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Gauge placement Conundrum

V

vancouver83ltd

Guest
So I want more guages. Little things really. You know, volt guage, tach, clock, oil pressure guage, etc... Goes on and on right? Anyways, Trying to figure out where to put everything.
So if I took a standard turbo guage pod 3 spot placement thing, (wow real descriptive) like the one below
http://cgi.ebay.ca/VOLVO-240-GAUGE-...ryZ46100QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Could I adapt it to work in my bottom radio slot? Would it even be visible? I KNOW I DO NOT want my radio down there because it'd be a big pain. The guages I'd like throw down there are things I wouldn't use too much, but even then I suppose they're pretty far down there.
So that really only leaves the top of my dash where the stereo is now...
What about placing my stereo down next to the switches? I think if I shuffle it around a little bit, and maybe if required delete the little seatbelt light, it might work?
Anyways, long story short I'm mad at Volvo engineers for not putting more useful gauges in the gauge console...
Another option is an A-pillar pod -
http://www.jcwhitney.com/autoparts/...owse/s-10101/Ntk-AllTextSearchGroup?Ntt=guage
Was one I was looking at. anyways.
Input? Thoughts?
 
You could put gauges way down below...I'd probably smash someone trying to look at them. I don't care that much about my stereo that much in a car I flog often. I just put songs I like on my CDs or know the order of my albums by heart and just adjust the volume. No real paying attention to the stereo is done. Still, I did like having it up high and just lived with 2 aux gauges in my GL. I might have wanted oil press/something else/clock though.

You can fit more gauges in the center vents if you want to go without those.
Buy one of the aux 3-gauge replicas or OEM ones that fits above the dash speaker grill if you have lots and lots of dough. Putting them there in a nice housing might be a decent compromise of function, looks and keeping the stereo up high where you like it.

The lower gauge spot next to the radio I can't see with the smaller steering wheel and being fairly tall and sitting up pretty straight, so I'd put something fairly trivial like volts or the clock there.
 
yeah I'm not super tall, only 5'6" - actually not tall at all - so everything is at eye level.
I'm just a control freak, haha. I want to know what's going on with EVERYTHING.
I think ideally I would move the stereo where the switches are, move the switches down in front of the stick, and get the three guage pod up top.
 
By the way, did you get the payment for the tachometer via paypal?
 
As well the cigarette lighter - I only use it as a power pod for ipod accesories and such, so maybe I could just put it in the side of the dash, facing the footwell... Or even in the rear console!
 
By the way, did you get the payment for the tachometer via paypal?

I did, thanks.
Ya, there really isn't much depth room back there...you will see what I mean when you pull the center console apart. If you can make it happen, more power to you. The switches are top lit, so with the stereo there your switches are now in the dark...minor nitpick I know, but fussy. It is also a sort of narrow slot and you will have to come up with a surround and slice out all of the intermediate cutouts in the console.
 
I did, thanks.
Ya, there really isn't much depth room back there...you will see what I mean when you pull the center console apart. If you can make it happen, more power to you. The switches are top lit, so with the stereo there your switches are now in the dark...minor nitpick I know, but fussy. It is also a sort of narrow slot and you will have to come up with a surround and slice out all of the intermediate cutouts in the console.

bleeeech.... Not fun!
Maybe I'll just give up and get a stereo system that I can operate with my iPod. And throw that down low. I hardly use radio except for traffic and news anyways.
I think that regardless I'm going to put a power port / cigarette lighter where the rear seatbelt light is... Or the ashtray even.
Hmmm.... sideways switches in the ashtray slot?
Anyways, When I get my dash torn apart and all that fun stuff I'll get it all figured out. I wish they had shoved more guages in the guage cluster... grrrr!
 
My mp3 head unit has always been in the lower position, and i have no issues with it. My car is auto, and needs to be in neutral to swap cd's, but i really don't give a toss. Flashy stereos would be crap in the upper spot, pointing at you at night....
 
My mp3 head unit has always been in the lower position, and i have no issues with it. My car is auto, and needs to be in neutral to swap cd's, but i really don't give a toss. Flashy stereos would be crap in the upper spot, pointing at you at night....

yeah I was also thinking that...
Just in neutral then? Not so bad then!
 
Seriously, the easiest solution is to put the radio down low, then you can easily put up to 8 gauges up top. No need to go messing with the switch panel. Like this:
whitegauges-my_car.jpg
 
I have the radio in the lower spot and it has never bugged me. Honestly, I have never had it in the upper spot, so who knows.
 
think I might give in and just throw it down low...
Fact is at the top it's a little bit of a stretch...
 
i moved my stereo down low and i love it. Find a headunit that has a remote (preferably one you could find a way to mount to the wheel. It is great to have mine that way.
 
Has anyone removed the center vents and put gauges below the radio? If it's pretty simple I'm thinking about doing that. I tried my head unit in the lower position and just didn't like having it down there.
 
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