240zrb Posted November 4, 2009 Share Posted November 4, 2009 I doing an RB25DET swap in my -73 and optioned for Autometer speedo, tach and boost gauges. I live in Norway so I wanted an KM/H speedo, and the only autometer one i could find was the Ultra lite with aluminum/silver face. So I bought 3 gauges in the ultra lite series. Now I wanted to keep the amp/fuel and temp/oil gauges (swaped clock for boost gauge), AND I wanted them to look (at least a bit) simular to the speedo/tach/boost. So I started working.... Stripped the gauges, scanned the gauge faces, painted faces, painted needles. Spent some time working on the scans, and printed them on some plastic sheets (like one use on overheads). Cut the prints and glued them on the painted gauge faces. A bit of a rought job, but let me know what you think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktm Posted November 5, 2009 Share Posted November 5, 2009 Looks great! I know the dilemma about the stock gauges. I tried to keep them as well but ultimately went with a complete set of aftermarket gauges since I need accurate information. Well done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gtted Posted November 6, 2009 Share Posted November 6, 2009 Wow. Very talented and creative. Looks excellent! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240zrb Posted November 6, 2009 Author Share Posted November 6, 2009 Searched thru several threads regarding autometer (and other makes) gauges, and decided I "need" indicators... I had some 5mm led's laying around, so it was just about getting the balls to start drilling into the gauge faces... The led's were very bright, and I worried about how they would affect you when driving in the dark. And I read in another thread about light getting thru the led's from the gauge bulbs. My solution was putting some heatshrinking tube over most of the led, just leaving a very small portion to put thru the gauge face. Then I put 4-5 layers of tint over the tip of the led's, worked great and redused the blinding brightness:-) And the led's now appear black, and not clear glass:-) So now I have 2 green turn indicators (bottom) and a blue high beam indicator (top) in the speedo. In the tach I put a single red led at the bottom for parking brake, and 3 red at the top for check engine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capt_furious Posted November 15, 2009 Share Posted November 15, 2009 Glad to see that I'm not the only one that's managed to mount Autometer gauges in the tach / speedo pods and still use the original gauge position / bezel / lens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerryb Posted November 15, 2009 Share Posted November 15, 2009 Looks like a winner, well done! I need to get of my ars and complete my gauges. Im struggling between a set of Stewrt Warner or fit the RB cluster gauges into the stock pods. ARGHHHHH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strotter Posted November 15, 2009 Share Posted November 15, 2009 My solution was putting some heatshrinking tube over most of the led, just leaving a very small portion to put thru the gauge face. Then I put 4-5 layers of tint over the tip of the led's, worked great and redused the blinding brightness:-) And the led's now appear black, and not clear glass:-) I know this is a bit late for you, but for everyone else: Radio Shack has little LED's in a threaded housing, in red, blue, green, and yellow. 12v, about 3/16" diameter, about 1" deep, with a nut to mount them. Fairly bright when lit. BTW, a good place to mount little teeny LED's is on the steering shaft housing cover, below the key. It's easily visible when driving, easy to get to, and does not disrupt the "original" lines too much. I've got my high-beam indicator, as well as 2 others as telltales for my cooling fans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerryb Posted November 15, 2009 Share Posted November 15, 2009 BTW, a good place to mount little teeny LED's is on the steering shaft housing cover, below the key. It's easily visible when driving, easy to get to, and does not disrupt the "original" lines too much. I've got my high-beam indicator, as well as 2 others as telltales for my cooling fans. I was thinking more on top of the steering cover.....Like you said small and bright but in the middle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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