BPD's "Secret" 3rd Mod (Revealed).....

[bpd1151]

Ok, ok, ok......

 

As I have been eluding for the past several weeks, I had another, as yet to be revealed, secret squirrely 3rd mod that I have been angling to complete so that I can coordinate it's install, along with the install of my One-Off, 1st ever set of Catless Downpipes, as well as the install of the 2013 Auxiliary Oil Cooler.

 

So, I've read a bunch of post(s) in various threads, all throughout EBOF, from fellow members wondering what exactly I had planned, or guessing what was being done.

 

Some of the post(s) were downright funny, and I laughed at the creativity of our community.

 

Well it is that exact same dynamic of creativity that prompted me to ask fellow member Got5onit to replicate an item he had fabricated for his (now sold) 2010 SHO.

 

It is a custom, 2 pod, A-Pillar Gauge Pod.

 

 

 

Now when I first saw Adolfo's (Got5onit) A-Pillar Gauge Pod, I was really, REALLY impressed with his ingenuity, and ability to create such a cool project for our late model SHO's.

 

I quietly exchanged several PM's, text msg's, and even an occasional actual phone call and discussed the potential for him to replicate this same piece for my SHO.

 

Adolfo didn't hesitate, and immediately signed onto the idea. Thank you so much Adolfo :thumb: :hail:

 

 

My purpose in asking him to recreate this same item for my SHO was due to the fact that I wanted to compliment the installation of both my planned 2013 Auxiliary Oil Cooler Retro, as well as the One-Off, 1st ever set of Catless Down Pipes.

 

I discussed with my mechanic friend, his opinion on whether or not I should purchase an Oil Temp Gauge, or an Oil Pressure Gauge.

 

As I value his opinion(s) tremendously, he suggested opting for the Oil Temp Gauge, in lieu of the Oil Pressure Gauge.

 

His reasoning? Well, it's better to monitor oil temps, rather than oil pressure, because if you're at the point on the track where you've lost oil pressure, you've pretty muched F'd your engine anyhow, so he preferred monitor oil temps instead.

 

Plus, knowing I was retro-fitting the 2013 Auxiliary Oil Cooler onto my SHO, I agreed and thought this would be the most beneficial.

 

 

Additionally, I've discussed with several members here, as well as other car enthusiast's (not just SHO owners) about the importance of monitoring both the front and rear banks for Exhaust Gas Temperatures (EGT's).

 

Up until the inclusion of this mod, I had a custom, hand built, 3 pod, gauge pod (made by fellow EBOF member crash712us).

 

Awesome pod, and I get compliments on it routinely. Thanks Chris btw :thumb: :hail:

 

 

In that 3 pod gauge pod, mounted over the center channel speaker in/on the top of the dash, I had installed the following three gauges:

 

Far Left: Trans Tempo Gauge

Center: Boost Gauge

Far Right: EGT/Pyrometer

 

That EGT/Pyrometer Gauge was used exclusively to monitor just the front bank (or front turbo) for EGT's.

 

 

Now as a result of all of my combined discussions with several people over several months, I decided to also pick up a 2nd EGT/Pyrometer Gauge, so that I cna now monitor BOTH, the Front, and Rear Banks for EGT's.

 

 

What I plan on doing is relocating a few of my current gauges, while incorporating the addition of the new Oil Temp Gauge, as well as the new (2nd) EGT/Pyrometer.

 

 

My set up will be as follows:

 

In the A-Pillar, up top, I will place the Boost Gauge. In the lower position of the A-Pillar, I will place the Oil Temp Gauge.

 

In the 3 pod, Center Channel Gauge Pod I will move the Trans Temp Gauge to the Center position and then.....

 

Place the 2nd EGT/Pyrometer Gauge in Far Left Position, and leave the original EGT/Pyrometer in the Far Right Position.

 

 

I think this will be the best route to go, at least as it pertains to my application, with all mods considered.

 

 

 

It has been quite a daunting task trying to coordinate all of these things together.

 

1st, I had to yank off my A-Pillar and send it to Adolfo (Got5onit) and while he was beginning his magic, I had to order the 2 extra gauges from Autometer (yes, they are also the Officially Licensed Ford Racing Series Gauges).

