Stewi
08-09-2007, 06:27 PM
Ok so first im gonna start out by saying that this is something I did in about 2 hours total start to finish. With that being said, this gauge pod is more for functionality than for show, I would honestly say if I put another 2-3 hours of work into it, it could look ALOT better, but hopefully this is going to be temporary until I get the one from the Group Buy if that ever happens.
Supplies needed:
Gauge pod of your choice $15-$30
80 grit sandpaper or plastic scuff pad for an air sander $5
(be careful if your using an air sander, go very slow or you'll melt the plastic on the pod/pillar)
Heat Gun or Propane Torch
DuraMix 40/40 Bonding Kit and Gun $55 (buy online or from a body shop supply store)
SEM Classic Coat #17123 (light gray, matches stock VERY well)
A few pairs of vise grips, or other vise like clamps
I wont really call this a tutorial since I didnt take pics of each step, so its sort of just an FYI for anyone who wants to try this.
1. Take off your stock pillar or buy an extra one from TGC or a junk yard.
2. Fit the gauge pod to the pillar, look for all the gaps and just make a mental note of where they are.
3. Use the propane torch or heat gun to heat the pod and use your hands to re-shape the pod in the area where you had gaps. It doesnt need to fit perfect, but it needs to fit decent. If your using the propane torch, keep the actual flame at least 8 inches from the plastic or you will melt it. Dont keep the heat in one place too long, kinda wave it back and forth like you were applying paint. Plastic will hold a shape if its shaped hot and then quickly cooled. I kept a cup of ice nearby with a rag in it, and after I re-shaped it, I touched the surface with the wet rag and the pod seemed to stay where I wanted it. This step took about 20 minutes.
3. Now take your sand paper and scuff up the back side of the pod around the edges, you only need to go about 1/4" in from all edges, just rough it up a bit and then clean all the dust off.
4. Lay the pod onto the pillar exactly where you want to mount it. This step is critical that you dont mess up, because this is where the pod is going to be, for good. I put the pillar back in the car and mocked the pod up into place and used a sharpie to mark where I wanted it.
5. Sand the area of the pillar in which the edges of the pod will be in contact. I would stay about 3/16" inward of the marks you made with the sharpie just so you dont scrape up an area thats not going to be covered by the pod, I made this mistake because I was using an air sander and got a little too fast, no big deal. Clean it off once your done sanding.
6. Get the Duramix ready. It comes with a mixing tip, the two parts of the epoxy mix in the tip before the glue even comes out, this way you can apply it in one steady bead. If you havent used this product before, it sets up VERY VERY FAST. The time from application to completely dry is 3-4 minutes. With that being said, apply it to all the surfaces it needs to be on before you stop because once you stop, it will start to harden inside the mixing nozzle and as far as I know, you cant buy nozzles alone, which makes this a one time use, except for the gun which you can re-load with a new cartridge. Apply the duramix to the back of the pod, start the bead about 1/4" in from the edge and go completely around the pod, then carefully place it onto the pillar using your marks for alignment.
7A. This helps to have a helper for this step. Have your helper hold the pillar and pod and get those vise grips or clamps. I used regular vise grips and I wrapped the jaws in electrical tape so it wouldnt damage the plastic. I had about 8 vise grips, but you can get away with less. Go around the pod with the vise grips and just lock it down so the glue is in full contact with the pillar, if any glue squeezes out, no worries, it can be easily trimmed off with a razor blade once it hardens. If you dont have a few pairs of vise grips or clamps, just hold it down with your hands.
7B. Skip process 6 and 7A completely and just use small screws to attach the pod to the pillar. I feel that doing it this way makes it more prone to rattle and have gaps, but thats just me, doing it this way can save you a bit of money since you wouldnt have to buy the duramix or the gun which is a majority of the cost.
8. Ok so the glue is dried or the screws are in depending on your method of securing the pod. Now fit your gauges, make sure the gauges actually fit into the holes in the pod, if they are tight, lightly sand inside the opening to open it up a bit, if they are loose you can always break out the heat gun again and try to reshape the hole a bit.
9. This is the point where I said, yes, its finally together, lets paint. You might want to make yours more show worthy. First see if any of the pod is hanging over the edges of the pillar, if so, carefully trim it to fit using either a box cutter or tin snips. I actually trimmed mine before I glued it on which was a bad idea as I cut off a little too much. If you used the duramix, you can take off the mixing nozzle and throw it out. Get a piece of plastic and a a paint stick or something to mix with. Apply the duramix on the plastic just like you would 2 part epoxy or fiberglass body filler except much much faster. Mix it up for about 20-30 seconds it will get clumpy and start to be difficult to move. Now you can apply this to any gaps you have between the pillar and pod, let it harden and sand it down smooth just like body filler. Once you get it to where your happy, time to paint.
10. Use a wax and grease remover to clean and prep the surface. I used a little bit on a rag and lightly rubbed it across the pod and pillar then immediately dried it with a clean rag. Leave it alone for about 10 minutes to make sure its completely dry.
11. Paint It ! Although the SEM Classic Coat paint matches very well to the stock color, it doesnt cover too well over black. I applied about 8 coats of paint before all the black was covered, allowing 5 minutes between coats. I used probably 75% of the paint in the can for this, but its only $13 so its not that bad.
