I had previously tried to install the RE-Amemiya boost gauge… but a lot of things went wrong. I never thought installing a simple boost gauge could be so difficult, but this is a perfect example that somethings are just hard for some reason…

Before, when I put on the gauge, there were a number of things wrong. The Column pod I was using was for RHD, so the holes for the levers didn’t line up. Secondly, the boost gauge itself was defective. After checking everything over, this was really the only possibility left. As unlikely as it is for a brand new product to be a non-working unit… Luckily, I ordered it from RHDJapan and they were good about returning and exchanging for another gauge; however, as the name implies, they’re located in Japan so it became a waiting game…

Once I received the replacement gauge, I bought another column pod that was molded for LHD. The paint on it was rough, so I decided to try covering it in 3M Di-Noc. I bought 4 yards of material, and somehow screwed up repeatedly and wasted all of it. It’s impossible to wrap the pod in one piece of material, there had to be atleast one cut seam…

I decided to keep it simple after that, and just paint it. I wanted the color to match as closely as possible to the bottom half of the steering column trim, which is a very matte black. I bought some black trim paint to try it out, but after painting it turned out to be slightly too glossy. The black primer I used was actually a super close match, so I repainted again with just the primer. That turned out rough, so I went to the store and bought another paint, called Krylon Ultra Flat Black which ended up being the right match.

After getting the lines and such hooked back up, I get to the very end and realize that the pod isn’t even remotely close to fitting well. I knew I should’ve test fitted before I did all that work. The corners are off, and if one side fits flush, then the other doesn’t…

There does not exist a proper steering column gauge pod for LHD cars. The Re-Amemiya one is actually very good quality, if only they made it for LHD…

Finally, I changed directions and bought a Autometer Gaugeworks A-Pillar Single Pod. I had to solder in an extension to the light wire in order to reach the A-Pillar. The boost line and light wires tuck in nicely between the dashboard and door moulding up to the A-Pillar. I eventually had to bust out the dremel and cut a “tunnel” on the lower half of the pod in order for the boost line to go through, otherwise there was no way the pod could sit flush.

After everything was said and done, here’s what it looks like. Thankfully, this gauge actually works how it’s supposed to.

In this picture you can faintly see the cut and line routing on the lower side of the pod. You can only really see this part at the angle the picture was taken.

When lit up:

Since I was taking a shot of the gauge in the dark, I decided to grab a couple more of what the interior and tails look like at night: