Tips for anyone doing Gauge and Needle mods

[Stabbin97Tahoe]

I would like to give anyone some tips for doing this mod and we know that the instruction the gauges come with are pathetic. I drive a 1997 Tahoe LT

This was the first major mod I did and I am happy with the way it turned out. It took many months of deciding on which gauge to get and what to do with the needles.

- Be sure to write down, or take a picture where the needles are after you drive around and warm the engine up. Write them down while the engine is still running.

- Turn engine off...

- Take off the dash part with a flat head screw driver. You need to put the gear selector in 1 and move the steering wheel all the way down.

- There are 4 7mm screws that are on the sides of the gauge cluster. Take those out and pull out the gauges.

- Take off the rubber boot on the odometer reset. Then take off the clear plastic part by pushing the plastic compression pins on the sides.

- Take off the needles, and the old gauge face.

- If you are going to put on a gauge overlay like I did. Make sure the overlay lines up and fits everything well before taking the tape off and sticking it on because once it is on you are F'd :read:

- Take out the old 194's and replace with the new LED's. You may have to move the wires on the LED itself to make sure it works. Also they are polarity sensitive so it may have to be reversed in the socket to work.

- If you want to change the color of your needles you first have to scrape off the orange with a small razor blade or even sand paper. Don't use the blade like you are cutting wood. Just take the back side of the blade and scrape away from you otherwise you will be taking plastic off if it cuts into it.

- Then take whatever you are going to change the color with and do only ONE coat. I did mine with a Blue Sharpie marker, the chisel tip.

- I found out that they were still too dark and hard to see because I tested one.

- So I took some white paint from the hobby shop and painted over the blue. And while doing this I found out that it was taking off the blue.

- But that is a good thing because it took just enough of it off to let more light through.

- The light by the way is reflected from the base of the needle through the center of it. You will see when you take the needles off that there is a little spot for the light to hit and then goes through the needle.

- So you want to try and get just enough of the color on to where you can see the color but still let the light through.

- Then start the engine and reposition the needles using what you wrote down before.

- I found that it is best not to push all the needles down all the way because if they are wrong then you will have to take them off again. Instead just put them on the post to where they won't fall off.

- Drive around, and on mine I remembered what they read at 40 MPH and 70 MPH. Like at 40 MPH the RPM's drop to just above 1000. And at 70 the RPM's read 2000 on the nose. So when I hit that, I pushed them down.

For the Temp gauge, I found it was best to let the engine cool because I could get a more accurate setting. Because I knew where the needle sat was after starting the engine cold.

- My friend has a GPS so we went out and tested it. At 40 MPH the GPS read 39.5 MPH and at 70 MPH it read 69.5 MPH. Pretty damn good for guessing. I think a lot of it has to do with the speedo lag and especially the lag time for the GPS signal to go from Satellite to reciever and back to Satellite again. I think most are a 12 second delay time.

- It is an involved and lengthy proccess. So make sure you have a lot of time and patience.

Good luck, and I now have pictures for you to see :read: :D

[InfiniteBlue]

I just installed a whitefaced dash last week. Allow me to add a few more points:

(I drive a 2000 1500 Silverado).

- If installing a glow (electroluminscent) face, remove the the lightbulbs that backlight the gauges. (Keep the lightbulbs that are behind the turn signals, highbeam indicators, etc). This will prevent light from leaking out, ruining your new look.

- On my truck, I hooked the power lead from the electroluminscent invertor to the headlight wire (violet with black tracer) from the cluster harness. Ground is black with a white tracer. The invertor tends to make a very high-pitched, but not overly loud, squeal when it's turned on (similiar to a TV set). I'd recommend that you mount it as deep into the dash as possible.

- The needle that will give you the biggest problem reinstalling is the speedo. Just popping it back on while the truck was parked (0 MPH) caused me to be off by +3MPH. I ended up picking a long country road without much traffic, turning the cruise control on and using my handheld GPS receiver to clock my speed. I then just gently put the needle back on in the correct position. Assuming that you don't have a GPS receiver, you could also use the autoactivating doorlocks as a general guide. (I think they lock at 15MPH).

