While looking for white face gauge overlay for my 98 F-150 (this by the way is virtually impossible to find without some strange lighting color and/or very homoerotic flames... no offense to anyone of that persuasion). I found this:

http://www.aeroforcetech.com/index.html

Will work with any ODBII or CAN-Bus vehicle. I'm now going to get one or two (they have a splitter so you can run up to two units) for my truck, and if I can find a classy way to mount it, one for the LS...

wow pretty cool

yeah that's what I said... I love the fact that it has two high intensity LED's which can be used separately or together as a shift light or warning lights, plus you can add two additional parameters/sensors to the gauge that your vehicle wouldn't normally support through it's ODBII/CAN system.

Face and display color options...

I'm so sold it's not even fun...

a lot of that makes no sense to me but it all sounds extremely helpful. nice find

Yeah I was looking at that gauge also, then I ran across this http://www.scangauge.com/ And it is cheaper and does more. I want to see it in person before I lay out the money, so I will be visiting one of the dealers locally to get a good look at it first.

I could see its weight in gold for a turbo/SC car.

:cool:

Yeah I was looking at that gauge also, then I ran across this http://www.scangauge.com/ And it is cheaper and does more. I want to see it in person before I lay out the money, so I will be visiting one of the dealers locally to get a good look at it first.

I looked at that one too but...
Unfortunately that one doesn't allow for additional analog sensor inputs. I like the larger screen, but the catch 22 about that is it obviously no longer fits in the 2.25" gauge mount.

Yeah, I see your point on the size. But it can display 4 items at once and can programecd to dispaly at push of a button another set. But we all have different needs and visual looks we want in our cars. So it's what ever works for your needs. I was thinking of putting this display where the buttons for the message center go under the vents. Then I can match the color of the display to the factory gauge panel.

THAT would look slick!!! But will it fit?

man, if it fit, you took your time with the install; it could look factory installed!

Whatz its cost?

Which one? One I originally posted about runs $239 for a single gauge, or $399 for a two gauge set.

The other one runs $169.95

If you're interested, be sure to read up on both of them... they ARE NOT the same gauge just in different packaging. Both have features the other does not.

Yes, they do each have their own features, It would be a personel choice for each.

This is a common gauge with the factory S/C folks, and I did not realize it was so unknown. I would have spread the word a long time ago.

We are doing a group buy on these in my local club right now. $200 each, no extra charge for alternate faces or besels. You are all welcome to join the buy if you like.

http://ohiocustoms.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=4938

I ordered 3 :)

hmmmm nice... I'll have to see if I've got the extra cash layin around!

Sure would be nice if they programed in a Lincoln Star to be used as the start-up screen!

That would be nice, but that seems like a lot of programming for not a lot of people buying it.

There is one gauge out there, I forget who makes it. The gauge is actually an LCD screen and you can download your own wallpaper for the face. IIRC the gauge itself is about $200 and you have to buy whatever controller you want for the function you want to power the gauge. I looked at a wide band one. The brand might be PLX or something like that.

I shot them an E-mail asking if they can add the lincoln star to their options for the start-up screen! Hopefully they can!

Any answer yet?

Not yet... I've been watching my e-mail too!!! They have various other icons... Ford oval will work great with my truck (that they already have). I plan on getting a mark, so a Lincoln star would work great in that, and the LS.

If no word by close to the end of business tomorrow I'm going to give them a call!

I actually called when I gave them my order because I didn't really want to send my cc# via email. Greg was a nice guy. He's cutting us a hell of a deal at that price too. I've never seen them anywhere under 239 each plus at least 12 for a different besel.

Hopefully it's easy enough that they can program it in! I got so excited when I found this thing it was like a kid at Christmas! My first priority is my truck, I've got Phantom Series (white dial w/black bezel) Autometer gauges for my front and rear diff temp as well as tranny temp which need to be installed. I'd like to figure out a way to mount two of those interceptors on the top of my dash... then I'll have them display a boost gauge for when I put on the supercharger, wide-band A/F, engine oil temp and MPG. Might have to just hand lay a fiberglass two gauge housing.

