Gauge Color!
03-04-2015, 04:06 PM
#181
JK Super Freak
Great walk-thru, thanks!!
03-06-2015, 11:12 PM
#182
JK Newbie
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Farmington, NM
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I did this mod last night, and it turned out awesome! It was way easier than I expected it to be. 6 screws to pull the cluster (7mm socket fyi), a few clips to get it open, and if you're even moderately capable with a soldering iron then it's pretty simple to get the LEDs moved around. Like many others, I got my LEDs here!
Here's my scheme so far:
RED: turn signals, fogs, brights, fuel level, speedo, tach, coolant temp
WHITE: front lock, rear lock, sway disc, esp off
BLUE: low fuel light
In regards to your question: I used a clear red folder from staples and I cut out the dark film that was in the stock cluster. I didn't really want to cut anything, but I read that if you leave the smoked film in there and try to use red film with it, everything becomes too dark to see in the daytime. I cringed when I cut out the dark OEM windows, but even though they were tough to cut cleanly, it all looks great once you put the thing back together. It looks perfect during the day and night.
The red folder (to me) looks like total shit. It's not a dark enough red, so it looks stupid. I'm being a little harsh, it looks fine for now. I've got a better solution on the way!
The writeup I followed suggested stage gel (like for stage lighting). That shit is expensive though (like 8 bucks a sheet), and there are 1000 different "reds" to choose from. So, I ordered two color sampling swatches (each is 1.5x3.5", and they're like 4 bucks each!) and I plan to try different combos of red til I find something that works to match the color perfectly. Since it's so easy to pull the cluster, I'm looking forward to receiving the gel samples and trying them out til I find the right match. Hope the sample cards are big enough
. I'll update here when I find a good match so that others don't have to go the mystery red route. Here's what I ordered, for reference.
Now that I'm looking at mostly red, the green LEDs in the HVAC and shifter are going to need some updating too! I haven't looked to see if people have changed those too. I want all red interior!
I'll update with pics when I get home.
Here's my scheme so far:
RED: turn signals, fogs, brights, fuel level, speedo, tach, coolant temp
WHITE: front lock, rear lock, sway disc, esp off
BLUE: low fuel light
In regards to your question: I used a clear red folder from staples and I cut out the dark film that was in the stock cluster. I didn't really want to cut anything, but I read that if you leave the smoked film in there and try to use red film with it, everything becomes too dark to see in the daytime. I cringed when I cut out the dark OEM windows, but even though they were tough to cut cleanly, it all looks great once you put the thing back together. It looks perfect during the day and night.
The red folder (to me) looks like total shit. It's not a dark enough red, so it looks stupid. I'm being a little harsh, it looks fine for now. I've got a better solution on the way!
The writeup I followed suggested stage gel (like for stage lighting). That shit is expensive though (like 8 bucks a sheet), and there are 1000 different "reds" to choose from. So, I ordered two color sampling swatches (each is 1.5x3.5", and they're like 4 bucks each!) and I plan to try different combos of red til I find something that works to match the color perfectly. Since it's so easy to pull the cluster, I'm looking forward to receiving the gel samples and trying them out til I find the right match. Hope the sample cards are big enough
. I'll update here when I find a good match so that others don't have to go the mystery red route. Here's what I ordered, for reference.Now that I'm looking at mostly red, the green LEDs in the HVAC and shifter are going to need some updating too! I haven't looked to see if people have changed those too. I want all red interior!
I'll update with pics when I get home.
New album showing how I chose a perfect color match! See quoted post above for materials sources!
Ok, as promised - an update on gel (film) color to cover the green LCD and make it match the red LEDs in the cluster.
There were a ton of reds to choose from, I tried most of them. I wanted to make sure I documented the exact color I used so that others don't have to go through the hassle of trying to figure out which red film to get in order to make the cluster a nice, uniform, deep red. Check out the album for details.
Hope I help some people out with this! I recommend buying 2 color samplers even if you use the same color I got. They come with so many pieces of film that you could always go back later and use different colors, or use other colors for other purposes. Plus, the 2 samplers cost about the same as 1 sheet of a single color!
In the end, this mod was quick, easy, and has a lot of coolness factor. Let me know if I can answer any questions!
FINAL PRODUCT (for now):
Last edited by dog; 03-06-2015 at 11:20 PM. Reason: add pics
03-27-2015, 12:03 PM
#183
JK Newbie
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Redondo Beach, CA
Posts: 48
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awesome write up dog! (also, great username)
This summer i'm planning on switching everything to royal blue. I'll post a how to on footwells, dash, hvac, (and potentially cupholder lights).
I've redone the dash on my past 2 cars: Yukon Denali, and Nissan Frontier, and I'll be dammed if I don't light up the jeep too!
Great work everyone! Love the extensive customization y'all are doing!
This summer i'm planning on switching everything to royal blue. I'll post a how to on footwells, dash, hvac, (and potentially cupholder lights).
I've redone the dash on my past 2 cars: Yukon Denali, and Nissan Frontier, and I'll be dammed if I don't light up the jeep too!
Great work everyone! Love the extensive customization y'all are doing!
08-04-2015, 11:57 AM
#184
Gauge Needles
So after I was done trimming my films, I began to reinstall the back face ad the needles. I then realized I wasn't sure where the needles went exactly... plus the needles little gears don't exactly stay in place as you pull the needles... So I took a wild guess at recalibrating them as you could say.
Fully warmed the jeep and filled the tank. Shut her off then back on and reinstalled those 2 needles. I'm almost positive they are good. except the gas gauge seems to drain slower... Paranoia to run out of gas!
The Speedo I would guess and compare to GPS so hopefully its close enough.
But the Tach on the other hand..
After multiple times starting the jeep I installed it at 750... Not sure if that's where it should go at Idle. I feel like the needle shows a little more than what the engine sounds like. Kinda throws me off when crawling...
What can I do?
2 more questions:
Tach and Speedo don't low smoothly, they seem to catch on rise or fall... why? I applied multiple pressure when installing needles.
Why does my gauge needles al twitch when key gets installed and or I kick n lights? It happens anytime new power is applied after a little while. ie anytime I get in to start jeep...
Fully warmed the jeep and filled the tank. Shut her off then back on and reinstalled those 2 needles. I'm almost positive they are good. except the gas gauge seems to drain slower... Paranoia to run out of gas!
The Speedo I would guess and compare to GPS so hopefully its close enough.
But the Tach on the other hand..
After multiple times starting the jeep I installed it at 750... Not sure if that's where it should go at Idle. I feel like the needle shows a little more than what the engine sounds like. Kinda throws me off when crawling...
What can I do?
2 more questions:
Tach and Speedo don't low smoothly, they seem to catch on rise or fall... why? I applied multiple pressure when installing needles.
Why does my gauge needles al twitch when key gets installed and or I kick n lights? It happens anytime new power is applied after a little while. ie anytime I get in to start jeep...