Gauge cluster project

Eagle 5 · 02-20-2009, 10:33 PM

Finally got the rest of the gauges I needed for my gauge cluster. Replacing the 3 stock gauges with 3 "more useful" gauges. Replacing them with water temp, oil pressure and boost. Will be getting a fuel gauge of the same type but that will go down by the radio since its not something I need to look at easily or a lot while driving. Will be getting oil temp and a 2000F egt gauge to go in the middle vents. Important but not as important as the other three. I hate gauges on the pillar. I prefer them being where I would normally be looking and this way I only have to look to mainly the one place instead of two different places.

Also, I sanded the orange off the back of the face plates and will either be replacing the stock cluster bulbs with blue led bulbs or putting LED strips inside the cluster. Though the bulbs will be much easier to do. I have a terminal strip I will be connecting all of the gauges to with a common power/ ground. Have a relay hooked to it so that the gauges will power up when the key is turned on. The lights in the gauges I may try to connect to the circuit board on the back of the cluster where the stock bulbs would be. That way they only light up when the rest of the lights come on. Still need to modify the flexible circuit board on the back. Will have to cut sections of it out that are not needed and will most likely have to add some jumpers in.

awdrst · 02-21-2009, 01:53 PM

That came out really good. I always wanted to do a setup like that just never managed to get any free time to do it.

turboglenn · 02-21-2009, 03:42 PM

I wish there was room to do that in a 2g, I like t keep things simple as possible and don't care much for all the pillar mounted gauges....great work so far!

ali · 02-21-2009, 05:15 PM

looks good

fwdmaster · 02-21-2009, 05:46 PM

looks very clean

ilco187 · 02-21-2009, 05:48 PM

awesome i have the same idea but just havent done it

talonalex92 · 02-22-2009, 07:30 AM

I hated my cobalt gauges. They hurt the eyes because they are so fckn bright.

talonalex92 · 02-22-2009, 07:31 AM

I hated my cobalt gauges. They hurt the eyes because they are so fckn bright.
Also, itd be cooler if you got a NT tach. That way you still have the 9k redline, and no useless boost meter.

turbotalon1g · 02-22-2009, 08:27 AM

If you have link its not useless.

erald01 · 02-22-2009, 08:33 AM

Looks sweet, but if i was you i would think about replacing the speedometer and rpm gauges also.

Eagle 5 · 02-22-2009, 10:39 AM

I have link so the boost meter is not useless. Also I did not replace the tach and speedo because I am still using the stock computer and all of the other lights on my dash need to work. Also the speedometer would not fit well because of the shape. I am sure the tachometer would but then I can't use the boost meter for a few things that link uses them for.

force it in · 02-22-2009, 11:21 AM

That looks really nice. Please post pictures of the backside before you install it. I would like to do the same to my car. I've heard stories of people in Los Angeles breaking the drivers window & grabbing A pillar pods, so I avoided using one. My 3 gauges are scattered everywhere, and I don't want to loose my center vent.

Lofty · 02-22-2009, 01:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by talonalex92

I hated my cobalt gauges. They hurt the eyes because they are so fckn bright.
Also, itd be cooler if you got a NT tach. That way you still have the 9k redline, and no useless boost meter.

No.. we still redline the same as you..

crimsondragon · 02-22-2009, 01:38 PM

That was his point Lofty.

Fcuk one of my first posts on here was about this. I wanted to replace the oil pressure/boost gauge with just an aftermarket oil pressure gauge and replace the fuel gauge/water temp with a true water temp gauge. I asked around but people said there wouldn't be enough room in the cluster so I never did it. Good to see someone has the intuition and innovation that I lacked.

Lofty · 02-22-2009, 02:04 PM

Oh man woops.
I read that way wrong. I thought he meant we red lined later then a turbo'd car.
Yeah, I tend to think turbo'd gauges are a bit.. well.. clustered.

Morpherex · 02-22-2009, 02:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lofty

No.. we still redline the same as you..

There are some clusters out there with up to 8k...

Eagle 5 · 02-22-2009, 09:22 PM

I considered putting two gauges in the corners of the cluster but I believe the steering wheel would block my view of them. I will be putting oil temp and EGT in the center vent but only those two gauges. So I will get one of the vents that has two gauge holes and still has some vents on it so air will still come out of it. The fuel gauge will go down by the radio as I am going to replace it with a radio bezel with 3 gauges spots. Fuel gauge in one and the other two will be blanks so I can attach switches later on or lights for other things if need be.

I have pictures of the back of the bezel before I cut into it. Still need to get some of it cut up. I'll try to do that tomorrow if I get time and I will post them up. Need to get my LED lights so I can finish with the lighting on the cluster. Then I can test if I need to use LED strips or if replacing the stock location bulbs with LED bulbs will work. The gauge lights will be 99% likely attached to the stock wiring so the dimmer will still work and should hopefully dim the gauge lights as well.

spooln4fun · 02-22-2009, 10:56 PM

I like how it looks! Props

Eagle 5 · 02-23-2009, 02:55 PM

Here are some before/ after pictures of the white part of the gauge cluster. Shows how much of the housing I had to cut out for the gauges to fit in.

