Drilling 3/16" holes for the Pod/Pillar fasteners:

Ensure the A-Pillar Pod is lined up to the factory pillar cover. Secure it with tape to prevent it from moving when you are drilling through the Pod and factory pillar cover. If there is enough room (after test fitting the gauges) drill the holes for the Pod/Pillar fasteners between the tape and the edge of the Pod. This will ensure that the fasteners will be covered by the weather stripping and not visible. Drill the same holes on the reverse side of the A-Pillar Pod.

A-Pillar Pod Preparation:

Supplies:

1. 1x Scotch Brite Pad
2. 1x Rubbing alcohol
3. 1x Adhesion Promoter
4. 1x Primer (that matches the interior trim as close as possible)
5. 1x Factory Interior Trim Paint (VHT, Ford, or Custom Mixed)

Proper preparation of the A-Pillar Pod prior to painting will ensure proper bonding of the interior trim paint to the plastic surface.

Using a Scotch Brite Pad, prepare the Pod for paint by scuffing up the surface of the A-Pillar Pod. Follow up by thoroughly cleaning the surface with rubbing alcohol. Once the surface is dry, apply a few coats of Adhesion Promoter. Adhesion Promoter will ensure proper bonding of the primer followed by the interior trim paint preventing cracks or flaking. The purpose of using a primer that matches the interior trim as close as possible is as follows:

Factory matched interior trim paint is not cheap and often times not readily available. Painting surfaces that are black (without primer) will require several coats in order to match the depth and color of the interior. Running out of paint and having to re-order more can be nuisance. Using a primer that matches the interior trim as close as possible will reduce the amount of factory matched paint significantly.

Close up of the primer compared to the bolt cover of the grab handle.

As mentioned earlier, the Harley Davidson interior trim color had to be custom mixed. Running the VIN# through Ford came up with "Ebony" which matched the black dash but did not match the factory A-Pillar which was more of a "battleship gray". We approached the automotive department of Sherwin Williams and provided them with the cover for the grab handle bolts. They were able to match the color and texture perfectly.

The custom mixed paint for the Harley Davison A-Pillar from Sherwin Williams: Paint Code- CM2242

The last detail is painting the Pillar/Pod Fasteners. The fasteners are prepared in the same fashion as the Pod itself. Painting the fasteners adds a finishing touch to the Pod assembly in the event the weather stripping doesn't totally cover them and it will also blend in when looking at the other side of the Pod through the windshield.

Wire the gauge pod

We chose to make our connections removable by hand using bullet and spade connectors. Supplies needed are as follows:

1. 16 gauge Spade connectors
2. 16 gauge Bullet connectors or Tube connectors
3. 16 gauge Wire taps
4. 12-14 gauge Ring connectors
5. Teflon tape
6. 1 amp inline fuse with holder (for Power wire)
7. Fuse Tap (if using key on power in the factory fuse block)

Arrange the gauges in the order they will be placed in the A-Pillar Pod. It will be necessary to make the connections to the boost gauge at this time. The boost gauge has two electrical connections (12v Light and Ground). All the other gauges come with their own wiring harnesses and simply plug into the back of the gauges.

Once the gauges are arranged in the Pod with the wiring routed through the factory pillar cover, attach the Pod/Pillar fasteners to secure everything in place.

The parallel wiring can now begin. Separate the three connections for each gauge as follows:

1. Power (Red)
2. 12v Light (White)
3. Ground (Black)

Now it's just a matter of connecting "Red" with "Red", "White" with "White", and "Black" with "Black". The endstate is three separate wire bundles that will encompass all the gauges (Power, 12v Light, and Ground). Before the wires are cut to length, determine how much length is needed to run each bundle to its source.

Taping each bundle together will help with wire management and ensure nothing gets hung up while routing them to their final locations.