- Some types of gauge faces are designed to lay on top of the old face while others (like mine) require that you peel off the old face from the clear plastic under it. In either case, you should remove the needle stop pegs and then pop them back in over your new face.

- Recording the original position of the needles and then resintalling them should be done with a stone cold engine and with all accessories turned off for greatest accuracy.

Hopefully this helps someone... this mod was much more involved than I thought it would be. Stabbin was right... hope you have a lot of patience. :head:

[DirtyBlackHoe]

Originally posted by InfiniteBlue
Hopefully this helps someone... this mod was much more involved than I thought it would be. Stabbin was right... hope you have a lot of patience. :head:

u ain't kidding...took me about 2 days to get the needles in the right spots and i have taken the dash off prolly 4-5 times.

[Badassilverado]

Those are some killer instructions ya'll. But InfiniteBlue I don't like knowing about it in that much detail, ignorance is bliss. :D I already have some indiglo/white face gauges installed but I'll be installing some clear Escalade needles later on this week, perfect timing of this thread.

[DirtyBlackHoe]

Do they make clear needles for the 96-98 style clusters that you can buy? Also does anyone sell a kit for the LED's or have a link? That **** looks awesome so i really want to do the LED's/

[Stabbin97Tahoe]

Here are some pictures of my gauges... :rocking:

http://www.fullsizechevy.com/gallery/data/500/2351IMG_0683.JPG

http://www.fullsizechevy.com/gallery/data/500/2351IMG_0656.JPG

I have more if you want to see just let me know and I can email them :D

[lalito212002]

Stabbin97Tahoe:
On the A/C gauges, how did you do that? Are the bulbs just "plug and play"? Or are they soldered onto the circuit board?

[Stabbin97Tahoe]

Originally posted by: lalito212002
On the A/C gauges, how did you do that? Are the bulbs just "plug and play"? Or are they soldered onto the circuit board?

Well on the OBS (like my '97) it is pretty much plug and play. However you have to either file down the sides and the base of the LED to make it fit into the hole and the base. There are 4 bases that turn 1/4 on top of the back of the A/C panel. Or, if you don't want to file the LED down you can take off the front panel of the A/C and now all you have to do is file the base of the LED to fit into the 4 bases. I think (because someone asked me) if you have a NBS 1999-up trucks it is different. I told him what to do and he came back that is was totally different. So I think on the newer style trucks you have to solder.

I still want to do the window, headlight, and 4x4 switch one of these days. But not sure how to do it.

[LowHoe]

nice thread stabbin

its kinda hard to see, bc its not that close up but I have the platinum reverse indiglo gauges and I used two coats (YES 2 coats bc one coat was really not enough at all to look nice and even) of some dark red nail polish that matched the redlines and lettering perfectly.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid61/pdee3988da31ee85f7a3540ac976e0edf/fc28e62c.jpg.orig.jpg


Since these were reverse indiglo, I didnt have to do that LED switcheroo :D :crazy: and they still have the same effect. Actually I can turn them all green too, but I like the all blue

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid61/p0d880db17a6a2bdf6eb2ae78353c961a/fc28e627.jpg.orig.jpg

[lalito212002]

Originally posted by LowHoe
nice thread stabbin

its kinda hard to see, bc its not that close up but I have the platinum reverse indiglo gauges and I used two coats (YES 2 coats bc one coat was really not enough at all to look nice and even) of some dark red nail polish that matched the redlines and lettering perfectly.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid61/pdee3988da31ee85f7a3540ac976e0edf/fc28e62c.jpg.orig.jpg


Since these were reverse indiglo, I didnt have to do that LED switcheroo :D :crazy: and they still have the same effect. Actually I can turn them all green too, but I like the all blue

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid61/p0d880db17a6a2bdf6eb2ae78353c961a/fc28e627.jpg.orig.jpg
Um, all I see are boxes that say "sorry, you are trying to access an image outside of imagestation.com"

[Suareezay]

LowHoe......who makes your white face gauges and how much?

