Any diesel guru will tell you that monitoring your diesel's vital signs is essential, and is more important than any performance modifications you can make to your truck. After all, if you add 100 hp or more to a diesel, but don't know how hot your EGTs are, or how much boost your turbo is feeding the engine, the result can be catastrophic. Being able to keep tabs on EGTs, boost, and transmission temperature undoubtedly brings peace of mind to any diesel owner. As part of our '97 7.3L Power Stroke buildup, we decided to have Diesel Tech in San Jacinto, California, install a set of gauges from Auto Meter. Here's how the install on our '97 Ford F-350 went.
 First, we had to paint-match...  First, we had to paint-match the Auto Meter gauge pillar to our gray interior. We removed the mold-release agent from our new pillar by lightly wiping lacquer thinner all over its surface, then applied three coats of gray primer and let it dry. Sanding could have also been an option to help make paint application easier, but would have removed some of the original textured look. |  Wiring the 2 1/16-inch Ultra-Lite...  Wiring the 2 1/16-inch Ultra-Lite Auto Meter pyrometer (PN 4344), transmission (PN 4357), and boost (PN 4304) gauges was straightforward enough. The nylon tube wound in a circle is our boost line, the white wire connecting to each gauge is for lighting, the green wire goes to the transmission temperature sender, the red wire is the power wire, and the black wire is our ground. Some prefer to solder when wiring up gauges, but we used electrical butt connectors, and made sure each one had a good, tight connection. |  We removed the existing pillar...  We removed the existing pillar trim panel, then pulled the dimmer switch and dash around the gauge cluster. An access hole had to be cut in the bottom of the original pillar to feed the wiring through. |
 We wired our gauges to the...  We wired our gauges to the dimmer switch, which allows convenient adjustability, and less distraction at night. The wire going to the dimmer control is a white wire with a blue tracer. |  Next, we fitted the new gauge...  Next, we fitted the new gauge pillar on top of the original panel and drilled holes through both pieces. We used a 3/16-inch drill bit to make our holes, but any size would have done the job as long as they didn't exceed the diameter of our screw heads. Then we installed our screws. |  Once we attached the gauge...  Once we attached the gauge pillar, we turned the ignition on to make sure the dimmer switch did in fact adjust the gauge illumination before going any further. |