snowbird
02-24-2006, 06:19 PM
If you think a Marauder should stay stock, please skip to the next tread. Parental guidance is recommended.
In mid December, I went to install a Snow Methanol kit (Colorado) to solve that nasty local problem with 91 octane cheap fuel availability, especially with the winter blend. The kit is triggered by a vacuum (boost) controller and can be fine tuned by two knobs. Initial install proved to be very effective after 2 minutes of adjusting. No more knock. Great.
Since I live in the bushes when it comes to access of a dyno or tuner (1500-2000 miles round trip to the nearest available/knowledgeable one), live in a 130 F degrees yearly spread area and since it’s my first power adder application, I hardly know much so I had to find a way to understand/monitor things like temperature and loads. After a couple of days of running Methanol, questions started to arise in my head on how it worked so I decided to plan the installation of a methanol pressure gauge (in fact a mechanical 200 PSI oil pressure gauge) to monitor what was going on. So far, pretty legitimate but then I went overboard with the “while at it” part. … I mean, really overboard.
To complete the 4376 Boost gauge Ultralite finish already installed, I ordered the 4322 Methanol (oil) pressure gauge, added a green LED for pump action and a red one for warning low methanol reservoir, ditched the dummy oil gauge for a 4353 one, added a single channel IAT4372 plugged between the methanol nozzle and the throttle body (in Fahrenheit since a more appropriate Kelvin scale for Canada would have been more appropriate but not available !), a 4345 EGT plugged in the passenger side collector, a 4363 fuel pressure, a 4357 transmission temp, a 4385 clock as a redundant filler for future need (coming soon to market wideband AFR, or 4349 diff temp or 4380 Bling ricer D-pic) in the center of the lower pod and a matched 4391voltmeter. I ended up with a big 5 gauges pod I had to design and fit and the other stock down one, to cut and paste to three.
When I started opening the boxes, I noticed how Autometer guys were creative: Some gauges had the wirings, some didn’t, some had an aluminium U shaped hook to mount them, some had a plastic donut to do the same function, some didn’t have any, and, some had to be connected with couplers I had to find. Oh well. But they all worked when properly plugged.
I took off the central moulding to figure things out in a work in progress way. In between the mounting legs of the moulding (hence the gap each side of the methanol gauge), I “dremeled” 7 holes for the top 5 full sweep gauges and Leds and used the available space over and around the ventilation control unit to fit in the wires and tubes. The top pod has been made with lime tree and pine wood, body steel to cover the bottom and siding. Empty weight of the top 5 gauges pod is estimated at about 2 pounds and use the stock moulding pins to be fitted in place. For a reversal, I would just have to find another moulding. The lower stock pod had the face taken off and remodelled for 3 gauges (trans, clock and volt) with the same technique used previously.
With all the little difficulties I encountered, I went for a simple shape “form follow function” and managed to insert about a third of all the meters inside the moulding and dash; the forest of wires prevented further blending in. From dead center, the shape doesn’t look too bad and blend OK with the rest of the dash but with an angle and maybe for some, the pod look a bit like Marty Feldman eyes encountering unexpectedly Pamela Anderson in his own bedroom. Anyway, after a few days, I’m used to it as I enjoy the information.
For the finishing touch, I used BBQ spray rust paint for good initial grip, textured decoration spray paint for a rough leather imitation and regular interior plastic spray paint from Ford for a final charcoal black colour (thus making all 3 pods the same color and finish) . So here you have it: 9 gauges in three pods!
In mid December, I went to install a Snow Methanol kit (Colorado) to solve that nasty local problem with 91 octane cheap fuel availability, especially with the winter blend. The kit is triggered by a vacuum (boost) controller and can be fine tuned by two knobs. Initial install proved to be very effective after 2 minutes of adjusting. No more knock. Great.
Since I live in the bushes when it comes to access of a dyno or tuner (1500-2000 miles round trip to the nearest available/knowledgeable one), live in a 130 F degrees yearly spread area and since it’s my first power adder application, I hardly know much so I had to find a way to understand/monitor things like temperature and loads. After a couple of days of running Methanol, questions started to arise in my head on how it worked so I decided to plan the installation of a methanol pressure gauge (in fact a mechanical 200 PSI oil pressure gauge) to monitor what was going on. So far, pretty legitimate but then I went overboard with the “while at it” part. … I mean, really overboard.
To complete the 4376 Boost gauge Ultralite finish already installed, I ordered the 4322 Methanol (oil) pressure gauge, added a green LED for pump action and a red one for warning low methanol reservoir, ditched the dummy oil gauge for a 4353 one, added a single channel IAT4372 plugged between the methanol nozzle and the throttle body (in Fahrenheit since a more appropriate Kelvin scale for Canada would have been more appropriate but not available !), a 4345 EGT plugged in the passenger side collector, a 4363 fuel pressure, a 4357 transmission temp, a 4385 clock as a redundant filler for future need (coming soon to market wideband AFR, or 4349 diff temp or 4380 Bling ricer D-pic) in the center of the lower pod and a matched 4391voltmeter. I ended up with a big 5 gauges pod I had to design and fit and the other stock down one, to cut and paste to three.
When I started opening the boxes, I noticed how Autometer guys were creative: Some gauges had the wirings, some didn’t, some had an aluminium U shaped hook to mount them, some had a plastic donut to do the same function, some didn’t have any, and, some had to be connected with couplers I had to find. Oh well. But they all worked when properly plugged.
I took off the central moulding to figure things out in a work in progress way. In between the mounting legs of the moulding (hence the gap each side of the methanol gauge), I “dremeled” 7 holes for the top 5 full sweep gauges and Leds and used the available space over and around the ventilation control unit to fit in the wires and tubes. The top pod has been made with lime tree and pine wood, body steel to cover the bottom and siding. Empty weight of the top 5 gauges pod is estimated at about 2 pounds and use the stock moulding pins to be fitted in place. For a reversal, I would just have to find another moulding. The lower stock pod had the face taken off and remodelled for 3 gauges (trans, clock and volt) with the same technique used previously.
With all the little difficulties I encountered, I went for a simple shape “form follow function” and managed to insert about a third of all the meters inside the moulding and dash; the forest of wires prevented further blending in. From dead center, the shape doesn’t look too bad and blend OK with the rest of the dash but with an angle and maybe for some, the pod look a bit like Marty Feldman eyes encountering unexpectedly Pamela Anderson in his own bedroom. Anyway, after a few days, I’m used to it as I enjoy the information.
For the finishing touch, I used BBQ spray rust paint for good initial grip, textured decoration spray paint for a rough leather imitation and regular interior plastic spray paint from Ford for a final charcoal black colour (thus making all 3 pods the same color and finish) . So here you have it: 9 gauges in three pods!