80 Series Aftermarket Gauge Choices & Mounting Options (2 Viewers)

[jjdeneen918]

Shout out to @Hlteq, he met up with me today to show me his RAM mounts on his rig.

I am going with a shorter & smaller version of his set up.

RAM makes several different sized balls. I went with size A, 9/16” ball, rated for a 1/2 pound.

I’ll attach a ball to the Wits End Useless Cubby Hole Base with the 1/4”-20 threaded rod.
Attached to the ball will be a 1.75” arm that is swivable in all directions.
At the end of the swivel arm, I got a RAM ball that has a flat base plate.
I will be attaching the backside of my 14in1 gauge display to the flat mounting plate.
I will use either a magnet or double sided 3M tape to secure the gauge.

Less than $60, which included shipping.

 

[alia176]

Thanks for the play by play explanation, helps with the visualization.

 

[jjdeneen918]

Not much fancy stuff to see, but I snapped some pics of sensor locations.
Air Intake is on the air canister, oil temp & pressure are on a sandwich plate adapter between oil filter & block, boost is plumbed & going to secure to power steering bracket, AFR is on the down pipe.

 

[CHDAZ80]

Looks great, I'm going to go the same route with the 14in1. It looks like the best option without getting too spendy. Did you need any adapters (besides the oil filter adapter) along with the sensor kit or did the sensor pack come with everything you need?

 

[CHDAZ80]

Not much fancy stuff to see, but I snapped some pics of sensor locations.
Air Intake is on the air canister, oil temp & pressure are on a sandwich plate adapter between oil filter & block, boost is plumbed & going to secure to power steering bracket, AFR is on the down pipe.
View attachment 2085412View attachment 2085413View attachment 2085414View attachment 2085415

Is it just the angle of the picture or is the main wire harness out of the firewall sitting right on top of the downpipe by the 02 sensor? I see it's wrapped but damn that's gonna get hot!

 

[jjdeneen918]

Looks great, I'm going to go the same route with the 14in1. It looks like the best option without getting too spendy. Did you need any adapters (besides the oil filter adapter) along with the sensor kit or did the sensor pack come with everything you need?

It looks like it’s pretty dang complete. Only issue so far is the wire length for the air intake temp. It could be a little longer for this set up.

 

[jjdeneen918]

Is it just the angle of the picture or is the main wire harness out of the firewall sitting right on top of the downpipe by the 02 sensor? I see it's wrapped but damn that's gonna get hot!

It’s the angle. It’s not touching. It’s close enough that I felt it needed more protection though.

 

[CHDAZ80]

It looks like it’s pretty dang complete. Only issue so far is the wire length for the air intake temp. It could be a little longer for this set up.

Cool, lookin good. Thanks for the pics!

 

[jjdeneen918]

Here are some pics of the gauge.
Temporary location until I get my RAM mount set up on Tuesday.

 

[CHDAZ80]

Here are some pics of the gauge.
Temporary location until I get my RAM mount set up on Tuesday. View attachment 2088199View attachment 2088200

Loving the display, especially since AEM wants $1400 for their version. CD-7 Carbon Flat Panel Digital Dash Display | AEM

 

[CHDAZ80]

What's the leanest afr reading you've seen at spool up?

 

[FJRanger]

Currently running two double pods on the A pillar. But one of them is going away now that my console is done. I'd loose to second one if I could find one these.

Pillar pods are kinda tweaker bait, IMO. I'd rather have them less plainly visible from outside the car. They make these to fit many toyotas, not sure if the 80 has the same steering column as a taco, but if so, I like these:

Here's a what I ended up with. It was built by Greg at Concours Specialties.

Concours Specialties

Custom Switch Panels and Electrical Systems

www.teamconcours.com

 

[jjdeneen918]

Bought some double sided mounting take.
I’ll have to see how it does with the heat.

