Write-Up: A-Pillar Re-Upholstery & Guage Pods

I stand corrected. Spose I was lookin at it wrong when it was on the bench. Looks good man. It'll look even better when you re-wrap that A-pillar piece Do you have the P/N's of the pod(s) you used?

Ya I had to put it in after yo u said something. I kept staring at it wondering if I messed it up, lol.

The pods I used are for the last generation Camaro/Firebird and I just cut them down more and more till they looked about right. The pod part number from Summit is ATM-10210.

J. Chris Davis wrote:

Ya I had to put it in after yo u said something. I kept staring at it wondering if I messed it up, lol.

LOL sry bout that

J. Chris Davis wrote:

The pods I used are for the last generation Camaro/Firebird and I just cut them down more and more till they looked about right. The pod part number from Summit is ATM-10210.

Thx

No problem. I was due for another test fitting anyway, lol.

Ok, just got back with my newly upholstered pillars. I think they turned out great. Here are some pics.



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Dude, that looks sweet! I'm assuming you sent them to an interior joint to have them upholstered?

Yes I had a local upholster do them for me. Only cost $75 for both pillars.

Here's some pics of my interior with the new upholstered A-pillars with gauge pod.


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Couple of pics with them in the car and finished.

I had a buddy help me wire the electrical for my a-pillar gauges a few years ago. The gauges weren't bad but whatever. I have a mechanical boost gauge on top, interceptor gauge in the middle and electric tranny temp gauge at the bottom. The boost and trans temp gauges are both autometer z-series gauges with identical face patterns and bezels. The bottom gauge has always been the brightest in terms of light, whereas the (boost) gauge on top is dimmer... Recently, I noticed the top gauge flickers all the damn time.

So I guess the stupid (drunk) question is... I have a wiring issue from the source to the top (boost gauge) that's making the flickering? Or do you think this is something else? lol To sound even more stupid.... possibly because the lower gauge gets juice sooner, the other gauge has always been dimmer because of that? Does that make sense?

I like to throw the stupid questions out there to make y'all feel better about yourselves.

This is for my Regal, btw. Don't want to rub anyone the wrong way being a non Riv question...

Hoping to take that sucker apart tomorrow.. gut the wiring and re-do it all. I don't think it was the greatest job to begin with. :/

Rick,
It sounds like the light bulb for the upper gauge has a bad ground. That would explain why it was dimmer than the other gauge, all gauges being equal of course. And would explain the flicker or it just could be a bad bulb or bulb connection.

When you remove them verify the ground wire is good before spending time on the power wire. Just my guess.
Also the way the wires are run cannot / should not have an effect on the lower one being brighter all this time, it could just be the gauge itself.
You will know more when you remove the gauges and see how good or bad the wiring is.

I agree with Rick. Check any splices and connections carefully, a bad splice or loose connection could cause the resistence to rise significantly, making the bulb appear duller. It could also explain the flickering as the problem grows worse.

Chris, do you have a William Ryan home? I swear your house looks exactly like my parents' house that was recently built.

That gauge pillar is just awesome!

whats up with the vintage gas pump in the background of the photo?

The garage is where the car is parked. There's no house there. The gas pump is fiberglass.

Thanks for the insight guys. Rick was dead on but I also discovered a funny screw up on my end. I have the 5-point LED bulbs in these gauges to match factory lighting as close as possible. The bulb in the trans gauge was slightly different (no doubt a replacement on my end) and I never noticed that it was considerably brighter than the existing one in the boost gauge. So after re-wiring all the grounds and then replacing the bulb all the gauges match perfectly now with no flickering.

So you had a successful day working on the car.

Now you can come to my place and do some gauge install after making a custom pod for me. How does that sound for fun times.

I certainly owe you Rick but that whole custom a-pillar upholstry thing isn't my strong suit. lol

DEMonte1997 wrote:

I certainly owe you Rick but that whole custom a-pillar upholstry thing isn't my strong suit. lol

Obviously I was kidding, but I'll keep my thinking cap on, or this a dunce cap.

Hey Chris, did you basically get a solid 2 gauge holder, trim down the bottom and glue it to the pillar? I kinda want to do a 3 gauge deal myself.

Yes, I used one from a 98-02 FBody. I cut it down alot and then used jb weld to hold it down. then trimmed some plastice pieces to fit in the gaps and usd jb well there to. then sanded to be as smooth as i could. Then had the upholstery guy do his magic. If you do a 3 gauge one it will probably stick out alot. Unless that doesn't bother you. How mine is now the front gauge is about even with my dash pad front.

That sounds like a pain. Out of curiosity, did you try any other vehicle-specific or universal piller inserts out for easier fitment?

I couldnt find any others close enough myself. It did take a little while to get it the way i wanted it. the hardest and longest part was getting it in the right spot, but after i got it glued down the rest was easy.

I have read this thread on how-to reupholster the 'A' pillar which is very helpful.

I have same issue, and same color fabric (medium gray ?). Need to reupholster the 'A' pillars.
Has anyone found a source for this fabric? Prefer stock fabric. Trying to keep my 1998 Riviera as close to factory stock as possible.

Please understand I am more or less new to this board and just spent a few hours on this helpful site trying to find this information. As I understand it (could be wrong) the 'A' pillar fabric is also foam backed same as the headliner? Is there any source to buy replacement fabric that appears to match the interior headliner?

Reason for my question beside the obvious that my 1998 Rivera needs new fabric on the 'A' pillars. I have a 1998 Riviera, Bright White Diamond (looks pearl), with gray leather upholstery. Inherited the Riviera from my aunt, 2005, it was her 4th white Riviera and I helped her pick out each of four (4) white Riviera's over the decades. Currently my 1998 has 67,500 miles, and I am happy to say I have overly maintained this car, expense is not an issue, still has her red umbrella in the drivers door pocket, and perhaps it is now a garage queen, not a trailer queen. Love my Riviera but currenly driven less than 800 miles per year, since new always garage kept, never been driven in snow (seldom driven in rain), change oil yearly before it goes into winter storage late November. Hopefuly this Riviera will be passed on to future family generations, therefore trying to keep it stock and well maintained.

If anyone on this board can help me find NOS or replacement fabric for the 'A' pillars (gray) your help would be much appriciated.

A few places you might start. You may need to communicate with the vendors to get an exact match. Some may send you sample swatches if you request it:

http://bestchoicefabric.com/sp-bin/spirit?PAGE=3

http://www.mikesmontes.com/Carpet-Trunk-Mats-and-other-fabrics_c_48.html

http://www.midwestfabrics.com/

http://www.automotiveinteriors.com/headliner_material.htm

http://www.smsautofabrics.com/products/windlace.php