Bright instruments, new-car look
08-21-2002, 01:44 AM
#17
Three Wheelin'
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: PNW
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It's easy to remove the bezel and cluster with the airbag wheel in place. I'm on the list for the Perry951 LED cluster, but I got tired of the bad lighting and just redid my cluster recently.
1. Just make sure the wheel is turned so the tires point straight ahead (otherwise the wheel spokes get in the way when removing the bezel), then remove the bezel screws, slide it back / up / rotate counterclockwise to clear the vent flaps, and voila - the bezel slides out easily. Just be careful "squeezing" the bezel over the steering column when removing - there is a blind nut on either side of the mounting points at the bottom that could scratch the plastic column.
2. Ditto with the instrument cluster. Very easy to remove. Just remove the 4 screws, "flip" the levers on the ends of each of the 3 connectors to release the cables. Then slide / rotate a bit, and remove the instrument cluster! I've done this maybe 4 times now, and it only takes me 5 minutes to get to this point!
3. Flip the cluster over onto a towel in a bright area, and remove all 9 phillips head / hex screws holding the cluster together. You should now have the instruments cleanly apart from the plexiglass housing. Handle the face with care - careful not to touch the dials, needles, etc - leaves oily fingerprints you will not easily remove. On the bottom you will see the 3 triangular silver reflectors.
I drilled out the heat fused mounting points for the 3 reflectors with a 1/4" drill bit in my cordless drill - leaving a short stem as a locator peg for re-installation. They were easy to remove, almost too easy.
4. I then cleaned off all the reflectors with lacquer thinner, removing all traces of the "silver" - these reflectors are made of a plexiglass material and impervious to the thinner - I figured that out looking at Perry 951's web page on his LED lighting mods (he used a dremel tool to route channels into these pieces - regular plastic would have melted).
5. I then used silicone cement sparingly to glue heavy duty household aluminum foil in the same places where there was silver paint. Used a inexpensive packing knife to trim all the foil cleanly, and then used silicone cement to remount the reflectors in the cluster on the "pegs". I also cut 1" squares of tin foil and glued these into the light bulb tunnels.
6. Installation is the reverse.
Didn't bother to change the bulbs - kept the 14 y.o. ones after wiping off the dust.
Dramatic lighting improvement - not as good as the LED for sure, but 100% better than before.
Total time from removing the first screw to replacing the last one < 1 hour. Well worth doing as a stop gap waiting for the LED kits.
So don't be afraid to try this. I spent less than $3 for a new tube of silicone cement - and in fact used cast off pieces of tin foil that my wife had from baking! So for under an hours work on the kitchen table, I can see again at night! Now the dimmer makes sense!
1. Just make sure the wheel is turned so the tires point straight ahead (otherwise the wheel spokes get in the way when removing the bezel), then remove the bezel screws, slide it back / up / rotate counterclockwise to clear the vent flaps, and voila - the bezel slides out easily. Just be careful "squeezing" the bezel over the steering column when removing - there is a blind nut on either side of the mounting points at the bottom that could scratch the plastic column.
2. Ditto with the instrument cluster. Very easy to remove. Just remove the 4 screws, "flip" the levers on the ends of each of the 3 connectors to release the cables. Then slide / rotate a bit, and remove the instrument cluster! I've done this maybe 4 times now, and it only takes me 5 minutes to get to this point!
3. Flip the cluster over onto a towel in a bright area, and remove all 9 phillips head / hex screws holding the cluster together. You should now have the instruments cleanly apart from the plexiglass housing. Handle the face with care - careful not to touch the dials, needles, etc - leaves oily fingerprints you will not easily remove. On the bottom you will see the 3 triangular silver reflectors.
I drilled out the heat fused mounting points for the 3 reflectors with a 1/4" drill bit in my cordless drill - leaving a short stem as a locator peg for re-installation. They were easy to remove, almost too easy.
4. I then cleaned off all the reflectors with lacquer thinner, removing all traces of the "silver" - these reflectors are made of a plexiglass material and impervious to the thinner - I figured that out looking at Perry 951's web page on his LED lighting mods (he used a dremel tool to route channels into these pieces - regular plastic would have melted).
