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04-28-2011, 01:41 AM
#1
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hi all,
thought i share some pictures of a little project i have been working on for the past couple of days. my VDO guages had some scratches on the black paint so i decided to remove the black paint and go with a polished look.
i had a little difficulty with the first guage but once i figure out how to pry the face ring off, it was pretty easy.
alan
thought i share some pictures of a little project i have been working on for the past couple of days. my VDO guages had some scratches on the black paint so i decided to remove the black paint and go with a polished look.
i had a little difficulty with the first guage but once i figure out how to pry the face ring off, it was pretty easy.
alan
Last edited by C4WIDEBODY; 07-29-2011 at 01:51 PM.
04-28-2011, 03:26 PM
#5
Three Wheelin'
Join Date: Jul 2007
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- still just a dream for me. Where'd you get them, if you don't mind my asking? The ones I've found seem incredibly expensive.Sorry to hijack the post. Beautiful job on the polishing and the finished product looks fantastic, even though it's not to my taste.
04-28-2011, 03:43 PM
#6
Rennlist Member
Great project idea. I've wanted to dress up my dash for a while, but I always thought the more common after-market, stick-on aluminum bezel rings looked too big. Your mod looks great!
04-29-2011, 03:44 AM
#7
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i actually thought about putting the same ones you have on the picture you posted but the rings seemed a little thick. i was searching the web and found a picture from a 94 speedster post that had the original rings polished so i thought i'd give it a go myself.
i did not do anything with the actual guage face as i like the black color; all i did was remove the rings to sand off the original black paint to expose the polish metal under the black paint.
the whole process probably took me 5 hours.
tools i used were:
non marring pry bars (plastic..i bought a set of 5 at harbor freight tools for around $7 and useful for other interior projects that require prying off parts..saw a similar set at snap on for a lot more $)
small screw driver with a long metal shaft (not sure what you call this)
200 grit sand paper
1000 grit sand paper
4 heinekens (its been hot in so cal)
1/2 pack of smokes
what i did:
pull out the gauge by first prying the most left one with the pry bar. gentle prying got it to pop out quite easily. after that removing the other ones were easier as i was able to stick my hand into the dash and push the next ones out from behind the guage/inside the dash. i also labeled the wire harness just in case.
once the gauge is out, remove the rubber washer.
the hard part for me at first was to pry off the ring from the guage. at first i thought i had to disassemble the guage from the rear but it turned out all i had to do was pry the ring off. this link (step 3) was exactly how i did it. http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarti...uge_repair.htm
after that it was a matter of sanding the ring down starting with 200 grit paper and moving to 1000 grit for a finer finish.
once polished to satisfaction, i cleaned everything off and re assembled everything.
locking the rings back to the gauge was a matter of pressing/folding the edges back to its original state by using a small screwdriver and pressing the thin metal to fold against the guage's body edge.
also when you put the rubber washer back, run some new grease around it so it can be pushed back to the dash more easily.
ill post some pictures of them in the dash tomorrow as lighting was not good enough to take pics tonight.
alan
the lasst picture (not mine) is actually what i got off the internet of the speedster i had mentioned that inspired me to do this.
i did not do anything with the actual guage face as i like the black color; all i did was remove the rings to sand off the original black paint to expose the polish metal under the black paint.
the whole process probably took me 5 hours.
tools i used were:
non marring pry bars (plastic..i bought a set of 5 at harbor freight tools for around $7 and useful for other interior projects that require prying off parts..saw a similar set at snap on for a lot more $)
small screw driver with a long metal shaft (not sure what you call this)
200 grit sand paper
1000 grit sand paper
4 heinekens (its been hot in so cal)
1/2 pack of smokes
what i did:
pull out the gauge by first prying the most left one with the pry bar. gentle prying got it to pop out quite easily. after that removing the other ones were easier as i was able to stick my hand into the dash and push the next ones out from behind the guage/inside the dash. i also labeled the wire harness just in case.
once the gauge is out, remove the rubber washer.
the hard part for me at first was to pry off the ring from the guage. at first i thought i had to disassemble the guage from the rear but it turned out all i had to do was pry the ring off. this link (step 3) was exactly how i did it. http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarti...uge_repair.htm
after that it was a matter of sanding the ring down starting with 200 grit paper and moving to 1000 grit for a finer finish.
once polished to satisfaction, i cleaned everything off and re assembled everything.
locking the rings back to the gauge was a matter of pressing/folding the edges back to its original state by using a small screwdriver and pressing the thin metal to fold against the guage's body edge.
also when you put the rubber washer back, run some new grease around it so it can be pushed back to the dash more easily.
ill post some pictures of them in the dash tomorrow as lighting was not good enough to take pics tonight.
alan
the lasst picture (not mine) is actually what i got off the internet of the speedster i had mentioned that inspired me to do this.
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04-29-2011, 10:55 AM
#11
Racer
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Annapolis, MD / Media, PA
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I picked up a complete set of white faced gauges and will be doing the install next month - the information on gauge removal is very useful. I wasn't sure how to get them out with out damaging them, does Sears sell those plastic pry bars?
04-29-2011, 12:28 PM
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campoj2,
please let me know how your install goes. my car is white and i was thinking of putting in the white faces also. Where did you get them and do you mind me asking how much they run for a set?
sears does have the pry bars but most were metal bars which could easily scratch interior surfaces. you can find the set i got at harborfreight.com (search under pry bars..non-marring). they are cheap ($) and very handy. the guy i go to for tinting windows uses these everyday for his business and told me where he got them.
please let me know how your install goes. my car is white and i was thinking of putting in the white faces also. Where did you get them and do you mind me asking how much they run for a set?
sears does have the pry bars but most were metal bars which could easily scratch interior surfaces. you can find the set i got at harborfreight.com (search under pry bars..non-marring). they are cheap ($) and very handy. the guy i go to for tinting windows uses these everyday for his business and told me where he got them.
