Figured out why my gauges aren't working. The little module that controls the faces is defective, that's why it only flickered 2-3 times and wouldn't come on. So i emailed the eBay seller just now, hopefully it gets squared away with no problems.
Also got my dubz cleaned by g36 monkey and his awesome skillz.
And tomorrow Poisoned Pony is gonna help me out with my pinion seal leak, woo hoo.