Date: Wed, 10 Jun 1998 16:07:36 -0400
Reply-To: Mark Thoma <TVReporter@STRATOS.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <Vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: Mark Thoma <TVReporter@STRATOS.NET>
Subject: Re: Aux Gauge Mounting Location
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
I tried the VDO housing as well, but it mounted the gauges at an angle and
looked strange on top of the instrument cluster. So here's my solution
(it's really cheap.) Buy a short piece of 2" pvc at the local home
improvement store (about $2.00 for 10') Cut it into three sections straight
on one end, angled at a 45 degree angle on the other each section between 4
to 5 inches long. Epoxy the sections together with the straight ends flush
with one another and the longest of the angled ends on top, the other two on
the bottom also angled flush with each other. The angled ends will mount on
the dash, and being that they're angled at 45 degrees, when mated to the
dash angle of about 20 degrees will present the gauge faces at about 70 or
80 degrees from the horizontal and looking right at the driver. Paint the
contraption to match the interior of your vanagon. Sink a bolt in the thing
to anchor it to the dash just to the right of the instrument binacle (sic?)
and put your gauges in it, wire em up and you're in business. I'd put a
picture up on the web, but I don't have a scanner. Maybe I can get EricO
over here and he'll post it. It looks sanitary, functional, and it's cheap?
(providing you have a box mitre saw to cut straight and angled ends on the
pvc.
Mark Thoma
-----Original Message-----
From: Mark McCulley <raven@HALCYON.COM>
To: Vanagon@VANAGON.COM <Vanagon@VANAGON.COM>
Date: Wednesday, June 10, 1998 10:52 AM
Subject: Re: Aux Gauge Mounting Location
>I put 3 VDO gauges (oil temp, oil pressure, voltmeter) in an enclosed
>housing that sits right on top of my instrument cluster. It's easily
>visible, I don't have to look down or to the side to see the gauges. I
think
>the installation looks good, the only problem is reflections off the
>windshield at night. The housing is made by VDO, they call it a "custom
>console" in their catalog.
>
>MM
>
>At 10:37 AM 6/10/98 -0400, Anthony L. Mourkas wrote:
>>Am seeking advice/opinions/how tos/photos/URL's on where to mount a group
>>of 3-5 VDO guages on a 1981 Vanagon Westfalia. I wish the guages to be
>>easily visible and have a clean finished look after installation. Any
>>wiring and installation diagrams/tips would also be appreciated.
>>
>>I plan to install both an oil temperature and pressure gauge. I would
>>like to know which of the following other gauges list members have found
>>to be essential or the most useful:
>>
>>cylinder head temperature
>>voltmeter
>>ammeter
>>
>>My apologies for what must be an old hat post, however I continue to have
>>difficulties accessing the archives. Thanks for your assistance.
>>
>>Tony
>>
>>Anthony L. Mourkas
>>Hampden, Maine, USA
>>1981 Vanagon Westfalia
>>
>
>
| 