Stabbin97Tahoe.....who makes that carbon fiber gauge overlay, whered you get it and how much?

[Stabbin97Tahoe]

Originally posted by 2drTAHOEz71
Stabbin97Tahoe.....who makes that carbon fiber gauge overlay, whered you get it and how much?

Not sure of the manufacturer who makes it but you can either get it from Jcwhitney.com or Ebay. I got mine off of Ebay from seller tagheur. It was around $30

[Citizen Rider]

i know this is an old thread but is there any place that would do this for me?

[Stabbin97Tahoe]

Originally posted by Citizen Rider
i know this is an old thread but is there any place that would do this for me?

There are places that will do it, I think rice shops would, and some truck places. I am not sure though, someone else on here would know more about those places than I would. Good Luck

[norcalbrdr51]

Originally posted by Stabbin97Tahoe
Here are some pictures of my gauges... :rocking:

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid65/pc74ac3688365b86a2746eeb12a45ff7c/fbecfe60.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid65/p81b734b4fb94fcca6436c19df6de49f8/fbecfe42.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid65/pa456af211eba8a841b0184a14ad0051d/fbecfd94.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid65/p815c853f5e762350cdda76db7c72f056/fbecfef0.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid65/pfa8bf1d06ecbd520376bfd3e764929ec/fbecfd3c.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid65/pcbb96e680c259bbe162c712e7c596392/fbecfd30.jpg

Pictures don't do it justice:read: :D

that looks so good, i was wondering if u can do it to the autotrac 4x4 switches too, that's exactly what my truc;s gonna be like, good job bro:rocking: :rocking: :devil:

[Stabbin97Tahoe]

Originally posted by norcalbrdr51
that looks so good, i was wondering if u can do it to the autotrac 4x4 switches too, that's exactly what my truc;s gonna be like, good job bro:rocking: :rocking: :devil:

What year truck do you have? I read on here that you can do the autotrac switches. I think the autotrac switches would be considered the same as what I have in mine with the 4x4 buttons. Same concept with the buttons just no autotrac. BUT, those take more work like getting a solder gun and doing it that way since its not plug n' play. Also I think a resistor is required since the LED is a higher rating. This also goes for the window controls and headlight control...I just have not had time to get around to doing this mod to match all the other I have done. Thanks :D I will have to get some better pics up of this since I know how to use my camera now :crazy:

[norcalbrdr51]

my truck's a 97, and yea the autotrac is the buttons. where can i get those resistors? whered u get ur leds from? what kind? and get some more pics up:D

[Stabbin97Tahoe]

Originally posted by norcalbrdr51
my truck's a 97, and yea the autotrac is the buttons. where can i get those resistors? whered u get ur leds from? what kind? and get some more pics up:D

You can get the resistors at Radio Shack. And the LED is a 3mm I think. All of the othe LED's I got at www.superbrightleds.com They are the 194-4led. I think they now have a 6 led 194. And even a ultra-violet led, or black light. That would look cool on my white with blue needles but not going to switch them out again. Some better pics are on the way:read:

[Mn02Sierra]

Do you remember the part # for those blue leds....and how many did you need.....that look so sweet...i want it!!
thanks man!
TJ

[DruDizzle2003]

This is seriously a great thread.....i think i might have to give it a run on a day off. But i need to buy the LEDs first right...they dont come w/ the setup.

-Andrew

['01 Hoe]

One poster said to warm up vehicle and note where needles are located, another said to note where needles are when engine cold. Which works, or do they both work? :think:

[Suareezay]

If you warmed up the engine and took the needles off.....when you put the needles back on the engine would be cold, but the needles would be reading the engine being warm....logic would tell me to take the needles off when the engine was cold.

[Tasty]

You can get that carbon fiber bezel at ProCarParts.com (http://www.procarparts.com) . I think they have it price at about $25.