Before

After

DGajre777 · 02-23-2009, 02:58 PM

Good work!

force it in · 02-24-2009, 07:06 AM

Thanks for the pictures. What scares me is cutting and wiring the circuit board behind the cluster. Good luck. Please post some pictures of the circuit board after you finish.

Thanks again.

spooln4fun · 02-24-2009, 05:57 PM

Very nice work you have going here. I like it and will seem somewhat "stock"

viprez586 · 02-24-2009, 06:58 PM

Keeping the stock color of the needles?

If not, I used a razor to scrape off the paint on the backside of the needles and applied nail polish only on the back side to achieve white needles, looks great in the day! At night they still have a faint amber glow to them but still bright or even brighter than original.

G' luck and very creative

Jetrosr · 02-25-2009, 02:41 AM

Nice work! If you can stand everyone asking why, you can do the racecar install. Twist the gauge so the needle points straight up when "normal" That way you can just glance at them and know your good.

HIGHPSI4 · 02-25-2009, 02:53 AM

I did this several years ago. You will have to place some jumpers on some traces that are cut. It is time involved but pretty straight forward. I went with white faced gauges and Phantom gauges.

Eagle 5 · 02-25-2009, 04:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by viprez586

Keeping the stock color of the needles?

If not, I used a razor to scrape off the paint on the backside of the needles and applied nail polish only on the back side to achieve white needles, looks great in the day! At night they still have a faint amber glow to them but still bright or even brighter than original.

G' luck and very creative

Haven't decided yet what to do with the needles but I do at least need to scrape off the orange. Whether or not I will put another color on yet I have not decided. I'll figure that out when I get to that point.

I took pictures of the circuit board so I will know where the traces go. I figured out a few places that will need jumpers but I need to figure out if there are any traces that I do not need to worry about at all. That's for this weekend though if I get some of the parts I need.

Eagle 5 · 03-13-2009, 12:06 PM

I just got the other LED strip I need to finish up this job. I'll be working on it tomorrow and hopefully finishing it tomorrow. I completed the HVAC a few days ago and did a quick test in the car. Lights up perfectly and is nice and even. I used a LED strip with adhesive on the back of it and attached it around the inside edges of the HVAC controls (no longer can use the clear plastic piece there now) and then cut out a piece of white paper in the shape of the plastic piece and glued it to the back/bottom of the where the bulbs protrude. Painting may have worked better but it was easy enough to trace/ cut trim etc. Lights up nice and even. I was too excited and forgot to get pictures of it but I'll try to remember to take it apart and get some pictures.

For the main cluster I replaced three of the stock bulbs (ones I still had spots for) with LEDS. Bought some new twist locks and LED’s to fit in them. Those light up fine. The tachometer has two bulbs and is pretty even minus one spot. The speedometer only has one bulb. May have been able to save the second but didn’t think of it when cutting out the back. So, I bought another strip like the one I used in the HVAC. I will run it around the back of the speedometer opposite the bulb. Then I will cut part of that strip off and use the rest of it to fix the one slightly darker spot on the tachometer. Then everything should be good to go. I’ll get pictures of the twist locks, bulbs, strips and the before/ after pictures of the cut up circuit board.

For that, I am going to print off a copy of the picture and then I will draw on it where connections need to be made, where jumpers should go etc. Hopefully I can finish it tomorrow, or if not then on Sunday. Whether or not I will have it in the car though, I am not sure. Depends on the weather.

I'll try to make a write up with pictures once I am finished with it. I will put what part numbers I used etc. This is only for the gauge bulbs. I did not replace any of the idiot lights/ CEL, turn signals etc. Once I have the cluster out of the car I may look into those but I don't care about those being a different color as they usually are on most cars anyway.

LKWTSI · 10-28-2010, 09:24 PM

I'm in the middle of doing this mod and have the fuel gauge still in, but may end up taking it out.

the question I have though is, I'm about to push back the flexi ribbon on the back to make some room for the new gauges. After reading your post you said you cut yours and jumpered the cuts. Can you tell me what you used for wire gauge to go between. I was concerned about using a too heavy gauge of wire and cause resistance. I like your faces and I'm using mix and match but painted to blend in.

Pic's didn't upload first time.

RipperXX · 10-28-2010, 11:22 PM

OP looks awesome.... but what are you going to do about not having a fuel gauge?

gixrman · 10-29-2010, 09:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LKWTSI

Can you tell me what you used for wire gauge to go between. I was concerned about using a too heavy gauge of wire and cause resistance.

20-22 guage wire should do it. Actually smaller wire has more resistance than larger wire, then again it all depends on your draw. And the more strands the better.