Epoxy gauge pod!

[E-Wrex]

Time to get messy... I'm going to build me an Epoxy gauge pod. Ive heard it's relatively simple, but i've never played with the stuff before. I'll post some pics once it gets done, I think this should be pretty cool if it turns out the way i want it. It should work the same way as building an Epoxy speakerbox, but I may have to get creative. Im going to go off of my a-pillar, so getting the angles right might be tricky.

List of supplies I can only assume I am going to need(im sure I'll find out I need more):

1. Epoxy mix.
2. 2-inch pvc to build the mold with.
3. Cellophane to wrap the original a-pillar to make the first mold.
4. bondo.
6. paint.
7. a whole lot of luck to get it right the first time.
8. and of course the gauges.

Any suggestions/ideas would be super helpful, as I've never worked with the stuff before. This should be way more fun, and way cheaper than a 200 dollar gauge pillar. I'll take pics as I go, and then post a tutorial, nuless it gets way to hard, in which I'm sure i'll break the camera and every other part involved with this little endeavour.

[JOHN91709]

imo you should try ebays pillars they have for sale because it would me soo much easier to just paint one to match the interior than to build one and have it come out like crap. i sometimes build fiberglass speaker boxes for people and i know how much of a pain in the ass it can be to build and not many people can build it right the first time. if you want to build it for your own self satifaction thats cool but make sure you take your time. i am not familiar with the epoxy you want to use but here a link to a pillar pod on ebay that is real cheap.http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/02-03...01846129QQrdZ1

[SD_GR]

Good luck to you. A while back someone was making a 'glass/epoxy gauge pod for a DSM, and what struck me with that was that this person made it as a molded extension not of the A-pillar but of the plastic piece that covers the mirror on the inside of the cabin, so that the instruments now extend onto the door surface.

This was done by a works on the Jaguar XJ220, and IMO looks great and different while still being decent ergonomically. I'm throwing it out as food for thought. Buy a spare mirror cover piece for the driver's door, a run of PVC pipe to start with, and start shaping...

[E-Wrex]

Back to the ol' drawing board, played with some epoxy, and it's definetely not going to work. Maybe some fiberglass, or something. Maybe I was using the wrong epoxy, but it didnt set up hard enough, and it took way more than I had thought. I tried the quick set, seeing as I am impatient and it got to be solid, but it just plain didn't work like I had planned. I got some pvc pieces that fit nicely around the gauges, so maybe I can just experiment with placing those, and then fiberglass and bondo around em. I thought about doing the door, kinda like what you said, but it looks like I may have to drill into the top of the door panel itself and i don't want to mess it up.

And while buying them off ebay is cheap, they are ghetto as hell, and theres no fun in going that route.

I'll repost once I find some type of cool solution that aint so run-of-the-mill.

[E-Wrex]

Went and got some fiberglass last night, and molded my pillar, worked out much better then I had imagined, it's turning out pretty sweet. It's way easier to work with than epoxy,a dn I have been taking pics of my progress. Just putting in the pvc for the guages right now, and should have the fiberglass over those by tonight, but it's coming along.

[E-Wrex]

Fiberglass is awesome! I think when I'm done with this Ima build a fiberglass sub-box with the left overs. I should have the basic shape finished by tonight, and have the whole thing bondoed, sanded, and primered by like saturday. Then i'll see if I cant get the pics up..

[blarg]

the A-pillar isn't worth it. you can buy one in eBay for $40....however, the Defi-style center pod would be worth doing this with...even the knock-offs are like $150...even the non-CF ones.

[E-Wrex]

I'm just worried about fitment with the cheapies, plus it's super fun to build parts for your car, rather than buy cheapo crap off of ebay. Plus I think I may incorporate a couple more things into the pillar like my little outside temp. monitor and a turbo timer. Add some custom paint, and voila': I'm one step closer to a show car. I want to build a console with a monitor in it as well, I saw a sweet mod involving integrating a computer with your car. That'd be sweet for tuning and storing a billion mp3s.