5. I then used silicone cement sparingly to glue heavy duty household aluminum foil in the same places where there was silver paint. Used a inexpensive packing knife to trim all the foil cleanly, and then used silicone cement to remount the reflectors in the cluster on the "pegs". I also cut 1" squares of tin foil and glued these into the light bulb tunnels.
6. Installation is the reverse.
Didn't bother to change the bulbs - kept the 14 y.o. ones after wiping off the dust.
Dramatic lighting improvement - not as good as the LED for sure, but 100% better than before.
Total time from removing the first screw to replacing the last one < 1 hour. Well worth doing as a stop gap waiting for the LED kits.
So don't be afraid to try this. I spent less than $3 for a new tube of silicone cement - and in fact used cast off pieces of tin foil that my wife had from baking! So for under an hours work on the kitchen table, I can see again at night! Now the dimmer makes sense!
08-21-2002, 03:11 AM
#18
Instructor
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Lake Forest, CA
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Hi Ron,
Honestly, I don't know what the wattage (watt the whatage?) was on those bulbs. I know they were Sylvania brand, and I believe the part # was 187.
Be careful if you remove the bezel with the wheel in place. It can be done, but for me, it flexed to the point where I thought it might break (could be that I was doing it wrong). It's easy to scratch the clear plastic of the cluster in the process, so you might want to protect it with an old T-shirt or cloth.
Good luck!
Honestly, I don't know what the wattage (watt the whatage?) was on those bulbs. I know they were Sylvania brand, and I believe the part # was 187.
Be careful if you remove the bezel with the wheel in place. It can be done, but for me, it flexed to the point where I thought it might break (could be that I was doing it wrong). It's easy to scratch the clear plastic of the cluster in the process, so you might want to protect it with an old T-shirt or cloth.
Good luck!
08-24-2002, 08:36 PM
#20
Racer
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: NE Ohio
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Upgraded my instrument lighting today and wanted to offer a few tips from my lessons learned...
I found the easiest way to remove the dash bezel was to pull it forward and then shift it to the right (toward center of car). Didn't need to twist, bend, or anything else.
On the other hand, I found removal of the instrument cluster to be very difficult. Maybe I was being overly cautious, but it is a very tight fit, and you have to use some force. I found that twisting the cluster to the side, while still inside the dash, was the easiest way to get the access you need to disconnect the cable connectors. Those clips are delicate (don't ask me how I know that).
Once the wiring is disconnected, you'll still need to wrestle with the instrument cluster to remove it. It's a very snug fit when, and you need to be careful that the white housings for the lower wiring harnesses don't get snagged on the exposed edge of the dash (don't ask how I know that).
While you've got the dash open, you might as well replace the "vent bulb" that is suspended in the middle of the center air vents. It's a common mini bulb (I used Wagner 17037).
When you remove the bulbs from the instrument cluster (1/4 turn or so counterclockwise), note that the bulb itself and the white base are not one unit. The bulb plugs into the base (don't ask how I learned this, but I will say I left three parts store where the counter guys didn't know better, either). The bulb is a very common one... I used Sylvania 194LL.
To coat the reflectors and light tunnels, I used the Nashua silver tape. Acetone does a fine job removing the original silver finish on the reflectors.
Other tips:
- Despite that the factory finish is on the outside-side of the reflectors, it may seem intuitive that you should coat the inside-side... DON'T (Yep, I did). I can tell you that the Nashua tape adheres very well, and is a real pain to remove after "burnishing" it thoroughly.
- Don't stick your vacuum hose inside the cluster housing to suck out that one little piece of lint you noticed... if it touches the back of the instrument lens, even if the tip is plastic, it will scratch the lens (Yep, I did that too). It won't come out with plastic polish, either.
- The silver tape works fine, but at the store (Home Depot) I saw a spray reflective finish that, from the color of the cap, looks like chrome (much the same look as the factory finish on the reflectors). If I did this job again, I think I'd try the spray.