 

While waiting for both of the above, I was nervously waiting for the arrival of my Catless Down Pipes. Once the pipes were received, I had to wait until the newly ordered gauges came in, in order to extract the small metal sensor bung (used for the EGT gauge) from the box/packaging and bring both that bung, and the pipes over to my mechanic friend to weld into the rear turbo pipe.

 

 

 

So, as Adolfo was keeping me posted on the progress of the A-Pillar, I wanted to go one step further than even he did on his own A-Pillar, and that was to reach out and contact the Custom Interior Upholstery Vendor that performed all of my custom interior work on my previous project car ('07 Dodge Charger R/T) and inquire about the possibility of them being able to "wrap" the A-Pillar in the EXACT SAME FABRIC as was found / came with the car (OEM).

 

They agreed to take on the small project, in part, due to the fact I was a returning customer, and I also discussed with them some other future upholstery projects for the SHO.

 

So they set out to locate a supplier that had the same OEM material as found on the A-Pillars and the headliner.

 

This also turned out to be challenging, (and there were delays here to as well) as their 1st two supplier sources they contacted were unable to secure the same material.

 

Third time was a charm and they found a supplier that was able to ship them just enough material to accomplish doing the A-Pillar.

 

 

 

Fast forward another 2 weeks, and finally, I got a call yesterday, advising me it would be ready for pickup Friday, 09/07/12.

 

So, I'm pretty stoked as I am unaware of any other individuals, or any other companies for that matter, that are fabricating these for purchase by the rest of the SHO / Ecoboost community. At least not as of the posting of this thread that is......

 

 

For the record, Got5onit, as much as I pressed him to make more, vehemently declined producing these en mass. In fact he went to the extent of informing me that he was only interested in doing one addt'l one (for me) and that was it.

 

So I am left dumbfounded, and blessed, forever thankful for not only Adolfo creating this for my SHO, but collectively for all of the people over the past several months, who've each had their hand in applying their talents, in helping me make my SHO just that much more unique than any of the rest of them out there on the road.

 

Thank you, thank you, thank you, and thank you :faint:

 

 

 

 

 

Moving along, here's some progress pictures that Adolfo sent to me, as he was completing various steps of this project.

 

1st, Adolfo suggested I order a Universal A-Pillar Pod. He provided me with this link here:

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=290697643307&ssPageName=STRK:MERFB:IID

 

 

Once I ordered this item, I shipped both it, and my original A-Pillar to Adolfo for customizing.

 

Here are the pictures I received, depicting each step of his progress:

 

 

Drilled the holes into the original A-Pillar in order to run the wiring behind it:

 

 

Hand trimmed the bottom portions Universal Gauge Pod, to ensure proper fitment / placement:

 

 

Various photos of the fiberglassing process:

 

 

 

 

Sanding, sanding, and as Adolfo said, more sanding.......

 

 

Various photos of top coat finalization, including the spray painting of it.....

 

 

 

 

[bpd1151]

Various pics of the FINAL results, following custom upholstery work (gauges temporarily inserted for photos only).....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, sorry to have kept all of you in suspense, but I wanted to verify with Adolfo 1st, before I went and openly advertised this mod, as he was adament about NOT making any more of these, that it was ok to publicize this here on the forums.

 

I respected his position, and I was able to express to him that I really wanted to openly express my gratitude to him, and also to show off the many talents of our members here on EBOF. So once he said it was ok, it was only then I started dropping hints about this mod.

 

I hope all of you enjoy it as much as I do.

 

The images I took of the final completion are of poor quality, and unfortunately, pictures rarely do the justice they should and to see this in person, is downright a beautiful piece of art.

 

Thanks once again Adolfo (Got5onit) and I will post more pics once all the gauges get hooked up, and placed in their proper, respective positions as I described in post #1.

 

Mike :yo:

[steve142857]

Once again I am impressed with your creativity as much as Adolfo and Chris ability to make those pods... Very nice!

[Scrming]

WOW!! Very nice indeed!!!

[Paulford8]

Looks really good!

[tss]

That is awesome! Worth the suspence.

[Mothball]

That really looks nice. The covering looks very professionally done and I like that they took the care to keep the vent (or speaker cover...whatever that part is) in place too. That makes it look much more OEM than a tacky aftermarket part.

