OK, some pics and a few thoughts:
I'm happy with the location, easy to see but also easy to block if you drive at 10&2 rather than 9&3. It does block the ABS warning light a little, but if it were to illuminate I'd see it.
I should've gotten the Ultralite as it'd match the stock gauges better; the Phantom face is slightly too white and it doesn't have the brushed rim to match my DaveB rings! While I like it, others opinions may vary, and if anyone wants to trade I'm open. The gauge works great. 6-7PSI at WOT (occasional instantaneous spike to ~8 at tip-in) and below 20mm hg at idle, with good response and stability.
Autometer red illumination matches the stock gauges really well - I wish it were not ring-illuminated but backlit thru the numbers, but hey this is a sub-$100 mod including the gauge, old gauge surround, dremel bit, and patience.
Tapping into the vac line and running the line thru the firewall was a piece of cake, only required a 1' length of vac hose and a tee, $3 total from a local shop. There's a great grommet just to the fender side of the brake pedal...
Gauge lights dim with the dash lights, just had to tap into the proper wires on the dimmer (one wire to the blue/white, one to the green/black). The gauge does definitely reflect a red circle into the windshield at night - it's up high on the left side of the windshield; time will tell if it becomes a PITA or if I get used to it. I may quick-fab a gauge surround to eliminate the glare.
Running wires under the Protege dash is easy compared to the VW's I used to work on - lots of room (well, I'm not all that large either - it helps).
Oh - and I can't hold a camera steady to save my life (apologies for the blurry night shot).
I'll probably get one of the molded surrounds if they ever come out - and if I do the gauge wiring is already done. I like the cluster mount as it's less obvious than the pillar and I still have my storage cubby; cubby mount would be my close second choice.
So... enjoy! Now on to wiring up the red city lights and red Madeye lights... now that it's a little warmer... and I have a spare carbon-fiber Autotech single gauge pod now...
I'm happy with the location, easy to see but also easy to block if you drive at 10&2 rather than 9&3. It does block the ABS warning light a little, but if it were to illuminate I'd see it.
I should've gotten the Ultralite as it'd match the stock gauges better; the Phantom face is slightly too white and it doesn't have the brushed rim to match my DaveB rings! While I like it, others opinions may vary, and if anyone wants to trade I'm open. The gauge works great. 6-7PSI at WOT (occasional instantaneous spike to ~8 at tip-in) and below 20mm hg at idle, with good response and stability.
Autometer red illumination matches the stock gauges really well - I wish it were not ring-illuminated but backlit thru the numbers, but hey this is a sub-$100 mod including the gauge, old gauge surround, dremel bit, and patience.
Tapping into the vac line and running the line thru the firewall was a piece of cake, only required a 1' length of vac hose and a tee, $3 total from a local shop. There's a great grommet just to the fender side of the brake pedal...
Gauge lights dim with the dash lights, just had to tap into the proper wires on the dimmer (one wire to the blue/white, one to the green/black). The gauge does definitely reflect a red circle into the windshield at night - it's up high on the left side of the windshield; time will tell if it becomes a PITA or if I get used to it. I may quick-fab a gauge surround to eliminate the glare.
Running wires under the Protege dash is easy compared to the VW's I used to work on - lots of room (well, I'm not all that large either - it helps).
Oh - and I can't hold a camera steady to save my life (apologies for the blurry night shot).
I'll probably get one of the molded surrounds if they ever come out - and if I do the gauge wiring is already done. I like the cluster mount as it's less obvious than the pillar and I still have my storage cubby; cubby mount would be my close second choice.
So... enjoy! Now on to wiring up the red city lights and red Madeye lights... now that it's a little warmer... and I have a spare carbon-fiber Autotech single gauge pod now...
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