Below are a couple of shots that may help, including the reflectors being coated, as a shot of the "light tunnels" you'll be coating.
Hope this helps some of the rookies like me.
Ron
I found the easiest way to remove the dash bezel was to pull it forward and then shift it to the right (toward center of car). Didn't need to twist, bend, or anything else.
On the other hand, I found removal of the instrument cluster to be very difficult. Maybe I was being overly cautious, but it is a very tight fit, and you have to use some force. I found that twisting the cluster to the side, while still inside the dash, was the easiest way to get the access you need to disconnect the cable connectors. Those clips are delicate (don't ask me how I know that).
Once the wiring is disconnected, you'll still need to wrestle with the instrument cluster to remove it. It's a very snug fit when, and you need to be careful that the white housings for the lower wiring harnesses don't get snagged on the exposed edge of the dash (don't ask how I know that).
While you've got the dash open, you might as well replace the "vent bulb" that is suspended in the middle of the center air vents. It's a common mini bulb (I used Wagner 17037).
When you remove the bulbs from the instrument cluster (1/4 turn or so counterclockwise), note that the bulb itself and the white base are not one unit. The bulb plugs into the base (don't ask how I learned this, but I will say I left three parts store where the counter guys didn't know better, either). The bulb is a very common one... I used Sylvania 194LL.
To coat the reflectors and light tunnels, I used the Nashua silver tape. Acetone does a fine job removing the original silver finish on the reflectors.
Other tips:
- Despite that the factory finish is on the outside-side of the reflectors, it may seem intuitive that you should coat the inside-side... DON'T (Yep, I did). I can tell you that the Nashua tape adheres very well, and is a real pain to remove after "burnishing" it thoroughly.
- Don't stick your vacuum hose inside the cluster housing to suck out that one little piece of lint you noticed... if it touches the back of the instrument lens, even if the tip is plastic, it will scratch the lens (Yep, I did that too). It won't come out with plastic polish, either.
- The silver tape works fine, but at the store (Home Depot) I saw a spray reflective finish that, from the color of the cap, looks like chrome (much the same look as the factory finish on the reflectors). If I did this job again, I think I'd try the spray.
Below are a couple of shots that may help, including the reflectors being coated, as a shot of the "light tunnels" you'll be coating.
Hope this helps some of the rookies like me.
Ron
08-27-2002, 01:28 PM
#21
Instructor
Join Date: May 2002
Location: geordie in spain
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Just a thought I wonder if the colured gel plastic used on stage lights would give a nice effect, you get loads of different colours and with that between reflectors and bulb, you could maybe go for higher wattage bulbs. You could do a bench test for this.
08-27-2002, 04:50 PM
#22
Race Director
[quote]Originally posted by Dave:
<strong>With the non-airbag wheel, there is no need to remove the wheel, the cluster slides right out from behind it. I don't know if the airbag wheel is the same.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Yes it does: provided you snap off one of the white tabs on the instrument cluster that does absolutely nothing.
Snapping this tab of is pretty easy: just slowly force the cluster out of the whole and viola! Once you hear a snap, it's off and the cluster will slide out much easier.
Wonder how I know that? Don't ask...
My problem is that the flexible circuit board has a short and doesn't connect well with the bulb housings, and thus I have NOT lights! Works great when pulled over: "But officer, I honestly don't know how fast I was going!"
-Z.
<strong>With the non-airbag wheel, there is no need to remove the wheel, the cluster slides right out from behind it. I don't know if the airbag wheel is the same.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Yes it does: provided you snap off one of the white tabs on the instrument cluster that does absolutely nothing.
Snapping this tab of is pretty easy: just slowly force the cluster out of the whole and viola! Once you hear a snap, it's off and the cluster will slide out much easier.
Wonder how I know that? Don't ask...
My problem is that the flexible circuit board has a short and doesn't connect well with the bulb housings, and thus I have NOT lights! Works great when pulled over: "But officer, I honestly don't know how fast I was going!"
-Z.