 

Question though. Why didn't you do the center mount dash pod that one guy was making? Seems like it might have been easier to go with that. Or is discussion of that as taboo on here as it was on "that other forum" as well?

 

Thanks!

[Crash712us]

Looks Great Mike! Nice work Adolf! :RpS_thumbsup:

[bpd1151]

That really looks nice.

 

The covering looks very professionally done and I like that they took the care to keep the vent (or speaker cover...whatever that part is) in place too.

 

That makes it look much more OEM than a tacky aftermarket part.

 

Question though.

 

Why didn't you do the center mount dash pod that one guy was making?

 

Seems like it might have been easier to go with that. Or is discussion of that as taboo on here as it was on "that other forum" as well?

 

Thanks!

 

 

 

Ummm....... did someone not read through my 1st post here? :noidea: :tsk: :tsk:

 

I DO HAVE the "Center Mount Dash Pod" as you call it.

 

I went on to explain where I would be relocating, and/or installing various gauges while incorporating this newest pod into the mix.

 

In fact, out of the 10 or so "Center Mount Dash Pods", I have #2 in the production run, and it's also autographed :thumb:

 

Now that it's sunny outside, I went and pulled the SHO beast out of the garage and snapped off a couple of more pics for y'all...... (big shock there huh?)

 

 

 

From the Passenger Side, Rear Seat:

 

 

 

From the Front Psgr Seat:

 

 

 

From the Driver's Seat:

 

 

 

From the Rear Seat, Driver's Side, zoomed in a lil bit:

 

 

 

 

 

Glad y'all like the newest addition! :hail:

 

Again, I am very thankful for the many talents of several members here on EBOF, including Got5onit (Adolfo) for playing an intricate part in my SHO's continued evolution!

[Mothball]

Oh wow. Shuffles feet back to remedial reading class... :brick:

[EcoBrick Bob]

IS THIS D.O.T. SAFETY LEGAL?????? What happens when the air bag in the pillar explodes??? Oh hell... WTF!!!!

 

Mikee... Robbie likes it!!!!!

 

On a more promising note... bpd = "BADASS POWER DELIVERED"!!!!!!

[bpd1151]

Thnx EBB..... :thumb:

 

Glad you approve :yo:

 

Sent from my DROID3 using Tapatalk 2

[Crash712us]

I love it! I think I've found a new project.

[Got5onIt]

Wow, that finished product looks excellent!!! I'm really glad the upholstery came out that nice. Glad to help, my friend!

[steve142857]

Well done Adolfo!

If ever you feel like doing more, I am confident that you won't have any trouble selling a few here!

[The Bone]

That looks great covered in leather Looks difficult to do.

[bpd1151]

That looks great covered in leather Looks difficult to do.

 

It's not leather. It's been wrapped in the factory, OEM cloth material.

 

From what I was told, it was more difficult to do, then even they had anticipated.

 

It required much more stitching..... but I was confident in their abilities as their portfolio of clientele is rather impressive.

 

Plus, this piece alone is indicative of their degree of expertise.

 

To say I am elated with the final product, would be an understatement to say the least.

 

Sent from my DROID3 using Tapatalk 2

[mjhpadi]

Just spent some time studying the new gauge pod for the A-pillar. Looks awesome. I've always liked them and the execution of the one for your car looks perfect. I really like the photos showing the 2 pods together. Very nice, this project and mod gets an A+ in my book!

[steve142857]

Now the basic question:

What info does the pyrometer gauge give you?

And the oil? Which oil? Is it the tranny's? The 5W30?

Very debutant, I don't hide it, I just know how to drive the car and my knowledge is very poor... ; )

Thanks!

In other words, what info those new gauges can give you that would save your car that mine would miss? And under what circumstances would they be useful?

Thx again

[The Bone]

Now the basic question:

What info does the pyrometer gauge give you?

 

Its exhaust gas temperature gauge

[bpd1151]

Now the basic question:

 

What info does the pyrometer gauge give you?

 

And the oil? Which oil? Is it the tranny's? The 5W30?

 

Very debutant, I don't hide it, I just know how to drive the car and my knowledge is very poor... ; )

 

Thanks!

