BucketMan

There are no options out there for gauge pods molded into the A pillar for our gen F-150's. This is most likely due to the side curtain air bags beneath, however after seeing firsthand (afterwards) how the curtain deploys, I am not concerned about this gauge becoming a projectile if I were in a crash.

I will be outfitting this with an Aeroforce Interceptor gauge

So, I set out to make one of my own. I got a universal gauge pod that was supposed to be for a Dodge Ram, it had already been customized and "molded" to fit our A pillar by a member here, so that helped with some of the work. Cost: $30

Next I searched junkyards for wrecked F-150's with an intact A pillar and was able to find one that actually had my trim color (charcoal) in New England. The exact color was not a concern as I will have to paint this, but its nice to use as a reference. Cost: $20 shipped to me.

I cleaned up and degreased the trim with alcohol and sanded the area I chose to mount the pod.

I used JB Weld plastic weld to fuse the two pieces together.

I clamped it down and am giving it time to set.

Not sure how much time I will have to dedicate to this project, it will be slow going until the kids get back to school, but I will update it with pics as I go. I am still in the process of ordering the fiberglass and paint products for the trim.

BucketMan

Looks like I wont be adding pics anytime soon because as usual the mobile app $ucks complete ***. I have to do my weekly re-upload so that it works.

Strong work admin!

BucketMan

Pics finally

Sweatmachine

Nice work! Looking forward to finished pics. How's working with that JB PlasticWeld?

BucketMan

It's ok, kinda thick, very putty like. It's already together, you just knead it to mix it and then use it. It's already set and rock hard, I would have preferred using traditional JB weld that is more liquid and easier to use, but this stuff is certainly doing the job.

Lethal Weapon

'Will be checking in to see completed pics & info as you post with further pics and your input as your progress continues. Looks great so far & nice write up ! (Including a couple fellow members on here too!).
I plan on installing some air bags in the future & I plan on mounting the air pressure gauge here.
Using the heat gun to mold the pod to our A pillar sounds easy enough & if it fits well, the infamous 3M tape indeed works well! ... I also like your idea on smoothing it in & will look more OEM without any seams.
Keep us posted BucketMan!

BucketMan

Pod is mounted, JB Weld is good stuff, great bond. Now if SEM would call me back about color matching my interior so I can order the rest if the stuff ill be on my way.

BucketMan

Finally got the rest of the materials ordered today.

I went with SEM paint and prep, found a place that will mix custom aerosol cans (vinylpro.com), so they can match Charcoal Black, SEM code is 5831

U-pol Fibral will be used as the filler, bought at tptool.com

Lethal Weapon

That's just awesome & looks great so far!
How good did the Dodge part number pod fit, even with some heat & manipulation? Is that the main reason why you decided to use the JB plastic weld? If not, would 3M tape fill any gaps/voids well?
Looking for the final pics & results.
Thanks!

BucketMan

Thanks!

The guy I bought the pod from did an awesome job of shaping the pod to fit the pillar, dead on. I believe he used a heat gun, but i had no part in that process. The plastic of the pod feels as though it's thick enough to take some heat and be malleable, but not to the point where you would mess it up, or have it collapse.

I read as much as I could about custom pods, but there is not much out there. The biggest complaint I read about was the pod coming loose, or the fiberglass cracking around the pod because it was not secured to the a pillar. I have had good luck usingJB Weld with other projects so decided to use it here. I also wanted to kick the pod out just a bit to make it easier to see which is why it is so thick there. This was easy to accomplish as the weld has a very thick consistency. The pod is held on extremely well, I have no fear of it working loose. I received a great recommendation on the Upol product from a guy that does the custom faceplates for the iPad mounts, so im inot worried there either.

To this point I think my total is around $120ish, I wanted to keep it around $100, but I want it done right, so I spent some extra money in the custom paint and the plastic prep.