 

[jaymar]

You could also go full custom on your existing instrument cluster and put whatever you want in that space like i did.
Custom Gauge Cluster
IMO it's the cleanest yet most costly option.

Mine are speedhut gauges that monitor the following:

• Manifold Vacuum
• Trans Temp
• Water Temp
• Fuel Level
• Oil Pressure
• Battery Volts
• GPS based MPH
• Engine RPM

I have warning/ indicator lights for

• Front, Center, Rear Diff Locks
• Cruise Control (Cruise Faults as secondary function)
• Check Engine Light
• OD Off Light (Trans Faults as secondary)
• Parking Brake Light (Low Brake Fluid as secondary)
• Low Oil Level Light

Not going to lie, it was a ton of work to get it right but well worth not having gauges all over the cab.

Is this an 80 with a dark gray interior??? Or is that a trick of the light?

 

[CHDAZ80]

Is this an 80 with a dark gray interior??? Or is that a trick of the light?

Ive got the same, It's an LX w/ oak interior

 

[jaymar]

Ive got the same, It's an LX w/ oak interior

So... Not a dark gray interior? (Try as I might, I cannot see that color as oak...) I'd really like to do dark gray, but have been told there are no treatments/dyes that hold up...

 

[CHDAZ80]

I ended up going with the AEM gauges, I liked that they had a highly rated two in one boost/ AFR gauge that runs on a well reviewed bosch wideband sensor that doesn't require open air calibration. It sounds like a lot of wideband sensors out there can be very unreliable and don't last long, or you have to take them out and recalibrate them frequently.
I decided on boost, afr, water temp and a water/meth flow gauge. I already have oil pressure on the cluster and I trust it, especially with a new pressure sending unit that Joey included in the kit!

I went back and forth on where to mount the water temp sensor, I wasn't a big fan of cutting the hose and putting in one of those adapters. After looking around a bit I came across a spot on the upper hose tube that bolts to the block. It looked like it was begging to be drilled and tapped, so that will be my project in the morning. I'll be sure to post an after pic of the install. I attached a few pics showing the location, looks like a perfect spot for a temp sensor. It's a little painful pulling the tube, I removed the alternator, then the alt. mount bracket to access the two bolts that hold it to the head. It would be a great time to replace the coolant tube and gasket if you have heavy corrosion. I had replaced it roughly 5k miles prior during HG job, it was in bad shape.

I'll be sure to post a follow up once all the gauges/sensors are installed.

 

[NLXTACY]

I figured out my gauge mounting issues.

 

[CHDAZ80]

Wow, no shortage of real estate there! You could mount a flux capacitor and still have room!

 

[CHDAZ80]

I ended up going with the AEM gauges, I liked that they had a highly rated two in one boost/ AFR gauge that runs on a well reviewed bosch wideband sensor that doesn't require open air calibration. It sounds like a lot of wideband sensors out there can be very unreliable and don't last long, or you have to take them out and recalibrate them frequently.
I decided on boost, afr, water temp and a water/meth flow gauge. I already have oil pressure on the cluster and I trust it, especially with a new pressure sending unit that Joey included in the kit!

I went back and forth on where to mount the water temp sensor, I wasn't a big fan of cutting the hose and putting in one of those adapters. After looking around a bit I came across a spot on the upper hose tube that bolts to the block. It looked like it was begging to be drilled and tapped, so that will be my project in the morning. I'll be sure to post an after pic of the install. I attached a few pics showing the location, looks like a perfect spot for a temp sensor. It's a little painful pulling the tube, I removed the alternator, then the alt. mount bracket to access the two bolts that hold it to the head. It would be a great time to replace the coolant tube and gasket if you have heavy corrosion. I had replaced it roughly 5k miles prior during HG job, it was in bad shape.

I'll be sure to post a follow up once all the gauges/sensors are installed.

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View attachment 2119566

Perfect spot for a water temp gauge! Tapped 1/4npt in the pipe then installed a 1/4 to 1/8 npt adapter to mount the sensor.