 

In other words, what info those new gauges can give you that would save your car that mine would miss? And under what circumstances would they be useful?

 

Thx again

 

This quote, taken from realcarguys.com , explains, in a nutshell Steve, the purpose of having extra gauges.....

 

"For a long time automakers must have been convinced car owners didn’t really want to know anything about the health of their vehicles, because instead of gauges that gave useful information, they installed “idiot lights,” so-called because when they came on you felt like an idiot for not checking the oil, or the water, or whatever other system the idiot light told you had just gone off the rails.

 

Even today many cars don’t include much more than a gas gauge and a coolant temperature gauge, so it’s a good idea to add a few extra gauges that can help you avoid trouble, or at least see it coming before it gets there."

 

That being said.....

 

EGT is for Exhaust Gas Tempuratures, used primarily to monitor your exhaust gas temps and aids in understanding air/fuel ratios. Anything over 1600 degrees is likely to damage internal components of your engine.

 

Oil Temp is for monitoring strictly the tempuratures of the oil itself. Nothing else. A good gauge to monitor your engine's internal temps (besides the typical coolant gauge that is). Most oil temps will run, on average, 25-40 degrees warmer than it's coolant tempuratures.

 

You asked about the Tranny Temps too yes? Well, in your case, since you're like on your 3rd transmission, having one of these would've been helpful in providing you with the temps of your transmission fluid BEFORE having fried the internals. Typically anything exceeding 220 is bad bad news.

 

 

As far as purpose, and what you may be "missing out" on by not having them, is simply the fact that all of these extra gauges combined will provide the driver with added information, under those "trying times" (such as when road coursing, or drag stripping the car) so you can make an informed decision, based on what info the gauges are providing you, when it's time to give your car that much needed rest in between runs, etc. BEFORE causing irreparable damage / harm.

 

Easy enough? Mind you that's like the consolidated Cliff Notes Version.

 

Perhaps someone with more time, or more technical expertise than I, will chime in for you Steve.

 

Or, you can always conduct your own research using Wikipedia, or other knowledgeable sources / databases.

 

Hope, in a very generic way, that answers your curiousity.

[kuruption]

That's really cool. My only recommendation, I don't know who did the upholstery work, but next time you should consider a hidden stitch... it would look a lot cleaner. To do a hidden stitch... cut the templates 1/4" bigger than you need, then stitch from the backside 1/4" into the pattern and then turn it inside out so all you see is the seem. This is how your seats are made...

[bpd1151]

Just spent some time studying the new gauge pod for the A-pillar.

 

Looks awesome.

 

I've always liked them and the execution of the one for your car looks perfect.

 

I really like the photos showing the 2 pods together.

 

Very nice, this project and mod gets an A+ in my book!

 

Thanks Mark, glad you approve as well :hail:

 

As with most of my mods, I always strive to achieve the appearance of the OEM look, while incorporating a unique mod into the mix.

 

I would have to agree with you, that this A-Pillar I'm sure turned out even better than what Adolfo thought it would. Myself included for that matter.

 

I chose my vendors wisely, and with Adolfo's talents, and a lil finishing work by my Custom Upholsterer, it did turn out A+++ :thumb:

 

I REALLY like that pic showing the 2 pods together, combined in that one shot. In fact so much so, I'll repost it again......

 

 

[Crash712us]

Simply beautiful! But I am still partial to the center pod.:RpS_razz:

[bpd1151]

Planning on finishing up with the wiring and relocating various gauges around to their final respective positions, tomorrow (Fri 09/21/12).

 

Part of this entails having to get a little creative when it comes to finding a location to mount the sending unit for the new Oil Temp Gauge.

 

My mechanic friend and I are thinking about modifying the new '13 Aux Oil Cooler that we retro'd the other day and plan on drilling and tapping out the center of this plug that was on the old (OEM) ofa, which conveniently also fits the new ofa on the new oil cooler we just installed.

 

Here's an image of the plug we removed from the old ofa, as well as the sending unit for the Oil Temp Gauge.....

 

 

 

Here's an image of where the plug normally fits, in relation to the new ofa......

 

 

 

Stay tuned for final details, and/or final pics, probably this coming weekend sometime.