Here is the finished product, as you can see, I have some gaps, but they arent anything I cant live with.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y83/EvoInside/pillarpod003.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y83/EvoInside/pillarpod001.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y83/EvoInside/pillarpod002.jpg
Supplies needed:
Gauge pod of your choice $15-$30
80 grit sandpaper or plastic scuff pad for an air sander $5
(be careful if your using an air sander, go very slow or you'll melt the plastic on the pod/pillar)
Heat Gun or Propane Torch
DuraMix 40/40 Bonding Kit and Gun $55 (buy online or from a body shop supply store)
SEM Classic Coat #17123 (light gray, matches stock VERY well)
A few pairs of vise grips, or other vise like clamps
I wont really call this a tutorial since I didnt take pics of each step, so its sort of just an FYI for anyone who wants to try this.
1. Take off your stock pillar or buy an extra one from TGC or a junk yard.
2. Fit the gauge pod to the pillar, look for all the gaps and just make a mental note of where they are.
3. Use the propane torch or heat gun to heat the pod and use your hands to re-shape the pod in the area where you had gaps. It doesnt need to fit perfect, but it needs to fit decent. If your using the propane torch, keep the actual flame at least 8 inches from the plastic or you will melt it. Dont keep the heat in one place too long, kinda wave it back and forth like you were applying paint. Plastic will hold a shape if its shaped hot and then quickly cooled. I kept a cup of ice nearby with a rag in it, and after I re-shaped it, I touched the surface with the wet rag and the pod seemed to stay where I wanted it. This step took about 20 minutes.
3. Now take your sand paper and scuff up the back side of the pod around the edges, you only need to go about 1/4" in from all edges, just rough it up a bit and then clean all the dust off.
4. Lay the pod onto the pillar exactly where you want to mount it. This step is critical that you dont mess up, because this is where the pod is going to be, for good. I put the pillar back in the car and mocked the pod up into place and used a sharpie to mark where I wanted it.
5. Sand the area of the pillar in which the edges of the pod will be in contact. I would stay about 3/16" inward of the marks you made with the sharpie just so you dont scrape up an area thats not going to be covered by the pod, I made this mistake because I was using an air sander and got a little too fast, no big deal. Clean it off once your done sanding.
6. Get the Duramix ready. It comes with a mixing tip, the two parts of the epoxy mix in the tip before the glue even comes out, this way you can apply it in one steady bead. If you havent used this product before, it sets up VERY VERY FAST. The time from application to completely dry is 3-4 minutes. With that being said, apply it to all the surfaces it needs to be on before you stop because once you stop, it will start to harden inside the mixing nozzle and as far as I know, you cant buy nozzles alone, which makes this a one time use, except for the gun which you can re-load with a new cartridge. Apply the duramix to the back of the pod, start the bead about 1/4" in from the edge and go completely around the pod, then carefully place it onto the pillar using your marks for alignment.
7A. This helps to have a helper for this step. Have your helper hold the pillar and pod and get those vise grips or clamps. I used regular vise grips and I wrapped the jaws in electrical tape so it wouldnt damage the plastic. I had about 8 vise grips, but you can get away with less. Go around the pod with the vise grips and just lock it down so the glue is in full contact with the pillar, if any glue squeezes out, no worries, it can be easily trimmed off with a razor blade once it hardens. If you dont have a few pairs of vise grips or clamps, just hold it down with your hands.
7B. Skip process 6 and 7A completely and just use small screws to attach the pod to the pillar. I feel that doing it this way makes it more prone to rattle and have gaps, but thats just me, doing it this way can save you a bit of money since you wouldnt have to buy the duramix or the gun which is a majority of the cost.
8. Ok so the glue is dried or the screws are in depending on your method of securing the pod. Now fit your gauges, make sure the gauges actually fit into the holes in the pod, if they are tight, lightly sand inside the opening to open it up a bit, if they are loose you can always break out the heat gun again and try to reshape the hole a bit.
9. This is the point where I said, yes, its finally together, lets paint. You might want to make yours more show worthy. First see if any of the pod is hanging over the edges of the pillar, if so, carefully trim it to fit using either a box cutter or tin snips. I actually trimmed mine before I glued it on which was a bad idea as I cut off a little too much. If you used the duramix, you can take off the mixing nozzle and throw it out. Get a piece of plastic and a a paint stick or something to mix with. Apply the duramix on the plastic just like you would 2 part epoxy or fiberglass body filler except much much faster. Mix it up for about 20-30 seconds it will get clumpy and start to be difficult to move. Now you can apply this to any gaps you have between the pillar and pod, let it harden and sand it down smooth just like body filler. Once you get it to where your happy, time to paint.
10. Use a wax and grease remover to clean and prep the surface. I used a little bit on a rag and lightly rubbed it across the pod and pillar then immediately dried it with a clean rag. Leave it alone for about 10 minutes to make sure its completely dry.
11. Paint It ! Although the SEM Classic Coat paint matches very well to the stock color, it doesnt cover too well over black. I applied about 8 coats of paint before all the black was covered, allowing 5 minutes between coats. I used probably 75% of the paint in the can for this, but its only $13 so its not that bad.
Here is the finished product, as you can see, I have some gaps, but they arent anything I cant live with.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y83/EvoInside/pillarpod003.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y83/EvoInside/pillarpod001.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y83/EvoInside/pillarpod002.jpg