My first mod-boost gauge install

[DomLe]

Tried out the driver side air vent install last night in my 740 Wagon. Probably been done before but figured I'd share mine. I used a small piece of scrap oak baseboard to make the plate and the vinyl was from the fabric store. If I did it again I'd get vinyl with a thicker backing material and something with a little less grain to better match the dash. The left side of the plate has 3/16th worth of shims in the back to push the gauge more towards the driver view.

http://laurale.smugmug.com/photos/219628461-M.jpg

http://laurale.smugmug.com/photos/219628824-M.jpg

[Tick]

That's a pretty clean install.

[MrBill]

yeah that looks pretty good man

[badvlvo]

Nice install.

[GhengisKhan]

Nice looking, I don't like the rim on the outside of the gauge... too flashy. JMHO.

[lammmy]

^-- always a critic eh?...that's definitely the cleanest vent-gauge install I"ve seen

[volvo740t]

Yea that is really good.... you should see gabes install

[bad news]

my **** is velcro'd to the dash with the hose running through a hole i drilled through the center vent...

I gotta say you did a better job than me :rofl: that came out well. That guage only goes to 15 though...

[Rust Reaper]

Good concept, clean install. I think you could do a better job on wrapping the facade, however. I'm sure you have extra vinyl around, what kind of glue did you use? It looks like its bubbling off/wasnt pressed down evenly. Use a heatgun, or a blow dryer if you dont have one, and heat the corners before you wrap them around. That will eliminate the puckering you see on your corners.

In any case, good stuff. Thank god its not an a-pillar pod :P

[ard]

15 psi??? psssshh :-P

Nice install, I did something similar.

[boosted]

Nice looking, I don't like the rim on the outside of the gauge... too flashy. JMHO.

says the guy with a stock 1986 245 on coronas

[shellshock]

I did mine the same way and I love it. This is the only picture I can find though :(

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/gabe_ward/1784251557/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2417/1784251557_414adf992a_b.jpg" width="1024" height="683" alt="Boost!" /></a>

[DomLe]

Thanks guys. I appreciate the advice as well. I'm going back to the fabric store in the next week or so to try out some thicker vinyl. Nice thing is that all their vinyl is on clearance for $2.50 per yard.

what kind of glue did you use? It looks like its bubbling off/wasnt pressed down evenly. Use a heatgun, or a blow dryer if you dont have one, and heat the corners before you wrap them around. That will eliminate the puckering you see on your corners.

I used Loctite Brush-on CA glue. I have enough baseboard scrap to try this a couple more times.

[The Ironswede]

Yep. Did it 8 years ago.
http://usera.imagecave.com/04ctsraven/740/w7404.jpg

Looks good though. i like your setup a lot!
No air comes out of that vent. Its better used for a boost gauge :)

[socalsean]

Use some plaid instead of the black vinyl.

[codesplice]

Looks nice!

[DomLe]

Thanks guys. I'm going to try this again after Turkey day. The vinyl has started to bubble up in various areas. This time I am going to do a better job of smoothing out the wood and make the edges more rounded to blend in better with the dash. I'm also going to pick up some 3M spray adhesive.