I just thought of something else that someone said at the top of this thread. Just the other day on that show TRUCKS the guy did a gauge face mod, and he made notations of where the needles were with the key in the accesory on position (you know just to where your radio etc. would run). Then he took the needles off, and put them back on in that same position. Did anyone else see this episode? This (http://www.stylinconcepts.com/part.cfm?PartID=470541&PartFamilyID=1336&SubCategoryID=171&CategoryID=1&lc=pfparti) is what he used.

[Grunmn]

I have the NR "dancing flame" guage, and I think it is really cool because I can turn the flames on, off, or get them so they hit to my bass... I usually keep them with the flames off so it is just a blue guage cluster at night. I guess I should have just got a white face plate, but it is nice to be able to turn the flames off. I'd recommend NR auto guages.

Originally posted by Tasty
You can get that carbon fiber bezel at ProCarParts.com (http://www.procarparts.com) . I think they have it price at about $25.

I just thought of something else that someone said at the top of this thread. Just the other day on that show TRUCKS the guy did a gauge face mod, and he made notations of where the needles were with the key in the accesory on position (you know just to where your radio etc. would run). Then he took the needles off, and put them back on in that same position. Did anyone else see this episode? This (http://www.stylinconcepts.com/part.cfm?PartID=470541&PartFamilyID=1336&SubCategoryID=171&CategoryID=1&lc=pfparti) is what he used.

So where do you get the clear needles?

[Tasty]

Do a search on the forum. Popular opinion is DON'T pay for them. Take yours off and scrape off the orange paint with a razor blade. Then stick em back on, BAM clear needles.

Also to anyone with LEDs in their dash, does the dimmer function still work to dim down and LED?

[Stabbin97Tahoe]

Originally posted by Tasty
Do a search on the forum. Popular opinion is DON'T pay for them. Take yours off and scrape off the orange paint with a razor blade. Then stick em back on, BAM clear needles.

Also to anyone with LEDs in their dash, does the dimmer function still work to dim down and LED?

:word: on the needles. And yes the dimmer function still works with LED's. You can make them as dim as they will go with the radio lights, or as bright as it will go. I like mine really dim most of the time. Flying airplanes I have learned that preserving your night vision or "Visual Purple" helps in seeing things at night better...and dimming the lights helps :whatever:

[GoCougs]

Stabbin, who makes your gauge face. Also are the pictures that you have posted of the gauges at night, are they where you have them when you drive. Or are they at the highest dim possible. Also what about hot spots with the lights. And what is it like when your driving at night. Does it bother you at all with the lights. What was your final total for the mod

Mitch

[Tasty]

The gauge face is NR Auto. NR Auto (http://www.nrauto.com) The carbon fiber bezel is available at ProCarParts (http://www.procarparts.com) . Gauge face lists for $89, bezel for $20.69. Most everything I have read about LEDs states that hotspots are unavoidable, but that you get used to it.

[Stabbin97Tahoe]

Originally posted by GoCougs
Stabbin, who makes your gauge face. Also are the pictures that you have posted of the gauges at night, are they where you have them when you drive. Or are they at the highest dim possible. Also what about hot spots with the lights. And what is it like when your driving at night. Does it bother you at all with the lights. What was your final total for the mod

Mitch

The gauge face is made by NRauto and can be bought at www.nrauto.com or I got mine at www.truckperformance.com for $89 I think. The carbon fiber bezel I got off of EBAY from tagheur. You can also get those from www.procarparts.com or www.jcwhitney.com I got it for I think $25 The LED's are cheap less than 20 for 10 of them. 6 for the gauge and 4 for the A/C panel...

...the needles are free if you scrape the orange off :D

So total, about $130

When I took those pictures I put them at the highest setting. And no, I don't drive like that because 1.) they are too bright (but a pleasant bright)., 2.) the radio controls are still white which is also too bright at that setting. and, 3.) I prefer to have them "OFF" :read: at night :crazy: or a.k.a. stealth mode. Or at least at the dimmest setting. :D

The neverending hot spots issue :nono: This has and will continue to come up. Personnaly I don't see a problem. Yes at the highest setting it is noticable and even that isn't bad. But when you dim the control the hot spot naturally dims.

