Guest chevsun Posted March 22, 2001 Share Posted March 22, 2001 Much to my suprise the new autometer 5" speedo and tach fall right through the hole when I tried to install them in my 73 dash. How are you guys backing them up? I am considering using a 1/4" o-ring to make them fit snug. Any input out there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted March 22, 2001 Share Posted March 22, 2001 I'll probably be ostrisized for saying this, but I used silicon... I put the aluminum deals that Autometer supplied on the tach and speedo (these help to take up the slack quite a bit), pushed them in place, got them where I wanted them, then put a generous bead of silicon and smoothed with a finger. Rude, perhaps crude, but it worked and hey, they're shock mounted, yeah thats it.. (in my mind there wasn't many options for mounting brackets and I didn't want to agonize over it very long). Lone [This message has been edited by lonehdrider (edited March 21, 2001).] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stony Posted March 22, 2001 Share Posted March 22, 2001 if you take the dash out....(not Hard) you fab a small bracket to the metal part of teh dash .. thats what i diid works great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RPMS Posted March 22, 2001 Share Posted March 22, 2001 I have a question: The dimmer switch works fine on the rest of my dash, but it doesn't seem to work on the light bulbs in my AutoMeters. Am I doing something wrong? At full-bore, they're a bit bright... Scott Ferguson 1974 260-Z, surrounded by an ever-expanding cloud of V8 parts... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike kZ Posted March 22, 2001 Share Posted March 22, 2001 OK, my turn for being ostrisized, I used 1/2 black foam tape (Home Depot), on the metal body, just pass the bezel. Once I squeezed the foam past the hole, which wasn't easy, it was a tight fit. ------------------ http://members.tripod.com/~SnowSurfer/mikekz1.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RPMS Posted March 22, 2001 Share Posted March 22, 2001 I'm having difficulty getting the Autometer illumination to dim with the rest of the dashboard. Is anyone else having problems, or did I just miss the obvious again? ------------------ Scott Ferguson 1976 260-Z, surrounded by an ever-growing cloud of V8 parts... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
74_5.0L_Z Posted March 22, 2001 Share Posted March 22, 2001 The factory gauges have a variable resistor (the dimmer switch) in their path to ground. If you didn't use the ground attachments from the factory gauges then the dimmer switch will not affect the gauges. Good Luck, Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pparaska Posted March 22, 2001 Share Posted March 22, 2001 I had the same problem, even after connecting the autometer gages into the gage illumination circuit. The Autometer gages illum changes with the rheostat, but its always brighter than the stock gage (speedo). I plan on putting a resistor in line to each of the autometer gage bulbs or find a different bulb for the stock gage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLKMGK Posted March 23, 2001 Share Posted March 23, 2001 A tip for those of us who might wish for colored light in the Autometer gauges - use an El Marko marker in blue or red to color the bulbs While you're at it you'll find that those two colors are perfect for touching up scratches in AN fittings that are anodized I think I like the foam tape or silicone idea(s). I was trying to figure out how to hookup my gauges and fabricating a support in the back was looking painful - this sounds like it might work fine! I also hadn't realized that the ground is what was serving to dim the lights, I figured it was the hot wire! Pete, couldn't you just put a single resistor inline to the ground wire and allow all of them to go through it? Hrm, wonder what wattage would be needed to keep it from frying.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pparaska Posted March 23, 2001 Share Posted March 23, 2001 BLK, it's pretty easy to fashion up a bracket that attaches to the OE studs with the wingnuts that hold the OE gages. I'd be leary of just depending on friction to keep them in place. BTW, on my Autometer tach, I cobbled the OE bezel/lens onto the Autometer gage - pretty easy. Then for turn signal indicators, I took small 12v green lights from Radio Shack and put them through the bezel on the left and right, infront of the lens and wired them to the original TS indicator wires with a ground. As far as putting a wire with a resistor on a common ground, that's a good idea. I'll have to mod my harness to do that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fl327 Posted March 23, 2001 Share Posted March 23, 2001 youre gonna laugh at me when you hear this i went to the local kragen and bought one inch or rubber hose, fuel line or whatever i used their sissors to cut the thing open length wise, folded it in half, and shoved it in next to the tach, never had it fall out or slip in about six months of commuting and racing...for about seven cents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted March 23, 2001 Share Posted March 23, 2001 For colored lights in Autometer gauges, just use the red or green 'Light Bulb Condoms' that is supplied with the kit, you know the things in the box you didn't know what to do with. BTW, Autometer makes a yellow and blue LB condom as well. For safe sexy gauges. Lone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavyZ Posted March 23, 2001 Share Posted March 23, 2001 JUST WHERE IS THIS THREAD HEADING???? I just had to chime in and say that we have a very innovative group here! A real question though: Am I reading this correctly that the Autometer guages can dim along with the other guages by merely hooking up the ground with a resistor? I'm missing something, yes? I need lotso help... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted March 23, 2001 Share Posted March 23, 2001 I removed the dash and made small brackets on my 73. Same problem with the brightness too, I just took pictures the other nite and I could barely see the stock gauge (fuel/volts) AND the color is different! One thought was to install a dimmer, the other thought was to install/apply some of that stick on window tint stuff. That'll hopefully keep people from wanting to break into my car. I can't remove the dash again cuz of my rollcage, or i at least dont want to try... Owen ------------------ http://www.homestead.com/s30z/index.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLKMGK Posted March 23, 2001 Share Posted March 23, 2001 I know about the bulb condoms, I just don't like them much I'll probably try a couple of different things to see which looks best when lit up. Magic Marker just seems so easy and comes in a WIDE variety of colors. Fading might be an issue tho' - we'll see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pparaska Posted March 24, 2001 Share Posted March 24, 2001 Davy, that's right. Two ways to do the resistor thing, as I see it. A little background first: The Datsun gages have bulb sockets for illumination that have a single wire going to them, that comes off the "output" of the dimmer rheostat. These bulbs get their ground when they are plugged into the OE gages due to a brass contact in the bulb socket that contacts the gage case hole. One way to wire the aftermarket gages to have less voltage than the OE gages (and therefore match the brightness of the OE gages better) is to wire all the WHITE wires of the bulb sockets of the Autometer gages together and put a resistor between these and the illumination bulb wire going to one of the gage positions that are no longer used. The other way is to wire all the BLACK Autometer bulb sockets together and put a resistor between these and ground. It probably will only take a few ohms to bring the brightness down. HTH, ------------------ Pete Paraska - 73 540Z - Marathon Z Project pparaska@home.com Pete's V8 Datsun 240Z Pages Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavyZ Posted March 24, 2001 Share Posted March 24, 2001 Thanks Pete for clarifying that information. Electrical is the most frustrating subject about cars for me. Gracias David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drax240z Posted March 24, 2001 Share Posted March 24, 2001 Hmm, just bought some gauges for myself today. Thats what those little mini condoms are for! I thought autometer was just being insulting. I think I may just hook up a second rheostat to the lighting on the new gauges so I can control them independantly of the speedo/tach. Its not very often that I actually adjust the light level ones its set, so it wouldn't be that much of a pain. ------------------ Richard Lewis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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