Got5onIt Posted April 23, 2012 Report Share Posted April 23, 2012 Finished up my Autometer Sport Comp II & custom A-pillar install yesterday (mechanical boost and Volt meter). This is a custom pod I made using a universal glow shift dual pod (ebay). I pulled the a-pillar and ripped off the OEM fabric (pain in the ass is an understatement). Several hours with fiberglass, bondo, spot putty, etc. and this is what I've slapped together. I used SEM paint Ford Lt.Parchment and it's really close, but is just a shade brighter. On other forums, some people used rubberized undercoating for texture. I tried it and didn't get quite the effect I was looking for. If you look closely, you can see my speaker grill is cracked. It snapped like a twig during a test fit, post fiberglass. Ford doesn't just sell the damn grill, you have to buy the entire pillar for $130!! I plan on pulling it and sanding it back down to get rid of the rubberized undercoating, repriming, and painting. Will do that when I switch out the Volt meter for a Trans temp gauge whenever I do the 2013 Tranny Cooler mod. Gauges are powered by the fuse box above the brake pedal. Also, used a 1k ohm pot to allow for brightness adjustment as the boost gauge was unbelievably bright. Thanks to Crash for advising me the best place to tap for Boost/Vacuum. Early stages: After Rubberized undercoating, before final topcoat: SEM Lt.Parchment topcoat and installed: I have no clue how I got a frowny face on my thread title! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crash712us Posted April 23, 2012 Report Share Posted April 23, 2012 NICE DUDE! Someone that does automotive uphostery should be able to cover with fabric just like factory. Nice job! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bpd1151 Posted April 23, 2012 Report Share Posted April 23, 2012 I am repeatedly amazed at the level of talent from the owners / members of this forum! Most impressive indeed :hail: Looks phenominal..... if I ever decide to do more gauges, I may be compelled to hit you up :thumb: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jojomofo21 Posted April 24, 2012 Report Share Posted April 24, 2012 That my friend is a work of art. Simply put, well done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Got5onIt Posted April 24, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 24, 2012 Thanks guys. Feel free to ask questions, I'm more than happy to help. The broken speaker grill really bugs me. I'm still trying to decide on how to fix that without buying a whole new pillar. Good idea on the upholstery shop, that never crossed my mind. I will probably call them whenever I pull the pillar off and get a quote.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bpd1151 Posted April 24, 2012 Report Share Posted April 24, 2012 The broken speaker grill really bugs me. I'm still trying to decide on how to fix that without buying a whole new pillar. Maybe instead of buying new, directly through FMC, perhaps you can check inventory of local, semi-local salvage / scrap yards?? Hell, maybe even an online search for that matter :noidea: Worth a shot given the cost you stated a brand new one is running. Sent from my DROID3 using Tapatalk 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Showgun Posted April 24, 2012 Report Share Posted April 24, 2012 Finished up my Autometer Sport Comp II & custom A-pillar install yesterday (mechanical boost and Volt meter). This is a custom pod I made using a universal glow shift dual pod (ebay). I pulled the a-pillar and ripped off the OEM fabric (pain in the ass is an understatement). Several hours with fiberglass, bondo, spot putty, etc. and this is what I've slapped together. I used SEM paint Ford Lt.Parchment and it's really close, but is just a shade brighter. On other forums, some people used rubberized undercoating for texture. I tried it and didn't get quite the effect I was looking for. If you look closely, you can see my speaker grill is cracked. It snapped like a twig during a test fit, post fiberglass. Ford doesn't just sell the damn grill, you have to buy the entire pillar for $130!! I plan on pulling it and sanding it back down to get rid of the rubberized undercoating, repriming, and painting. Will do that when I switch out the Volt meter for a Trans temp gauge whenever I do the 2013 Tranny Cooler mod. Gauges are powered by the fuse box above the brake pedal. Also, used a 1k ohm pot to allow for brightness adjustment as the boost gauge was unbelievably bright. Thanks to Crash for advising me the best place to tap for Boost/Vacuum. Early stages: After Rubberized undercoating, before final topcoat: SEM Lt.Parchment topcoat and installed: I have no clue how I got a frowny face on my thread title! Great lookin' Got5 ... love the gauges. You takin' orders for more or is it just one off? Tapping into vacuum much of a job? Oh yeah -- I took away your