2ZR Turbo Yaris

[06YarisRS]

Gauge mounting...turning point

I am heavily leaning toward not using the A-pillar gauge pod. One things I've always appreciated about the Yaris is it excellent visibility from the driver's seat. The gauge pod would look amazing in the car, without a doubt, but I just can't spare any visibility. It is not overly intrusive, but I could see the larger blind spot potentially causing a problem. I also like to drive with my seat all the way back. If I push the seat forward, visibility is fine. Again, a compromise I don't think I'm willing to make at this point. It's a bit of a shame, because with a few mods to the pillar and a little matte clear on it, it would look pretty darn good. For a cheap attempt at a gauge pod, they did a pretty good job fitment-wise.

So, some pics:

Pod test fit in my '08...



My alternative plan. I just spent a couple of hours shaping the gauge 'adapters' to fit the curve of the glove box. This was tedious and it turned out pretty good, but not perfect. I plan to drill 3 holes a bit smaller than the gauges and then use some kind of small saw or my dremel and sanding disk to round out he holes to size. I plan to do this on the car as I don't feel like taking the entire dashboard off. I happen to have have a spare dash - the one that originally came with my '06, so I used its driver's side glove box to shape the gauge adapters. I'll epoxy the gauge adapters to the dash from the inside.

Opinions sought... I can either line the gauges up in a straight row of follow the curve of the steering column bezel. The problem with the latter is that the gauge face angles would be off. so, it's probably best to keep them in a straight line.

Gauges in line:



Gauges following steering column bezel (well, sort of):




Other pics: