Homemade stock-like gauge pod...

[nspctr1]

wow! thanks for the kind words guys! I didn't expect this one to be so popular.



Thats a Harbor Freight "micro mill" which I retrofitted for CNC operation. I added thrust bearings and tight spring washers to take up backlash and turned the leadscrews down to fit the spider coupling for my steppers. I had to add a gas spring to support the head, which was a bit too heavy for my steppers to move reliably, even with a 3:1 reduction belt on the Z axis stepper. Steppers came from ebay, all the mounting hardware I made myself, power supply is a 42V job from a garden pond pump, and the driver board was a $100 kit.

As for making more - back when I made my FJ40 tent (Pop-out FJ40 tent) I did a lot of legwork trying to find a way to make more and when I finally had everything set up... no one bought any!! Maybe my price was wrong, I dunno, but I'm a little shy. That said, my knob empire (Custom Knobs) has funded all of my beer for the last couple months, and I'd like to try some more expensive beers, like Budweiser or something, so perhaps this is worth a try...

How do you guys feel about $60 for the bracket and faceplate, or $120 for the whole thing, including mechanical water temp, oil pressure, and voltmeter?

Wow, what you said and what I understood in that thread are two way different things. Forgive me for saying so but I believe 120 is a bit much. If I'm full of crap then so be it.

 

[amaurer]

Wow, what you said and what I understood in that thread are two way different things. Forgive me for saying so but I believe 120 is a bit much. If I'm full of crap then so be it.

Actually, I might agree with you, that might have been a bit arbitrary.

Lets call it $100 for the full setup... still not the bargain basement price you might like, but I'm building these by hand after work...

Soooo, new price - $60 bracket/plate only, $100 bracket/plate/and gauges as shown.

(original post editted)

 

[vtcruiser60]

Wow, what you said and what I understood in that thread are two way different things. Forgive me for saying so but I believe 120 is a bit much. If I'm full of crap then so be it.

I don't think the price is off at all.....you get a custom fabbed bracket, with a radio delete plate, and 3 mechanical gauges. That is a rather cheap price in my book. Think of the research time alone to source appropriately sized gauges for your new bracket....and for that matter....try and fab anything custom like that. Measurement time alone is in the hours....

I am not knocking anyone...but how much do you value your own time? If you work $12 an hour, then $120 sounds like a lot. For folks that have full time jobs unrelated to the garage....and getting trucks on the road is their hobby...then $120 sounds quite fair to me.

Good luck with the business to support your addiction and thanks for selling a bit of your creativity to folks on the board. Sending cruiser Karma your way....

 

[nspctr1]

amaurer, I think that price will get you all of the pods/gauges sold that you need. I am interested in a setup but w/o the gauges. I do understand the cost of hand crafting and fabricating is mainly in the man hours once you have the template made and it appears you have done a good job of that. When you get everything set up I want one for a two gauge setup. I am trying to finish a custom gauge panel installation and dont have room for a couple of extra gauges I would like to add and that is the perfect solution. Just a thought, If you made a bunch of these up by next week you would make a killing at the Roundup....

Good Luck

KB

 

[bsmith123]

nice job

VERY NICE

Ive been doing some thinking on mine

 

[orangefj45]

great idea and i don't think it's a bad price at all. look at it this way: how long does it take to build one of these ( if you were to do it yourself without having done one already ) and how much would a shop charge you to build one? most fab shops charge at least $60/hour and up.

i sell a few different brackets and have had plenty of requests for the dimensions so fellow cruiser-heads can make the parts themselves. depending on how they went about asking me, some of them got the dimensions and a few tried making the brackets themselves. most gave up trying after screwing them up 2,3,or even 4 times and happily paid my asing price ( which i think is reasonable ).

either way, great to see some creativity and a fellow mudder finding a way to share and support his hobby while still helping out others.




georg @ valley hybrids

 

[PabloCruise]

wow! thanks for the kind words guys! I didn't expect this one to be so popular.



