Hey all, just thought i would post up my progress on installing my 350z style dash gauge pod. I bought this from ugame a while back now but i'm pretty sure its the same one from zcentre in the uk. http://www.zcentre.co.uk/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.pbv.tpl&product_id=154&category_id=73&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=7 I had an na auto when i bought the pod and as i was getting eric to convert it to a tt manual pretty soon, i stored it away as a project after it was all converted. As my dash was lifting badly i decided to take it out, fix the lifting and install the pod rather than try to struggle with it in the car. I started by removing the dash and all associated bits,trim, speedo, instrument pods etc and counted more than 30 screws to get it all out. The demister vents were the only casualty of the removal. I'm pretty sure the dash has never been taken out in its 20 year history and the brittle vents didnt want to come out in one piece. I tried very carefully to no crack or break them while undoing the clips but to no avail. I ended up hulk ripping them out after chipping off multiple chunks [TIS] Dash out Aftermath. I'll be giving this a good clean and fix some wiring before it goes back in. The first thing i set out to do was to fix the lifting near the demister vents. Sikaflex came to rescue and so far seemed to have done a great job. I clamped it down with a few bits of wood, wiped away the excess goo and let it dry for a day. This arvo the fun began, i cut the dash! I felt a bit odd hacking up a perfectly good dash, but the results will definitely be worth it. The pod didn't come with any cutting template or instructions but it wasnt very hard to work out. I started with a few pilot holes before getting out the big drill. I then attacked it with a 1mm grinding disk to cut the hole. A WARNING to those attempting this... there is aircon pipes close to the passenger side of the hole. Do not cut too deep! I doubt the aircon would be too effective sending all the cold or hot air inside the dash lol. A trial fit shows a very sexy stock looking z dash :zlove: I sikaflexed the pod to the dash late this arvo but the light was bad so i don't have any decent pics. The front of the pod sits pretty flush with the dash so it will bind well. The sides however has a mm or 2 so the goo was massaged into the cracks on the inside and out. Its clamped down again and tomorrow i'll touch everything up in hope i can put the dash back in on Thursday. Mark
looks good dude. And yes, that is the zcentre.co.uk one. know what would look good with that? ...some 350Z track rims
haha. ive got some 17inch rays engineering on atm. But i would like some black 18inch te37's once i get my paint sorted
some very good TE37 copies going around for cheap. Only thing that puts me off TE37's is that (thanks to the copies) EVERY man and his dog has them
Eeek, was my first thought, on cutting the dash. But reading down you have done a great job. Looks good. Safer too as your eyes don't travel far from the road view. I was thinking of doing the triple pod in the second stereo slot, but yours looks much better. Looking forward to seeing this finished. What gauges are you fitting?
cheers mate, i hesitated over this for a bit because of the dash butchering. The 3 gauges in the spare stereo din was one option, the second was to fit an ecu talk display. But im glad i went through with it. Ill be fitting 52mm water temp, oil temp and oil pressure gauges.
hey man, that looks awesome!, and high 5 for having the patients with removing the entire dash! I gave up after a few mins, so i had to sacrafice my a/c... the TXbox was f'd - next rainy day i'll attempt again
Pulled the clamps off the pod today and it looks AWESOME. I was a bit worried that the pod would lift in a few places but it has held really well. Sorry about the crappy iphone pic quality. The sikaflex was a little thin in a few places so i've touched them up to make it more even. The excess that bulged out, i have removed with a stanley knife. Be careful when doing this as it doesn't take much to puncture it. I glued the back side of the demister vents and gave the stuff behind the dash a bit of a clean since i will not be removing the dash again any time soon unless absolutely necessary!!!! Tomorrow, if all goes well, it will be back in the car
so yours is the version that looks like and blends in with the dash material. And the other version is a black satin finish fibreglass (that can be painted) which looks like it continues and is part of the centre radio surround ?
Quick update, dash is in the car and looks great. I worked overtime today so i don't have any pics of it as its too dark. The pod did pull away from the dash a little bit but only because the dash was sitting crooked on my multi purpose plastic work bench . It sits fine when the dash is in the car and i couldn't notice it unless i looked for it. Ill still touch it up so its even tomo arvo and ill make sure ill take some pics of the completed project. Mark
Finished off the trim! It still has a few little spots to touch up put you get the general idea. Enjoy The gauges arnt wired up so ive just placed them to see what they look like
dont think so. its not obstructing my view of the road and its lower than the highest part of the steering wheel. someone correct me if im wrong
Worst post ever! Stuff FMIC, low coil overs, cheap steering wheels, rims that crack, etc etc...lets ask if a guage pod is defectable If you're worried about things like that, keep your car STOCK i say and let everyone else have the fun they want. This CLEARLY sits lower than most "on dash" solutions and much lower than having guages just sitting in stands, which is what most people do. Hell if it's defectable, then the 350Z interior design is illegal in Australia as it's the same.
Worse post reply ever! A simple yes, it might be because the dash has been hacked and its integrity is compromised but if it's like most other well done mods then it most likely will go under the radar.
pretty decent job but without seeing bigger pics of a properly done facsia mold i cant really tell whether this would be better or the fascia in one piece mold. i'm leaning towards the other, the integration is just way too obvious.. were as a fascia cant be blended and molded heaps easier being plastic. not downing your job, you did awesome with whats provided, we just need someone to release something thats seamless, and looks dead factory indented.. its hard, neigh, impossible to match he Nissan dash, unless you bought the vynle wrap from Nissan. nothing else comes close which really sucks.
