Progress Thread Fire Hazard GT build: On the road

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While it's not above the radio or temp gauge, I have used the vent's to house gauges. The new vent is 3D printed and can be had for 25$ on ebay. They do have straight and angled versions for above the radio. I plan to use the angled version to house a wideband eventually.
Autometer Gauges.JPG
 
I wish there was one digital guage that could do multiple things, like display oil pressure, water temp, volts, etc. I really would like to add some gauges to my car, but don't want to clutter up the interior with guage pods. I could do find with 1 or 2 on the A-pillar, like a Air/fuel and then a multi-use gauge. Does Autometer make such a thing?
 
Not that I know of.. but they should! I had a bullydog gt tuner in a truck once.. it was a small screen and I could assign whichever read outs I wanted. Very useful and similar to Holleys small monitor with their standalone systems
 
I wish there was one digital guage that could do multiple things, like display oil pressure, water temp, volts, etc. I really would like to add some gauges to my car, but don't want to clutter up the interior with guage pods. I could do find with 1 or 2 on the A-pillar, like a Air/fuel and then a multi-use gauge. Does Autometer make such a thing?
I went on a rampage looking for the same thing. Some of the newer stand alone displays have it, and I found some questionable Chinese products out there. Just doesn't help with the Autometer Pro-comp junk I already have in it.
While it's not above the radio or temp gauge, I have used the vent's to house gauges. The new vent is 3D printed and can be had for 25$ on ebay. They do have straight and angled versions for above the radio. I plan to use the angled version to house a wideband eventually.
Autometer Gauges.JPG
The vent gauge looks great. I'm trying not to do another pillar set-up, but wished that autometer had a dual water temp/oil pressure gauge that would allow me to add just a single.
 
So I ordered the gauges. Just figured they are a heck of a lot cheaper than another motor, or even another turbo. So I get them in, and they're both labeled "Marine".......ok, they look the same as the others, not a worry. Then I open them up and wander how bad the economy is that Autometer couldn't include the water temp sender, or line to plumb the oil pressure. Guess these are not going in today as I'll be tracking down a short sweep sender from AM.

gauges.jpg

Did go out in the garage and adjust my coil overs down on all four corners. Really just ensuring they're even prior to using some string and jack stands to semi-align the front end. Thinking through the rest of the list while I was doing it, it looks like I have the following.

1. Garage align
2. Add front sway bar-----honestly thinking of leaving the stock off and getting the Maximum Motorsports piece
3. Install and wire Water/Oil gauges
4. Push outside and prepare smores in case the Accel Wires decide to act as candles again.
5. Re-verify timing
6. Verify the fan controller is actuating as intended.
7. Apologize to my neighbors after gratuitous noise and smoke.
8. Remove, un-used, 6 year-old Kenwood Excelon head unit. Put something else in there that has bluetooth and finish the stereo/amp/sub wiring.
9. Apologize to neighbors for tuning amp and speakers in drive, while ensuring them they will get a ride eventually.

Life's good
 
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I wish there was one digital guage that could do multiple things, like display oil pressure, water temp, volts, etc. I really would like to add some gauges to my car, but don't want to clutter up the interior with guage pods. I could do find with 1 or 2 on the A-pillar, like a Air/fuel and then a multi-use gauge. Does Autometer make such a thing?
If your running a Megasquirt based system. this gauge can display all that and more.
 
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If your running a Megasquirt based system. this gauge can display all that and more.

When I finally go MS3, I will run something like that, but I was more or less talking about a standalone system for those who might still be on an A9x ECU.

I haven't put much effort into looking however, because of my first statement
 
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So I ordered the gauges. Just figured they are a heck of a lot cheaper than another motor, or even another turbo. So I get them in, and they're both labeled "Marine".......ok, they look the same as the others, not a worry. Then I open them up and wander how bad the economy is that Autometer couldn't include the water temp sender, or line to plumb the oil pressure. Guess these are not going in today as I'll be tracking down a short sweep sender from AM.

gauges.jpg

Did go out in the garage and adjust my coil overs down on all four corners. Really just ensuring they're even prior to using some string and jack stands to semi-align the front end. Thinking through the rest of the list while I was doing it, it looks like I have the following.

1. Garage align
2. Add front sway bar-----honestly thinking of leaving the stock off and getting the Maximum Motorsports piece
3. Install and wire Water/Oil gauges
4. Push outside and prepare smores in case the Accel Wires decide to act as candles again.
5. Re-verify timing
6. Verify the fan controller is actuating as intended.
7. Apologize to my neighbors after gratuitous noise and smoke.
8. Remove, un-used, 6 year-old Kenwood Excelon head unit. Put something else in there that has bluetooth and finish the stereo/amp/sub wiring.
9. Apologize to neighbors for tuning amp and speakers in drive, while ensuring them they will get a ride eventually.

Life's good
I know you don't have the on3 kit,but my sway bar wouldn't fit.I may have to run a smaller 4cyl bar.
 
I have on3 and my gt sway bar fit. Had issues with my 7 quart pan so had to make spaces to lower it about 3/8ths an inch and shortened the end links a little.
 