Thats a Harbor Freight "micro mill" which I retrofitted for CNC operation. I added thrust bearings and tight spring washers to take up backlash and turned the leadscrews down to fit the spider coupling for my steppers. I had to add a gas spring to support the head, which was a bit too heavy for my steppers to move reliably, even with a 3:1 reduction belt on the Z axis stepper. Steppers came from ebay, all the mounting hardware I made myself, power supply is a 42V job from a garden pond pump, and the driver board was a $100 kit.

As for making more - back when I made my FJ40 tent (Pop-out FJ40 tent) I did a lot of legwork trying to find a way to make more and when I finally had everything set up... no one bought any!! Maybe my price was wrong, I dunno, but I'm a little shy. That said, my knob empire (Custom Knobs) has funded all of my beer for the last couple months, and I'd like to try some more expensive beers, like Budweiser or something, so perhaps this is worth a try...

How do you guys feel about $60 for the bracket and faceplate, or $100 (editted 3/14) for the whole thing, including mechanical water temp, oil pressure, and voltmeter?

I would be interested, could I sub vacuum guage for water temp?

 

[amaurer]

I would be interested, could I sub vacuum guage for water temp?

Sadly, no - I buy the gauges in a group of three so I can't sub a vacuum gauge. The pod is cut for standard 1.5" gauges, however, so you can buy it blank and populate it with whatever brand and function gauges you like.

 

[jagota]

great idea and i don't think it's a bad price at all. look at it this way: how long does it take to build one of these ( if you were to do it yourself without having done one already ) and how much would a shop charge you to build one? most fab shops charge at least $60/hour and up.

i sell a few different brackets and have had plenty of requests for the dimensions so fellow cruiser-heads can make the parts themselves. depending on how they went about asking me, some of them got the dimensions and a few tried making the brackets themselves. most gave up trying after screwing them up 2,3,or even 4 times and happily paid my asing price ( which i think is reasonable ).

either way, great to see some creativity and a fellow mudder finding a way to share and support his hobby while still helping out others.




georg @ valley hybrids

X2. This is a great idea. Thank you for a good product at a reasonable price.

 

[Aussie FJ40]

reckon its a bargain deal,if you think its too expensive make your own,seems simple when someone has come up with something you couldnt think of,i be up for one without gauges but im in oz, is that difficult for ya?

 

[PabloCruise]

What year is your 40? Is it RHD?

Will this fit a '78 LHD 40?

 

[PabloCruise]

Sadly, no - I buy the gauges in a group of three so I can't sub a vacuum gauge. The pod is cut for standard 1.5" gauges, however, so you can buy it blank and populate it with whatever brand and function gauges you like.

Got it, that is o-k.

What brand gauges are you selling in your pods?

Thank you,

 

[amaurer]

What year is your 40? Is it RHD?

Will this fit a '78 LHD 40?

I have an 82, RHD. This part of the dash, however, is identical but simply mirrored on a RHD vs. LHD, so I made the bracket reversible and it fits both.

I don't know of any fitment issues with other years, but of course if you manage to find one I'll make it right.

Got it, that is o-k.

What brand gauges are you selling in your pods?

Thank you,

Equus.

 

[PabloCruise]

Equus.

I have not heard of them...

How long of a track record do you have with them? Failure rate?

Just trying to determine if I should purch w/ or w/o gauges.

Thank you

 

[amaurer]

I have not heard of them...

How long of a track record do you have with them? Failure rate?

Just trying to determine if I should purch w/ or w/o gauges.

Thank you

Well its probably clear that Equus gauges are inexpensive, but I've had no trouble with them. Granted, I only have 5000 miles on mine, but looking at teh intarwebs I can't really find evidence of any systematic problems.

I don't make any money on the gauges themselves, I'm offering the pod with gauges as a convenience only, so by all means do what makes you happy. I will say, however, that the Equus setup comes with the BSPT adpaters you need, which is very very nice.