Possibly best idea!!! for the custom gauges MUST READ!!!

[mor500589]

Okay so im up late and on some monster energy drinks and i came up with a brilliant plan that might actuall work!!!

so you know how in previous posts people wanted reverse glow gauges but black with red or whatever color numbers??

so heres the plan.
I have a vinyl plotter at my house that i use to make decals stickers and all sorts of stuff with so...
1: Find a semi-clear (but semi-foggy) type of plastic paper material that is somewhat durable.
2: remove stock gauge faces.
3: scan gauge faces to my computer being that the numbers will show on the copy.
4: convert copied images to vinyl material and plot.
so what is being plotted is a reverse decal where the black (or whatever color) face is solid but the number, lines, and letters are cut holes in the vinyl.
5: trim plastic paper to match the gauge faces %100.
6: apply the reverse decal to the plastic paper and install.
7: get any color bulb (or bulb sleeve) and replace stock bulbs in cluster.
8: masterpiece is complete!! (create mass quantities and sell and ship to all)

so to be clear the finished project will look stock. the numbers and stuff wont be %100 see-thru so you dont see the bulbs. it will be like stock but only awesome! and you dont have to mess with all of the acid and q-tip removal of this green film on the gauges and stuff?

Call me crazy but this could work! let me know what you think?

[mikeinaus]

geter' done

[Mike Wakeham]

+1 get it done

Sounds interesting, luuuurve to see pics on the finished article.

[PATDIESEL]

A Brilliant Idea! I honestly have been talking to a trophy shop to do the EXACT same thing... lol -all the smart people live in GA. and all the best MXers too (lol Ima get flamed for that one)

I have a set of faces already out and can ship them to you if you would like.

PS- MOCA (MX-3 Owners Club of Atlanta) we have our own site if you want to chat with other local MXers. http://www.atlantamx3.com/mocaforum" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[_-Night-Shade-_]

I don't think that's gonna work... well it might but they won't light up. You need special EL sheets, and I've never been able to figure out how they make different colors show up, do they just layer the sheets on top of each other or what? Cause the sheets only come in one color off/one color on. I've wanted to do this myself for a while cause I'm not 100% happy with any gauges available for the MX-3 but I think it's a little over my head.

[mor500589]

No no no the numbers and lines will be like a smoke clear and u put the color bulb in

[Dark_Rider2k3]

Get this done! I want to see how it would look as well. Show some install stuff too!

But yeah very interested!!

[Custommx3]

Actually there have been many companies that have made the semi-translucent replacements for the mx-3. Now that the car is older, Im sure finding them will be difficult.

[SteeleMX3]

Definitely interested, great idea!

Let us know when "create mass quantities and sell and ship to all" happens

[mor500589]

Will start tonight or tomorrow hopefully and let people know as i go along as well as post how tos and install info

[mor500589]

okay so.. good news and semi-bad news
the good: i did a complete how to on removing the dash plastic and gauges with pics and not blue circles(not talking smack just giving more clearer pictures).

the semi-bad: I'm Stuck unfortunately and maybe someone can help. i got pics of all this and will post soon as well; i took the gauges out and examined them thoroughly. and since i dont have a spare cluster (till pat diesel possibly sends me one) i didnt want to risk much, but it can be done %100 im stuck on removing the gauge face from around the needle. i know you can cut it off but that would interefere with the scanning. and i dont want to break the needle or the needle motor. thus there has to be a way to do this or else they couldnt have gotten it on there in the first place.

unlike the reverse glow gauges im looking more on the fact of actually replacing the face versus overlapping it and creating (rubbing problems for the needle)

*could try to cut the hole around the needle and slide it off but the hole is so small.

another idea would be to scan the "reverse glow gauges" and make them black...

[mikeinaus]

i dont think its possible to get them off without breaking the needles or cutting the faces. im prettysure i got some gauge faces in my garage you can have if pat falls threw.

[_-Night-Shade-_]

Properly installed EL gauges won't cause rubbing issues either.

[mikeinaus]

Properly installed EL gauges won't cause rubbing issues either.

how do you properly install them? i put mine on 3 different clusters and i had problems with my rpm meter on all of them. i always had the sand the back of the needle to make it work properly.

[_-Night-Shade-_]

I dunno :S
The one and only time I did it, I was real careful and have had no rubbing issues.