which gauges?

[XoXSciFiGuy]

Okay...you want to blow the bucks at Amazon for three good gauges? Manifold vacuum, voltmeter, and oil pressure? Here's my choices for the money. Except for the manifold vacuum, the other two are ELECTRIC, not mechanical gauges.

Manifold vacuum

Voltmeter

Oil pressure

Comes close to $250, but for the value, I'm considering them.
I had the thought that if you switched the incandescent bulbs for LED's, you could easily light all three gauges with a single hot lead. Not much juice to light three LED's.

[Foul_Mouth]

How mine are laid out. $250 is absurd.

[SVTCTR]

i saw a vac/boost gauge at Harbor Frieght. not sure of its quality but its a gauge. i havent looked to see if there is a set to match the one i saw. just a cheap idea.

[SVTCTR]

also ive always wanted to build my own cluster out of Autometer gauges but im afraid it my lure the bad folks in to break into my truck and steal the stuff. just trying to keep it from being to flashy. plus i wouldnt even know how to wire up a speedo, the others would be simple.

[street_rulerr]

ive used that mout that FM has. im not planning on putting mine there but thats the exact mount id use again

[Deerhurst]

I went with a pillar that holds 3 gauges. I have all autometer mechanical gauges.

[cadillacdude1975]

On square dash trucks, mounting under the radio is a good option. Maybe i should do all this to my pathfinder since i have the top end torn off. It would be much easier.

[XoXSciFiGuy]

I'm not much for the steering wheel mount idea, but only because it sort of blocks the instrument panel. Below the radio sounds good, right down to the carpet area on the tranny tunnel.

Yeah...FM is right that 250 is a little much. I decided no on that.

As far as that other comment on new gauges maybe tempting thieves, it won't be the gauges that is the reason they try to steal it. If they are a car thief they won't see them until they look inside the truck, which means they are already considering a theft of it.

Look...I use the CLUB. Sure, you can saw through it, or through the steering wheel and defeat it. That is true. It is ALSO true that *most* thieves will say pass on a vehicle that has it. Mainly because they want to be 'Gone in 60 Seconds' and defeating the Club is more of a risk for them. It's just another layer of security. And most car thieves don't pack a hacksaw, not generally.

I had some kid a couple of months ago, a homeless guy, who prowled my truck and took some cheap tools out of the back. Right in my driveway. He didn't damage anything because it was the one time I foolishly left my door unlocked. (dumb) But he bypassed on stealing because sawing through the Club or the steering wheel would have made a lot of noise.

Now I have three-layer security. Hidden kill switch, alarm, AND the Club. Plus I never forget to lock it. Don't forget your back slider, either.

LOL...I even installed 500 watts of lighting in the parking lot on a night-only motion sensor...and a proximity alarm that goes BEEP BEEP if anyone comes into the parking lot, which isn't a real big lot anyway. Hell, yeah. Got it all at Harbor Freight. If you get the same stuff, go for the AC versions, NOT the solar powered battery stuff. The batteries go to shit real fast.

If you're wondering whether that stuff works, YES. In the last two months, I caught two people late night out there who SHOULDN'T have been there. I scared the holy crap out of them with my high-powered spotlight and made them leave. (*insert evil laugh here*) They never even got CLOSE to the truck, or the wife's 98 Pathy either. I absolutely hate thieves and junkies with a passion. They get no sympathy here. We live in a small condo complex. One way IN...SAME way OUT. Eight foot wooden fences all around. Neighbors were happy. Some upgraded their own lighting outside. We live in the very back corner and the lights and prox alarm face the part of the parking lot where you have to drive in. Lights up everything. No way to avoid the Harbor Freight stuff.