Anyway, I've seen pillar mount pods for the LS and Mark...

What kind of truck is it?

I'm putting one in my Explorer and one in my Mustang. Both in the pilars. My third is for a friend I owe because we wen't haves on a car trailer. I don't need that kind of data logging in my LS as its not far from stock. If I really want to data log it, I'll run my sniper recon software on it.

It's a 98 F-150, regular cab, stepside short box 4x4 (if you're not familiar, think F-150 Lightning body but on a 4x4 and without the wicked engine)... Rancho suspension lift... Gathering everything to build a new engine for it... Had 4.10's installed with eaton electric locker in the rear and traclok in the front; considering changing to 4.30's or 4.56's, auburn elec'd up front (constant limited slip, on demand electric full lock), thicker axle tubes welded on the rear and rear disk brake swap from an 00-up. I'd been waiting on Superior "Super 88" c-clip eliminator axles for the F-150, but after months of waiting I was informed yesterday they are still a good bit of time from production. Might end up just doing C-clip Axles.

Anyway, that truck is my true love...

Sweet! I'm doing a similar build to my Explorer. What size tires are you running?

I have two sets... one for winter, one for summer. Both are BFG All Terrain's.

Winter: 285/75R16 (roughly 33's)
Summer: 315/70R17 (roughly 34.5's)

The summer tires are on their last life (provided I keep it to the street; I'd be screwed off road). I'm considering replacing them with 35's mounted on 18" wheels. May just continue to run my winter tires until summer 09, then buy new wheels (the 17's I've got are starting to deteriorate) and tires for both summer and winter... at-least 18's, that way I can stuff a big brake kit on the front end!! Either way, without running more lift, 35's are the biggest I can handle. I sometimes wonder if I should have ran the fabtech lift (6" vs rancho 4")... but at the same rate, I think you reach a point where you diminish the all-around practicality of the vehicle. And I do use the truck for much more than off-roading (was my daily driver till I got the LS, sees plenty of towing/hauling duty too)

Does your explorer have the 8.8 rear? If so, Superior has the Super 88 for your truck. I can not stress how much better of an option C-clip eliminators are for a 4x4. With C-clip axles, if you break an axle shaft... say goodbye to your tire... and good luck trying to get home!

Yeah, it's got an 8.8 with 31 spline axels. I really don't rock crawl with it so it's plenty strong for what I do, most of the broken axels I have seen come from rock crawling. The majority of the wheeling I do is hill climbs and mud bogs. I just got done with a top end rebuild with all FRPP stuff. Next is suspension, gears and diff's. I'm researching a coil over swap in the front and some fiberglass fenders so I can fit 33's without lifting it anymore. Probably going to 4.56 gears for that tire height. The rear is factory limited slip, I've been pondering a locker for the front too.

hmmm... I'd be willing to part with my winter BFG's... they've got maybe 5000-8000 miles on them, and with it being all winter driving (snow and what not)... they are like brand new.

I'm very happy with my Eaton E-locker, but I'd have been hard pressed to make a decision if the auburn unit were around when I had the eaton installed. I see benefits for both on the rear:

Eaton:
Open diff gives better gas mileage, better on road turns and you can run a smaller spare without worry of damaging a limited slip. On demand full lock is a good benefit for off road. Drawbacks are decreased traction on slippery road conditions.

Auburn:
Limited slip gives improved traction in slippery conditions without having to engage your locker (which you don't want to run locked in snow or ice), On demand full lock; same as the Eaton. Draw back is gas mileage decrease, larger tires will wear limited slip quicker, and tight turns might induce binding.


The auburn on the front diff is a no-brainer for me; when you run in 4x2, you won't induce any additional wear on the limited slip... Makes the perfect choice for a front diff; ideal for on-road slippery conditions driving (snow, ice), as well as mixed terrain where you want better steering control.

Now on the rear diff, it's another story; there are certainly positives to each. But, before my traclok burnt up on the front diff, I found that for snow traction... a limited slip front with an open rear worked VERY well. Allowed tight turns which a locker rear does not, and might not be as do-able with a limited slip rear.

