Removing gauge needles

[Seppi72]

I'm going to go with the white vinyl gauge overlays for my 240Z rebuild. There is no sigificant issue in doing this for the three smaller gauges. However, to do the tach and speedo will require removing the needles. So, I ask any of you who might have done this previously if there is any "trick" needed to remove them without doing damage or messing up the reinstallation.

 

Also, because my needles are white, I'm going to have to paint them so they stand out on the new white background. I was planning to use fluorescent orange for this as the car itself is bright orange. Of course, I could always go with black but I think orange is a nicer contrast. Plus, the fluorescence should really stand out with the LED bulbs I'm going to also be using in the gauges.

[19762802+2]

The needles have the small black cover in the middle of them pull that off then you can just pop them off nothing special, Just make sure you don't bend anything such as the small spindle they mount on or the needle itself. When you go to put them on put them on its sort of tricky to get them to go back to zero you just have to pop them on at 160mph or Full rpm and let them bounce back till they stop and after they stop just push the needle to zero so that's where it bounces back. I hope that made sense.

 

Good luck putting them in also you may have to pop the "glass" out of the 3 smaller gauges and you might have to glue them back in when you put them back together I can't remember for sure. If you haven't already bought the kit from MSA or whatever I have all the files for the gauges all you have to do is print them out yourself on whatever material you choose and cut them out. Let me know and I will upload them for you.

Edited December 8, 2010 by 19762802+2

[Phantom]

19762802+2 - Thanks for the good description.  I'm just getting ready to do this on my '77 280Z and what you said is VERY helpful.

[jhm]

I recently put the white faces on my gauges and really like the new look and improved visibility.  I used a flo orange nail polish on the needles, and removed the green bulb covers in the gauge casings to get more light on the gauge faces.  This should help even if you are switching to LED bulbs.

 

An alternative to removing the tach and speedo needles is the following:  punch a small hole in the center of the white overlay before removing the paper backing, then feed the gauge needle through the center hole while positioning the overlay on the gauge face.  Worked like a charm.

 

Good luck with it and enjoy your freshened up gauges.

[Phantom]

Thanks for the additional info!

[Six_Shooter]

Yep, as stated, the needles will pull off the spindle. Some people recommend using a fork to get under the needle center and be able to apply some light leverage using the curve of the fork as a fulcrum. Often I just pull them off by hand, but as stated, the plastic caps can pull off easily. You can simply glue the caps back on if that happens.

I painted the needles of all of my OEM gauges with a florescent orange paint, that is sold as a gauge needle restoration paint. I retained the black faces, since I prefer black faces over white.

 

[Andreas]

Two spoons with light leverage will pop the needles out easily.

[Phantom]

I'll probably use a small nail puller. Looks like a screwdriver with a split blade that is bent at about 30•.