If you own a Mitsubishi Delica L400, you are probably familiar with the factory triple-gauge pod sitting right in the middle of the dashboard. In the older models, this little housing packs a compass, a volt meter, and a vehicle slope/attitude meter.
Over time, it is incredibly common for these factory instruments to fail. In my case, both the compass and the slope meter had been dead for a couple of years. I finally grew tired of looking at that wasted prime real estate on my dash. The volt meter was still working perfectly and is genuinely useful, so I set out on a mission: keep the functioning voltometer, scrap the broken gauges, and redesign the rest of the pod into a modular, future-proof anchoring system.
Here is how a quick weekend idea turned into a painstaking, highly rewarding 5-month engineering project.
The Challenge: Mapping an Irregular Surface
The first step was learning how to safely disassemble this section of the Delica dashboard without cracking the plastic. Once the gauge pod was out, I faced my biggest hurdle: the factory housing shape is highly irregular.
Capturing those organic, curved contours to convert them into a precise 3D model proved incredibly difficult:
- Attempt 1 (Photos to 3D): I took multiple photos and used online converters to turn PNG/PDF files into 3D models. Because the shape changes drastically depending on the camera angle, the dimensions were completely warped.
- The Low-Tech Breakthrough: I went back to basics. I placed a sheet of A4 paper over the factory unit and firmly traced the perimeters with my finger, leaving a physical impression on the paper. I then scanned the paper and used that trace to accurately model the base geometry in CAD.
Material Science: Battling the Aussie Sun
Living in Australia, vehicle interiors are subjected to extreme, punishing UV rays and intense cabin heat. Standard PLA plastic from a basic 3D printer will warp, melt, and deform inside a hot car within days.
I spent a significant amount of time researching materials that could survive the dashboard environment. Local 3D printing companies in Adelaide recommended two main options:
- ASA (Acrylonitrile Styrene Acrylate) – Highly UV and weather-resistant with great thermal stability.
- High-Performance Composites – Carbon fiber or glass-filled filaments offering incredible rigidity and heat resistance.
Because of the physical size of the final print, finding a local shop with a large enough print bed for the composite material was a challenge. Ultimately, I split the project between two different Adelaide companies to get the parts printed in the exact ASA and composite specs required.
3D Prototypes and Models Pty Ltd
Iterative Prototyping & The Modular Design
Using my home 3D printer, I ran a massive amount of test prints in cheap PLA just to nail down the fitment. The design goals were strict:
- Perfectly isolate and house the original, working factory volt meter.
- Utilize the factory mounting points so the new unit bolts right back into the dash using the original hardware.
- Turn the empty left and center spaces into a universal mounting platform.
Instead of printing a fixed phone or iPad mount right away, I engineered a modular interlocking system. I designed two distinct pyramid-shaped mounts featuring a T-shape slot in the middle.
The Vision: This interlocking T-shape design allows me to slide and lock anything into the dash in the future—whether it’s a tablet holder, a GPS unit, or custom cup holders—without ever having to redesign the base platform.
Overcoming Setbacks
This project wasn’t a smooth ride. Halfway through, my home 3D printer broke down entirely, and I hit major filament shortages, forcing a long pause in development.
But a couple of weeks ago, the printer was back online. I ran the final fitment checks, verified the tolerances, and submitted the finalized CAD files to the commercial printers. Yesterday, the professional ASA and composite parts arrived. Today, I finished drilling the final positioning holes, aligned the factory bolts, and securely mounted the new modular pod into the Delica.
The Perfect Blend: 3D Printing Meets Hand-Craftsmanship
While the professional parts were incredibly precise, these old dashboards have a character of their own. For the final, flawless fitment, I got to step away from the computer screen and rely on pure intuition.
Taking advantage of ASA’s thermoplastic properties, I carefully applied heat to the corners of the printed base, gently warping and massaging the edges by hand to perfectly mirror the unique curve of my physical dashboard.
It was an amazing feeling. While modern 3D printing technology is a powerful tool, it will only get you 95% of the way there; that last 5% always comes down to traditional, hands-on craftsmanship. Combining advanced CAD modeling with manual heat-shaping felt like the perfect mix of the future and the past working together to fix a classic rig.
Five months of measuring, printing, failing, and redesigning completely paid off. The dash looks factory-clean, the volt meter is back where it belongs, and I now have a rugged, highly adaptable mounting system ready for the next adventure.
Get the Files!
I want to share this journey with the L400 community. I have uploaded the complete 3D design files showing the evolution of the project step-by-step. You can download them and adapt them for your own rig via the link below!
[Download the Delica L400 Dash Modular Mount 3D Files Here]
Enjoy!
Simone Berliat