Installing a VDO ambient temperature gauge into the center console Options

[double-a]

by itself, an ambient temperature gauge in the center console seems about as useful as my broken clock or the vague oil temp indicator. but after shifting oil temp duties to a dash triple gauge, with real temperature numbers, i was left with a gaping hole in my center console that could only be filled with cutting-edge 70s technology.

i learned recently that vdo produced ambient temperature gauges in 60mm diameter for marques like mercedes and volvo, so i decided to take a look. at first, the only available options seemed to be NOS gauges in the three-bills range. but i eventually scored a used example in excellent condition on ebay for only $25, though it was missing its sender and mounting bracket.