If your running a Megasquirt based system. this gauge can display all that and more.
That gauge is definitely sexy. Like much of the car, if I could get my money back, I would invest in the MS3 vice my (now old style) AEM. Add the fact you can minimize dash clutter and it seems like a win. We'll see if this doggone AEM system still works. I do know that once I get this thing fairly done, I have agreed to start other projects vice doing my normal "change everything" mix.
I know you don't have the on3 kit,but my sway bar wouldn't fit.I may have to run a smaller 4cyl bar.
I wish it was an On3 kit, but they hadn't become available when I bought the HP performance kit. Its a nice kit, but was extremely costly back in the day. I'm not stating that as the "I've got a ton of dough in it" prideful way either. I can do an On3 for half the cost which makes sense concerning factory block power levels. Now, I'm just stuck with something I'll never get a fourth of my money back on. As far as fitment, every kit out there seems to have its problems. That's half the reason I have so many scratches in my overpriced jet-hot coating. The saving grace......turbos are little circles of happiness
 
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Got some work done today. Checked the alignment layout and started adjusting. If you haven't seen this before it's basically creating a "U" around your rear tires, then extending it past the fronts, while ensuring that you are barely touching the front of our rear tires with the string.
align2.jpg
What you should end up with is a very basic way to measure the squareness of your front wheels via front/rear measurements from the string.
aling.jpg
In my case, this just helped to make the car "pushable" so I can get it out of the garage and will keep me from destroying the front tires when I take it to a professional for alignment.

While adjusting underneath the car I found a couple of things that concerned me.
bellow.jpg
My bellows on the rack has been getting way to hot via the crossover pipe for the turbo. I wrapped it with heat wrap, but will likely try to figure something else out. Another thing I found while pulling myself in and out was that the intercooler mount is just flimsy enough to allow it to vibrate into the radiator support. When you do it by hand it makes this tinging noise much like the one that was making me pucker up with the first few start-ups. Now I need to figure out a good way to place my temperature sender in the engine, and a good way to route my oil line for the pressure gauge.
 
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I wish there was one digital guage that could do multiple things, like display oil pressure, water temp, volts, etc. I really would like to add some gauges to my car, but don't want to clutter up the interior with guage pods. I could do find with 1 or 2 on the A-pillar, like a Air/fuel and then a multi-use gauge. Does Autometer make such a thing?
@stanglx2002

More features to add to the list. ;)
 
Interesting day today. Pushed the 5.0 out to wash and wire gauges, but spent the majority of the day cleaning the garage up. So I did end of washing the car then getting a wild hair to start it up. Can't get the video off the phone, but sounded pretty good. Walked into the garage to get my laser temp gauge, checked the A/F as I walked back up front (12.8) and both manifolds read around 540 degrees. Unfortunately I left the timing light on the bench, but as I started screwing with the new fan controller, I happened to notice this pretty thing.
glow.jpg

So, I know I hand retarded the timing from a locked out 16 degrees, but do not trust my timing pointer. I have no recollection of my EGRs from the previous motor, and she has always run rich at idle on the crappy tuned computer. I plan to wire the gauges tomorrow, then troubleshoot it every which way I can. Any suggestions??????
 
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I wish there was one digital guage that could do multiple things, like display oil pressure, water temp, volts, etc. I really would like to add some gauges to my car, but don't want to clutter up the interior with guage pods. I could do find with 1 or 2 on the A-pillar, like a Air/fuel and then a multi-use gauge. Does Autometer make such a thing?
Perfect tuning gauge. Works with Megasquirt
 
Interesting day today. Pushed the 5.0 out to wash and wire gauges, but spent the majority of the day cleaning the garage up. So I did end of washing the car then getting a wild hair to start it up. Can't get the video off the phone, but sounded pretty good. Walked into the garage to get my laser temp gauge, checked the A/F as I walked back up front (12.8) and both manifolds read around 540 degrees. Unfortunately I left the timing light on the bench, but as I started screwing with the new fan controller, I happened to notice this pretty thing.
glow.jpg

So, I know I hand retarded the timing from a locked out 16 degrees, but do not trust my timing pointer. I have no recollection of my EGRs from the previous motor, and she has always run rich at idle on the crappy tuned computer. I plan to wire the gauges tomorrow, then troubleshoot it every which way I can. Any suggestions??????
Retarded timing and rich.. both can make this happen.
 
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Retarded timing and rich.. both can make this happen.
I'm still not confident that my pointer is where it was originally set, but any suggestion where to set the timing tomorrow when I get the light on it. Honestly, until you get to work on the AEM, I just want the thing safe enough to pull in and out of the garage to troubleshoot other odds and ends.
 
I'm still not confident that my pointer is where it was originally set, but any suggestion where to set the timing tomorrow when I get the light on it. Honestly, until you get to work on the AEM, I just want the thing safe enough to pull in and out of the garage to troubleshoot other odds and ends.
Hmm.. I'm off work this week we can set something up?
I would set base timing at 10* and command 15-23 in the software depending on where its happy