Anyway, I already have the eaton in the rear, so why change now? Unless I decide to move up from the 8.8 rear to the 9.75. In which case, want to buy a used eaton e-locker? :-D

If I get 33's it's going to be another set of Baja Claws. They are amazing in mud and snow. Just noisey as hell on the hardball.

So you like the E-locker? I've heard more than a few guys cuss those. ARB's would be nice but they are way more than I want to pay for in a winter DD/toy. For the front, selection on lockers is kind of limited to what is available for the D35.

ohhhhh... exploders have a D35? Ouch...

You've heard people cuss their eaton? why?

I'm very happy with mine. Only real drawback is that you have to be at nearly a stand-still to engage or disengage it... So if you go into a mud-hole unprepared, it could bite you in the a$$.

Several have complained that they up and quit working after 6 months to a year.

yup, D35 IFS with tortion bars. The D35 itself isn't bad, the tortion bars suck though. That is why I want to replace them with coil overs.

I've got torsion bars on mine... I don't mind them, but it would be nice to run a coil over. I just don't think they make a coil over conversion for the 97-04 (heritage) F-150.

They don't make a "kit" for explorers either. I've got some fab work ahead of me.

At one point I'd found a coil-over kit for the F-150, but they stopped making them.

They make a half coil over lift kit for rangers that will fit but it's $2400 for a 5.5" lift kit. I really am not real impressed with the front shock mounts on that kit either. It uses gussets that you must weld into the factory shock mounts to add strength. I'm looking at fabbing a tubular upper shock mount on top and a double tab mount for the lower control arm. I'll keep my current ride height, run about an 18" coil over with an 850-900# spring. I've got to get the front of my truck weighed to be sure. I'll also have to rig up some sort of limit strap to limit the down travel to keep the CV's from over-extending. It's going to be about $1000 project but it's still cheaper than a solid axel swap and will handle 10x better.

Where are you getting your coilovers? Might be a project for my F-150!

I've priced some at a couple online retailers. I haven't made my final decision yet.

I got my gauges and installed the Explorer one. I love it! When I get some time, I'll post a video of it in action.

awesome!! Deff want to see pictures!!

Meanwhile, Back at the post!!;)

I was planning on making my own gauge pod to fit in the left corner of my dash. It will be custom made out of fiberglass (Miracle Panels;) ) and I will cover is with vinyl. Those car audio skills coming back again:D .

So Those gauges would work great. I wonder where I could get some?? Oh yeah, Where I work...

Pics...

http://www.explorerforum.com/photopost/data/500/medium/DSC06083.JPG

http://www.explorerforum.com/photopost/data/500/medium/DSC06084.JPG

any updates??

What do you want to know. I installed one in my Mustang too, I love it more than the explorer one because the mustang PCM gives you more information than the explorer PCM does.

These guages have been around for a couple years in the gp community, scanguage for even longer. They are a great utility. I know one issue with them was other scanners couldnt be used at the same time because it took up the obd2 port. We like to scan with hptuner or power tuner while racing and would have to unplug the guage to do so.

how hard is it to hook up? were they able to get the lincoln star on them?

I haven't heard about the Lincoln star, Nate emailed the company. It comes standard with Mustang, Cobra, Mach1, Lightning and Thunderbird.

It is very easy to install. If you can plug in a lamp, you can install this gauge. It took more effort to mount the gauge pod than it did to actually install the gauge. If you put it in a pillar pod, you have to pull the pillar cover, drill a 1/2" hole in it for the plug and 4 3/16" holes for the pins to hold the pod onto the pillar cover. I don't even know if there is a pillar pod available for the LS.

I thought I remembered him saying awhile back that they got the Lincoln star on it. But you have to call and ask for it.

As far as an A-pillar pod, Ken sells a double.
http://www.lskoncepts.com/store/lincoln-ls-a-pillar-gauge-pod-p-11.php

They did program in the lincoln star... sorry, been out of town for a couple weeks!

any pics of it mounted in the ls??