yes, another thread, sorry!

what is the pillar called right in front of th driver, between the windshield and driver window? im looking for a replacement on it, but i want it to hold maybe 2 gauges. i got a 2002 Pro DX......no tach. im wanting to put one in, but im trying to stay away from the ones you screw on your dash. it looks mighty tacky to me.

thanks everyone, links would be appreciated!

 

Sounds like you are looking for a guage pod for the A-pillar.

 

for reference the pillars are labeled front to back, A, B, C

 

w3rd.

 

ok, A pillar, i thought so. now, i want to get an A pillar replacement, with gauge pods, but i dont want it to look ricey. im gonn alook around and post links if i find some.

 

has anyone heard of a 2 1/16 tach? i cant find any...

 

ya, theres a couple company's that make them, i've seen them before but i dont feel like searching to find them again... but there is a couple out there...

 

I remember looking long and hard for a 2 1/16 tach for a previous project car that didn't come from the factory with one. I didn't have any luck finding any that small. The smallest I could find were just a little larger. Gauges of that size typically are for volts, oil pressure, water temperature, boost, etc.

Does your car not have a working tachometer? If not, have you thought about changing out the cluster for one that does? Although the cluster (like most modern cars) appears to be analog, it is actually digitally controlled. All of the wiring for the tach, and other features in the premium cluster, are probably already there. Bear in mind that the engine controller is already monitoring engine speed.

In my old Neon, the cluster with the tach would work if I plugged it in, and if the odo reading programmed into the cluster matched the odo in the engine controller. (I don't know about Mazda, but Dodges record the mileage in the ECU and in the cluster. If they don't match, the car won't start. This prevents odo fraud. The clusters can be reporgrammed, but I would talk with a Mazda tech to see if it is the same way on our cars).

 

no my car doesnt have a tach...just a speedo oil and fuel. we are looking for a cluster but i believe we have to get it from a junk yard and reprogram the miles in it.

 

If you have a DX, replacing clusters for one with a Tach DOES NOT work...I tried it already

 

what would you suggest then?

 

Well, I would suggest looking at the interior of your car, measuring up a few places where a tach might fit, and seeing if you could squeeze one in. Why not take out the factory stereo, put in a DIN-sized replacement, and put a fill panel in (from Crutchfield, etc)? You could then cut a hole in the fill panel and mount a tach in there. I haven't measured it, but I am thinking aloud that if you have enough room, it would be sweet and look nicely finished.

The guage pod thing might not be a total loss. Call/ e-mail Autometer (I'm sure their website has contact info), and see if you can somehow widen the pod, or get a wider universal one.

Another option would be to lay-up your own, if you know how to do fiberglass. A plug could easily be made out of Bondo and an A-pillar from a salvage yard. You could splash a mold off the plug, and use it to make your own pod.

If the fiberglass thing is too much for you, also consider losing one of your HVAC vents, on top of the center stack. You could probably mount a tach in there easily, and you would not have to look too far from the road to see it.

The last option would be to bolt on one of those tachs that sits on top of the dash, etc.... but I imagine you don't want to, because it doesn't look clean.

 

wow that first idea sounds pretty sweet. i am looking into an aftermarket stereo. im going to try that when i get it in, i'll keep you updated...