boost gauge installed into my cubbypod - tips/tricks for you

Installed my Defi Racer gauges into a dual Cubbypod I today and have some tips/tricks/info for anyone looking into it.

 

 

As far as fitment goes, the Defi Racer gauge has a detachable black plastic bezel as seen here:

http://www.evasivemotorsports.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=EM&Product_Code=DEFI-DF06503

 

That is the exact one I have, along with an oil pressure gauge. The bad news is that the gauge does NOT fit properly with that black plastic bezel. The clearance is too tight, the bottom rubs against the cubbypod, and the door doesn’t really clear it properly as a result. The good news is that the bezel is removable, and the gauge still looks nice, even without it. I don’t really need that little red arrow on the bezel to remind me that if my car is at 30 psi I have a problem.

 

 

Another issue I had is that the gauges were much too loose within the holes, even after the entire assembly was snapped back into the dash. There is a very easy remedy for this: Double-sided 3M tape that you can get from Home Depot or any other store. This tape is spongy, about 2mm thick. You cut a thin strip of it, remove the backing from only ONE side of the tape, and stick it onto the inside of the hole. Then you mount the gauges, with some twisting action. Voila! Friction holds them in nice and snugly. No messy glue, and it’s completely reversible. I don’t know how well this will hold up in the cold and heat, but we’ll see.

 

Also, another note as far as reinstalling the HVAC+cubby assembly. I tried the method of pushing the driver’s side back in, and then the passenger side, but that did not appear to work. In fact, I banged on the edges with a huge hammer (cushioned blows) to no avail. I tried pushing in with all my might… no luck. In the end, what did it for me was taking the entire unit out, and sliding it STRAIGHT in, and pushing on the far left AND far right at the same time. Both sides snapped into the dash easily, and then I pushed in the center, and that snapped in. The reason this works is because the entire assembly compresses slightly and both edges can fit in simultaneously that way. When you do it the recommended method (according to the installation instructions), it’s much more difficult because the assembly doesn’t compress properly to snap in.

 

 

Anyways, I was in a rush today to get this installed (had to finish before going to a Mets game. awesome comeback for them. go Mets!) and couldn't take pictures of the installation. But there have been plenty of good pictures floating around of how to do stuff anyway. I'll break down what I did:

 

 

 

• Defi Oil pressure gauge - installed using Greddy sandwich adapter (both purchased from www.evasivemotorsports.com). require a properly sized allen wrench/key/bit to remove the sensor plug (not sure what size) and a 1 1/16" socket to a attach the sandwich to the car. Easy install for the most part. Remove sensor plug. Attach sensor wire. Remove the oil filter. Put the sandwich adapter on with the appropriate rubber O ring and a tiny bit of oil on it. Tighten sandwich adapter down. (I have no idea what to torque it down to, but I don't think it hurts to tighten this down a bit because you don't want it to loosen when you remove oil filters in the future.) Fish the sensor wire down to the sensor and attach. Install oil filter like you normally would.
  
• Defi electronic boost gauge - inserted the T exactly like this:
  http://photos.yungfamily.ca/albums/userpics/Darren/Boost%20Gauge/normal_IMG_0965.JPG
  (borrowed the picture from Penphoe, thanks!)
  
• Went through the passenger side firewall's rubber grommet. Poked a hole in it with a screwdriver, ran a metal coat hanger through till I could find it on the other side by looking through the glovebox (remove the driver's manual holder and look inside). When I found the hanger, I grabbed it, and yanked most of it through. From the engine side, I attached the sensor leads to the coat hanger using lots of tape. Then I pushed the sensor and the rest of the hanger through the rubber grommet until it was well inside, and then I fished the lines up towards the cubbypod. Installed the cubbypod mostly according to the instructions on his site (with the exceptions noted above.)
  
• Wiring behind the cubby is as follows -
  Yellow/red = +12V ignition (on only when car/acc is on)
  Blue/red = +12V constant (always has 12V)
  Yellow/black = ground
  Purple = +12V illumination (only has 12V when you turn on the headlights. the +12V signals to the gauge to dim itself. it is either +12V, or nothing. You can NOT control the brightness using the dimmer wheel.)
   
  Best way is to splice into the lines without actually cutting them. You cut the insulation a bit using a tool, or if you're cheap like me, a nice sharp pair of scissors and some care and patience. Separate the insulation a bit to get at the middle of the wire, and wrap the new lead onto it and twist the new wire. If you have multiple gauges that do not piggyback off each other (the Defi's don't) that you need, you should strongly consider splicing separate wire onto the cubby's lead, and then from that new wire, you can twist the multiple wires together. That way, you are placing stress on an easily replaceable length of wire instead of the cubby's wires themselves.
  
• Zip ties - learn to love em... so useful under the hood for tying stuff off!
  

I know a lot of this info is rehashed info from previous posts (I did a LOT of searching before doing this install) but I figure something in here might be useful to someone else...

 

Will take pictures of the installed gauges and finished product soon.

Uploaded some pictures!

looks great!

thanks!

 

also, uploaded some videos on youtube if anyone wants to see how they look in action.

 

daytime opening ceremony:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sHa4mzpJGc]YouTube - 52mm Defi White Racer gauges, opening ceremony (day time)[/ame]

 

nighttime opening ceremony:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9W1SQWBXxw]YouTube - 52mm Defi White Racer gauges, opening ceremony (night time)[/ame]

 

revving engine slightly:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zS9uPVKH-gA]YouTube - 2005 Subaru Legacy GT boost and oil pressure gauges[/ame]

 

accelerating through 1 and 2 (not a hard launch)

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXTuv7D7ykg]YouTube - 2005 Subaru Legacy GT boost and oil pressure gauges[/ame]

Why do they flicker so much at start up??

the nighttime video wasn't really right. when i started the car, i paused a sec in the ACC key position, which resulted in the gauges powering up and going through the opening ceremony. when i turned the key all the way, the gauges went through the opening ceremony again, so it looks like the gauges flicker and start sweeping twice.

where did you purchase the dual cubbypod?

http://www.cubbypod.com

 

he's selling them again

Cool the gauges do the on sweep just like the stock gauges! Impressive!

Nice install. I'm planning the same ones.

 

-mike

http://www.cubbypod.com

 

he's selling them again

 

the website says unavailable now. where do i get one of these? id really like the single gaugepod with the cubby that allows the door to close. i want to maintain as much of that sleeper look as possible.

not gonna find them unless someone's selling it used

oh, what a drag! i guess im going to have to make my own!

yeah... he seems to have disappeared, so no more. keep checking the classifieds though!

Bummer, I was looking for one too. I e-mailed him but never heard back.

 

-mike

this was very helpful when i was installing my boost gauge. thanks invar

great writeup

 

subscribed

can you still close your cuby door to hide them>?

if you are still looking for cubby pods that retain the use of the cubby door try http://www.jcspods.com I just ordered my dual cubby pod for 52mm boost/egt and it was here within 2 days! not installed yet

 

EDIT: Installed and indeed retained the use of the cubby door. Required a very small amount of dremmeling to get the gauges to slide in to the holes.