unhappy face in the title and replaced it with a happy one. You must have inadvertently hit the wrong one. cheers, Colin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Got5onIt Posted April 24, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 24, 2012 Thanks Showgun! I took Crash's advice and tapped the 3/8 hose just off the intake manifold, behind the throttle body. Easy to do: cut hose & add barbed T fitting. I definitely have no plans of making another one of these. Dealing with the left over white fibers on the rear of the pillar fabric was such a headache. I ended up putting fiberglass resin over the fibers and laying mat over that. The SEM paint is not sticking well to the rubberized undercoating as I bumped it with my flashlight tonight and it left a pinhole sized ding. When I pull it, I will sand down all the rubberized coating and use SEM texture before the final topcoat. I'm more than happy to help anyone who's willing to take this on. I can direct you to everything you'll need and so forth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjhpadi Posted April 24, 2012 Report Share Posted April 24, 2012 I have to admit, I've always liked the idea of the A-pillar gauges and that looks really great. You did an awesome job. I still don't have my gauge pod installed that Crash made and I'm sure you can understand how much work he had to put into making an entire run for us. I think this is a project that is way beyond my skill level, but it looks great! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrylu Posted April 24, 2012 Report Share Posted April 24, 2012 Congrats! Very nice job indeed. I too really like the pillar location best for the additional gauges. Auto, boat, plane, prety much any type of vehicle upholstery is my niche or at least it used to be. I'm mostly retired now but for what it's worth here is some free advice. As much as it would indeed be a very elegant solution to recover the modified panel with OE material, my instincts would advise against going in that direction and here is why. That fabric has limits to how much it will stretch and mold to smoothly cover the panel it's glued to. It works pretty good on outside radius situations but not so good on inside radus ones. The glue has a pretty hard time holding long term and the inside temps in car interiors can add to problems with glue failures. You have modified the shape of the panel to make it much more resistant to covering with the fabric. I love the shape and I think you are on the best track with paint or coatings. Maybe when you find what you believe to be the best coating, you can do the other side to make it match and finish the project. Once again great job on a very ambitious undertaking!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpoolinX2 Posted April 24, 2012 Report Share Posted April 24, 2012 Looks great! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Got5onIt Posted April 24, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 24, 2012 Congrats! Very nice job indeed. I too really like the pillar location best for the additional gauges. Auto' date=' boat, plane, prety much any type of vehicle upholstery is my niche or at least it used to be. I'm mostly retired now but for what it's worth here is some free advice. As much as it would indeed be a very elegant solution to recover the modified panel with OE material, my instincts would advise against going in that direction and here is why. That fabric has limits to how much it will stretch and mold to smoothly cover the panel it's glued to. It works pretty good on outside radius situations but not so good on inside radus ones. The glue has a pretty hard time holding long term and the inside temps in car interiors can add to problems with glue failures. You have modified the shape of the panel to make it much more resistant to covering with the fabric. I love the shape and I think you are on the best track with paint or coatings. Maybe when you find what you believe to be the best coating, you can do the other side to make it match and finish the project. Once again great job on a very ambitious undertaking!![/quote'] Thanks for the tips! The thought of switching both pillars to a black/graphite to match the dash board crossed my mind several times after I put the undercoating on. I really liked how it looked when it was black. It also appeared to hide some of the imperfections. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrylu Posted April 25, 2012 Report Share Posted April 25, 2012 I think I think I agree with you on the graphite. Actually I was never crazy about the headliner/pillar post OE color. Don't know why Ford had to add the beige component to the grey .... winds up kind of taupe. I don't hate it enough to change it mind you. Just saying! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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