I keep them all...the plan is for Boost and A/F on the pillar

Trans temp above the 4x4 switch

Water Temp above headlight switch.
I bought the Boost only because I got it for $20....vs over $60 for anything else from Autometer...and I'm only running autometer gauges

 

I have the same triple pod you have ken. I like it.

 

I actually bought the wide-band on Ebay, got a great deal on it, $180.

The cover is smooth, except for the Ford logo and the lettering, they are ridged. I purchased it because I knew I have a habit of having grease/dirt on my hands, or sweaty hands here in the Georgia summer and I didn't want to trash the leather around the steering wheel.

You got me there, I didn't like giving up the handle at all. A perfect pillar would have the grab handle and 3 pods.

I wish they made these for our trucks:

Speed of Sound 2005+ Ford Mustang gauge double and triple gauge pillars

 

ya those things are classy....would look great on a modded up lariat! Almost looks stock

 

Here are mine.

 

IMO I like the Apillar pod's, I think they look awesome !!