Changing Cluster light colour?

[Lumps of cheese]

HAhaha yes its GOOD!! i was just high

 

[Calais57]

Hope this is not irrelevant to this thread.

How do you change the cluster gauge needles to a different colour. I think I have read that they are semi transparent and you can't just paint over them because it effects the light coming through from behind.

Is there a way to do ?

 

[Zerone_V]

Yes, the needles are just painted, however the LEDs illuminating the needles are also coloured as well.
(So if you wanted to change the needle colour, you would also need to change the 2 or 3 LEDs underneath each needle, as well as the needle paint...

Hope this helps

 

[Calais57]

Thanks Z, I appreciate your reply.
Just to clarify. To change Calais cluster white needles to red needles, i think you are saying:
- I need to remove the white paint from the needles and repaint them red; and
- I need to change LEDs under the needle to red as well?

Thanks again.

 

[Zerone_V]

If you are using white LEDs to illuminate the needles, then you really only need to paint the needle.
(The red will have a washed out look look to it though), but it wont be too noticable.
Changing the LED to red will make the needle a much more vibrant red colour...

If you were going the other way (I.E. Changing an SV6/SS/SSV/HSV Cluster to white needles), then you would need to change both the needle paint, and the needle backlighting...

Hope this helps...

 

[Cazzo]

Thanks Zerone, very helpful

I think i will just go with the ASR electronics option.

 

[Calais57]

Thanks Zerone,
Yes that's very helpful.

 

[davey g-force]

I'm sure phreddy didn't change the paint on the needles for mine. He just changed the led's which illuminate the needles.

It probably depends what colour you are changing from / to. I can't remember, but I think mine were white, so changing them to blue only involves changing the led's.

 

[Calais57]

Thanks again guys,
The reason for my questions is that I want red needles for the day time look of the interior but not red gauge lights at night. Some have said that doing this (red needles with white lighting) makes the needles a bit harder to see at night?

I also read that if you only paint the needles along their sides at the back (but not the line down the centre) it can all work ok.

I wanted to do it all myself but i may need to go to gauges specialist I think!

 

[VE SS S2 Dave]

Only thing I haven't heard yet was how to get the cluster out to change the LEDs?