TheMattMan Posted January 10, 2009 Share Posted January 10, 2009 Wondering if anyone has figured out how to change the colors of the gauge clusters. i want to get rid off the ugly orange and go to blue like my new deck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrimGreg Posted January 11, 2009 Share Posted January 11, 2009 They sell the indiglo gauge covers (goes over the stock gauge face) on ebay. Or you can pull the bulbs and swap to a blue bulb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nunya Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 Just swapping the bulbs won't do much I thought, aint' the actual gauges orange? Try maby finding a cluster out of a same year Hardbody with the same options and change the bulbs in that, I know they are white numbers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingman Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 The material its self is orange. So you would have to find a hardbodu with a clear instrument panel and then use colored bulbs. Or if you wanted to get scientific about it, ask a science teacher which bulb color would cancel out orange and give off blue light Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edicer2 Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 ik there is a away around this ik people hace changed the green digital dash likei have in my z to blue and stuff. Is there away to take the orange plastic off and replace it with a blue or white plastic? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMattMan Posted January 13, 2009 Author Share Posted January 13, 2009 idk im gonna go to the jy tommorrow and pic up another gauge clustor i can tinker with so i dont mess up mine, and a hardbody one like kingman said. if i figure anything out il do a write up or whatever Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrimGreg Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 ik there is a away around this ik people hace changed the green digital dash likei have in my z to blue and stuff. Is there away to take the orange plastic off and replace it with a blue or white plastic? The sell whiteface gauge covers also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edicer2 Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 yeah ik they sell those I was just throwing another option out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DM1975 Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 The sell whiteface gauge covers also. I have searched about everywhere I can to find replacement gauge faces for my Pathfinder but I can not find them for a 1987. Any links? My idea for this... 1. Take the gauge cluster apart 2. Scan the faces onto your computer 3. Photoshop in the face as white and the letters and ticks whatever color you want 4. Print out on a frosted white transfer sheet 5. change the bulb colors to what you want 6. cut some lexane to fit the gauges and attach the transparencies to them and install your new faces 7. Put it all back together and you have a cheap indiglo "kinda-ish" dash Or you can get a sheet of EL and use it along with the transparnecy and have real indiglo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DM1975 Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 Just in case you are still interested, and since I still can not find manufactured gauge faces for an 87 then here is a tutorial showing what I have done for my own. I did it in green but you can do it in blue. You need Photoshop to do it. I first copied my gauge face on a scanner and opened it in photoshop and made two seperate images. One is the background with the color I want showing at night (I made that color a little thicker over the lines so I have an easier time lining it all up), the other is the front cover showing the numbers in white or red. I then used print preview in photoshop to print both of these out on normal paper. Next I fixed the two together useing carpet tape (white or wood glue would work as well) Just make sure they line up perfectly. If you use carpet tape you want to make sure that the two pieces are tacked down close to all of the bleed through colors to get a good light transfer through them and on all areas that will be cut so the pieces stay sanwiched together better. Here is that gauge face next to the original in regular light prior to cutting it out. And here it is on top of my light box to show the color coming through. Next I cut it all out and I will laminate both sides just to give it some more protection. I suggest that both front and back copies have the black face or else light will bleed through. If you do another color on the top then just make sure the back piece is black where you do not want light to transfer. I will post more when I get it all done and installed. I hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edicer2 Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 thats sweet! you should sticky this! So others can find it easy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ekupathy87 Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 Wow. that is awesome... you should sell that stuff! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrimGreg Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 Nice, what did you print on, normal ink jet paper? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pezzy Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 That is very cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DM1975 Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 (edited) Thanks, I just used a regular ink jet printer and regular printer paper. There are several places on the net that gives instructions for doing this in several different ways. Some even show how to do indiglo with electroluminescent sheets, but I kinda like this since it is cheap and easy. I still have to get it all finished and see how well it is going to work on the actual dash. Who knows, it might look like crap with the dash bulbs. Edited March 3, 2009 by DM1975 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DM1975 Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 One more thing on this, I do not know how well this would work with other colors. The bulbs under the speedo and tach are green covered. I am sure they can be changed somehow, but I am not going to fool with it as gren is the color I want. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrimGreg Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 You can buy different color bulbs and also colored bulb covers, there are also LED bulbs available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dowser Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 *bookmarked* Grimgreg. Don't suppose you've got a site bookmarked where you found hose LED's that specifically fit our rigs handy do you? Would make this topic complete if you did and posted it up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colbywan Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 Wow pretty awesome idea! How do you think they'll last in yor gauges? My experience with inkjets is that the ink fades rather quickly. You could make them then take them to a print shop and have them printed with higher quilty ink so they don't fade or even take em to a sign shop and do the same for pretty cheap I'd think. Hell of an idea though. -Colby Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingman Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 Awesome! Only problem I can see is changing the rest of the lighting to the same color. The heater controls and shift lever display. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DM1975 Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 I already have the warning lights changed over. They do not look as good, but I used kindof a subdued coloration for the front part and a vivid color background. It works fine, but it just looks a bit different. After I get it all done up and laminated and installed I will get more photos up. I still have to fiberglass a new dash for this thing with a custom spot for the ECU. As for how long it will last, that is simple. It will last long enough for my cheap butt to do a better job at it later on Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrimGreg Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 *bookmarked* Grimgreg. Don't suppose you've got a site bookmarked where you found hose LED's that specifically fit our rigs handy do you? Would make this topic complete if you did and posted it up. http://www.superbrightleds.com/ http://www.superbrightleds.com/instrument.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrimGreg Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 Something else that works well for changing colors is "light gels" they are what is used to color stage lights, and are a thin plastic sheet. I've used pieces in my dome lights to change their color and also put a piece under my HVAC controls to change their color. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DM1975 Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 Gels would work great. I was going to try something to that effect, but I wanted to go as absoluty cheap and easy as I could, not that some gels would break the bank, but where I am at I would have to order them from B&H or Adorama, this way I can just run down to staples. That may be my next step in the changeover though, after these wear out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrimGreg Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 (edited) I can get 18"x36" gel sheets at a store 1/4 mile up the street for under $5 a piece. (I just checked their website and they don't have them listed on there, if they did I would have posted a link.) I wonder if you could print on a gel with an ink jet set to glossy paper setting? The question would be if the ink would be able to set on the gel surface...might have to run some tests. Got those photo shoped picture files of the guage faces? Edited March 5, 2009 by GrimGreg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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