GAUGE POD for BMW 2002 e10 by Gearbox22

Last crawled date: 3 years ago

This is my adaptation of the BMW console I made that will fit three 52mm gauges and support a standard period Blaupunkt radio. I also printed the shifter surround but not included in this post as most of you must already have one (I didn't). Important to note is that I have incorporated the OEM ashtray and hazard switch assembly which is necessary for this build. I also 3D printed the rear brace with another part that will hold and support the back of the radio but also did not include it in this post as most of you will already have the rear OEM brace and depending on the radio, the dimensions will be different for the support. But you must make some kind of support as the vibrations of the car and bounces will undoubtedly crack the radio surround. I am sharing these files with the community for individual use but not allowing any commercial use of these files.
With all that being said, the panels are extremely robust but will require time and effort to finish them to OEM standards. I printed the parts using my Makerbot Replicator 2X and ABS filament. The strength will be provided by using 4 shells and this way you can get away with a 15% infill. But it will still take about 23 hours to print with full supports and rafts.
The unit is developed in 2 parts, the upper gauge pod and the lower radio surround as the size for a single complete unit exceeded my print area. I suggest that you get the parts sanded and smooth prior to gluing the two parts together. I used 240 grit sandpaper to knock down all the print lines and then filler primer. You may have to do this procedure a number of times to get a perfect finish. Once you are happy with the result, I used 800-1200 wet sandpaper to polish the primer to uncover any other possible surface defects. Again, you may have to do this a couple of times of re priming and sanding. Any deep marks can be addressed with some automotive bondo. But the better you prepare the surface, the better the part will come out.
Next is to glue the two parts together. The Gel type of crazy glue works great and I have been having some very good results with the "Gorilla" crazy glue, not the standard gorilla glue, that stuff will expand too much. Just test fit the parts and sand so it will have a perfect fit. I also developed the parts so you can use those small spring clamps on the back to hold the parts together while the glue is drying, and it does set quickly, so have everything ready.
Final finishing depends on your objective, pure stock or something different. I elected to make my console to match my Turbo dash pod, so I finished the gauge pod section to a perfectly flat and smooth surface and painted it to match. The radio and shifter surround I used a SEM textured paint and then an interior paint, Landau Black, which if applied correctly, gives you a near OEM look. I developed a bead over the 3 gauges to cover the gap between it and the ashtray panel as these consoles all have some give and take in positioning, so be aware of that. I am also thinking of using some chrome vinyl wrap on just the bead just to make it pop a bit more, especially if you decide to use the chrome bezel gauges which looks very impressive as opposed to the all black VDO gauges which I guess would be more period correct, but hey, do what you like. The screws on the side are number 8 interior screws with the cupped washers you can get from most auto supply houses and "U" speed nuts.
I am happy to share all my files and assist anyone with help with making these parts for for your own cars, but please do not use them commercially. And please let me know how these files worked out for you and hit me up on FB with some pictures of the finished product. Love to see them. The fun just never stops. Cheers Allan