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i remember a long *** time ago.. civicboy did his.

well.. i went to business depot to get those reflectors/dividers so i can change the colour on my gauges from red to green.
but they didnt have any but clear.

so was wondering where i can get 'em...?
what other business type stores are there that i can go to>? or just where i can get the colour see-through reflectors/dividers

 
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I think if you went to a theatre supply shop they might have gels for stage lighting that may suit your needs.

 
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Is there a DIY around regarding this? Sounds like something kindof cool!

 
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Actually they do look more like indiglo than true blue...oh well, I still like it

Cost me $5.00 to do....actually $19.00 now since I had to order a replacement bulb. Those "flickin" bulbs cost $12 a piece + tax! And it has to be shipped in, I can pick it up around 2:30.

Techno...after the painstaking work last night....well we'll see...maybe if you play well tonight and help us beat team 4 door!

Ok, anyways...here's how I did it:

Tools needed:

1 flathead screwdriver
1 phillips screwdriver (for removing the dash again)
1 Exactoknife blade
1 Translucent file folder/page protector in the colour of your preference
Crazyglue...actually modelling glue would have been better
lots of time

I bought the file folder at Office Place, pack of 5 was $4.99 + tax, included are one of each colour: blue, red, green, purple and orange(?). So you've got a choice of these different colours or whatever else you can find.
I couldn't figure out where I could find translucent coloured filament material but I remembered seeing some of the folders my girlfriend used...bingo!

ok, here are the steps to changing the colour of your gauges.

1. Remove the gauge cluster. I'll repeat the steps I posted to this from a long time ago except briefly.


a. remove the two screws at the top of the black cluster frame above steering wheel - use the phillips screwdriver
b. use the flathead screwdriver (carefully) to pop the bottom of the frame out and the top of the frame. By bottom I mean to the left and right of the steering column as there is a clip on either side holding it in place.
c. remove the frame.
d. use the phillips screwdriver to remove the 3 screws holding the cluster unit in place - 2 at the bottom, 1 at the top centre.
e. pull the cluster out and disconnect the blue and green wire harnesses.

2. Remove the clear shell and the gauge face frame by pushing down on the locking tabs located around the cluster.

*** Be extremely careful from this point on ***

3. use the flathead screwdriver to carefully wedge each of the four needles upwards so you can pull them off. Do this carefully, if you break the bases the the needles you're screwed.

note: If only the top of the needle comes off (the black round portion with the actual needle), you've popped the wrong piece off - don't worry it "shouldn't be broken - if it is I guess you could crazy glue it ) The center unit of each needle must come out, until only a hole is left (which was for the peg of the needle).

4. Remove the gauge faces but simply pulling them upwards on an angle.

note: Remaining from each needle is a black ring - these keep light from shining out under the needles. If u want to reuse these then be careful when you pull the faces off as they'll go flying! I didn't reuse them so I have a bit of a glow in the centre of each needle (actually I broke one, and the needles didn't move properly b/c of the extra material below them when finished).

5. Remove the needle setters from the Tach and Speedometer

6. Use the blade to scrape off ALL the red completely from the back off both faces, you will be left with a white layer...looks all scratched up but you can't see any of the scratches at all from the front. This will take you the most time.

7. Cut the folder so that your shapes replace the red areas you've scraped off, leave extra around the edges so you can apply the glue.

8. Apply the blue film to the faces, I used two layers to produce a better colour, one layer was too light.
You can place the faces towards a bright light source to see how they'll look.

9. Cut out the holes where the needles pass through and needle setters, you can tell where to cut because you'll be able to see the blue film from the front.

10. Put the needle setters back on the faces.

11. Put the faces back on the cluster.

12. Put the frame back on the cluster unit. Don't put the clear cover back on yet though. You can put the black rings back in around the needle holes now if you want to...but they may cause the needles to stick now.

13. Put each needle back onto the cluster. Start with the needles pointing directly downwards and then move them back onto the needle setters clockwise. DON'T push the needles all the way in...set them so they're in place and don't fall but not all the way down or else your needles will stick or not move at all.

For the temperature gauge, move it from the downards position counterclockwise until the tab (on the peg of the needle) can go back into place...you'll know what I mean when you see it because they don't use needle setters like the Tach or the Speedo.

Now fuel gauge is a biatch...I would suggest not even putting it back on yet. Go fill up up the gas tank all the way and then replace the needle while the car is on. Point the needle to the F position. My needle didn't move at all or was really inaccurate until I used this method.

14. Put the cluster back into the car and reconnect the wire harnesses. Do not put the clear cover back on yet either. Screw the cluster in place so it doesn't fall forward, go take a test drive (and fill up the tank so you can put the fuel needle back accurately) and make sure all the needles are working properly. If not remove the needles and put them back in but not as far down as you did the first time, leave a little more gap. Do this until they all work properly. All needles should drop to zero as normal when you shut the car off, make sure they don't stick at any position.

15. Once you confident all the needles work properly, you can either remove the cluster and replace the clear cover back on or try and just put it back on while it's already screwed in.

16. Replace the outer black frame for the dash and screw in.

17. Marvel at the splendid job you've done and enjoy...or get really pissed bacause you've broken something....or lost a bulb like I did. DOH!

.....oh yeah 18. Clean all the friggin' shavings from your work area, there's gonna be A LOT!

NOTE: Don't use the absolute point of the blade to scrape the red areas, you *could* go too deep into the front layer of the faces.

Don't worry if you scrape black portions off border the red or the areas where it is silver on the front layer, light doesn't pass through these parts.

Good luck!

CB

P.S. Don't ask me to do it....ugh...my arm hurts from all the scraping!

 
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thats what i saved from civicboy about a year or two ago...

 
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wow, thats funny b/c i have never seen this thread before and just did this diy on friday, but way easier.

i didnt remove my neeldes i just place then blue sheet under my oem sheet, and walla! indiglo guages, jer2k saw them on sat and they look pretty clean, the red still shows up red but all the other numbers and markers are blue. realy easy diy.

 
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you mean the red needle is still red? and the numbers are blue?

the oem sheets are red, right??

'cause i want to change the numbers to green..
wouldnt you replace your oem red sheets with the blues one? why did you put 'em under it>?

 
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sorry AznSaint, i forgot some of the clusters in the 2001 model had read numbers and markings, mine was clear so all i had to do was stuff a blue sheet under my oem sheet and it turned the #'s idiglo.

 
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oh.. aiight, thx.

stupid honda couldnt think of that two freaking years earlier.

 
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forgot i even made this thread a couple months ago.....


well.. just wondering where a threatre supply shop would be?

thx.