So, no the lights don't bother me. Remember, white is the worse for night time. Why they use it in gauges is beyond me. Aviation uses red, the military uses green (which has been proved and tested to be the easiest on your eyes at night), and blue is close to those two.

[blayne13]

when i put my face guages in i just set the needles back to zero or empty or whatever and when i started my truck it all goes back to the same as it was

Blayne 99 shevy swb billet grille billet door handles 2' drop white face guages

[Crank1]

Does anyone sell a 120 MPH cluster for a standard? Or even a 100 MPH? I've yet to see one? Please help. I love the mods. Thanks.
Brandon

[MStefak]

Anyone know how to do this for 91-94 style cluster ?

[Harsh]

Anyone know how to do this for 91-94 style cluster ?

Are you asking about the needles? If so it is the same as the rest. Pop off the needles, strip them down, and put them back on. I have a '94 and this is how I cleared my needles. I read where everybody was using a razer blade or some fine sand paper. So I started with that. Not happy with the speed and results I went a different route. I got a small bowl and my wifes nail polish remover. Filled the dish and let the needles soak for a couple of minutes. Used a cotton ball and the paint simply wiped off. I painted mine blue to match the overlay I got. I also replaced the bulbs with LEDs. I marked and pulled my needles with the truck warm. When I got done with my mods I went back out and warmed up the truck and placed the needles back in their previous positions and haven't had a problem since.

[tmack]

here is a pic if anyone isnt sure about changing the guage bulbs its a simple 194 bulb or led this is what the rear of the guage cluster looks lik ein my 97 fullsize

[tmack]

here is some info on what i did to clear my needles i used a bunch of q-tips tooth brush and a small bowl of 10% nitro fuel i use in my gas powered remote control car i used this method when clearing nextel battery covers it works great and dosnt cloud the plastic you can see in the pics the needles are crystal clear this stuff can be found at an hobby shop and isnt too expensive i used 10% cause it it mild wont melt the plastic just dab it on the q-tip and rub away the speedo and tach needles took alot of scrubbing but it will come off any questions feel free to ask hope this helps ............tom

[tmack]

a few more pics i didnt fit in the last post

[seth350]

Isnt there a green film on the stock cluster that makes the numbers and such show up as green?

[tmack]

as far as i know i would assume there is some sort of film to change the colors there has to be all the stock bulbs arw white i guess you could remove this film not really sure though i can tell you on my white face guages the is no film to be found its all built into the guage face ill have to look at my old guage face????

[tmack]

i just completed my led guage mod i got the leds from superbright leds.com and my dim function dosnt work its either on or off did i do something wrong or is it just my truck its a 97 scsb 4x4 any info would be great thanks

[Tasty]

I don't believe you can dim LED lights.

[jsiminsk]

I put new guages on my old 99 Tahoe. The first time I did it, I pushed the needles on too far and they couldn't move because of the thickness of the guages. D*mn! Had to take everything back off and start again. :cussing:

[Devildog240]

So what is better a hot engine or cold engine for removing and replacing the needles?

[Hoeon4'z]

From my experience in installing them, i would def. have to say HOT, i mean your motor doesnt cool down that fast and even if it does, turn the truck on and let it run for a good 15 minutes when you get ready to put the needles back on to make sure that the Temp is the same. I also found that for the Speedo, the best way to do it is put the car/truck in drive and let it idle and drive under its own power at idle and see how fast the car/truck goes before you take the needles off and at what RPM it is at. Write that down and then when you get ready to put the Speedo and RPM needles back on, start with the RPM and then the speedo. It only took me stopping one time to reset the Speedo to get it correct, i found this is the best way.

[jensen]

These guys supply a calibration template and detailed instructions on how to calibrate the needles upon reinstallation

http://www.simcoltd.com/aftermarket-products/gm-truck/