White Gauge Install

[bobmeindertsma]

I know this probably sounds pretty novice to all you zilvia heads out there.
but here i go anyways.
i had just installed new white gauge faces for my car
it took alittle longer than i maybe should have.
but all in all it worked out great. didnt break anything:aw:
had alittle trouble with the needle calibration tho.
but its all good now

anyways just thought id tell ya

[RBS14]

Good Job!! everyone has their own comfort level/skill lever as related to cars.

[amolao]

That actually will be my next mod, can you share info on the model and type, installation,etc... It will be much appreciated, I dont feel too comfortable messing with my gauges......

thanks!:) :)

[KiDyNomiTe]

Honestly it requirws no work whatsoever. The hardest part (for s13s) is getting the guage surround off, jusy cuz I am stubborn and don't want to lower the steering column.

Other than that its all clips and a few screws.

[amolao]

Are the back parts backing glued on top of the OEM gauge??? Or does the OEM comes apart????:bash:

[nokeone]

No, you don't take off the oem ones. They say just to lay the new ones over the onl ones but glue them down, because sometimes they don't sit flush and the needle sticks.

[CoasTek240]

i really recommend dropping the steering column
..anyways.. its a pretty nice mod
i think it adds a touch of class to our interior. i removed the blue slips on the bulbs as well. gave my backlighting an orangish red color rather than bluish green.

[twitchy]

are you talking about the reverse glow gauges or the overlays?? I would be dropping my steering column, altough I dont feel too comfortable with gluing them down....do you have any suggestions? WHat about posting some pics?

thx

[RoNiN240sx]

i got problems with the needle on my tach, in 2nd-5th gear, whenever i'm goin from 3k-5k rpm's the needle just starts going wild before settling on 5 rpms, nebody know what's wrong?

[bobmeindertsma]

i have the install instructions at home
ill have to get them scanned and ill put them up asap!!

actually its pretty easy install.
just getting the needles calibrated propery is a must.
at first i totally forgot to calibrate them
and luckily i didnt put it all back together before starting the
car and at first thinking that i did it wrong cause there was no Rpm reading so i had to calibrate.

anyways ill get the installation instruction up as soon as i can.

[bobmeindertsma]

Ok as promised attached is a full installation manual
I would read it all first before install

Good luck and hit me with any question you my have

good luck

Picture of what it looks like installed is in the Reviews Section (http://www.zilvia.net/reviews/showproduct.php?product=111&sort=1&thecat=75)

[bobmeindertsma]

Originally posted by amolao
That actually will be my next mod, can you share info on the model and type, installation,etc... It will be much appreciated, I dont feel too comfortable messing with my gauges......

thanks!:) :)

Its nothing. i was the same way and it worked out good
go to Import Intelligence (http://www.importintelligence.com/index.html)

[amolao]

:aw:

I just got my overlays, the same type as yours, and the instructions are not very clear when it gets to the calibration part. Couple of questions:

Did you paint the needles to improve the looks of the gauges???

Please explain the calibration part? Step 11- how do the gauge stays calibrated when you have to turn 3-4 more turns to pull the neddle off after resistance is felt the first time (calibration point)???


How was the fitment of the 2 little screw (on the face of gauge) heads with the overlays, any bubbles?? did you unscrew them slightly and work the overlay under????

Thanks for any tips man...this weekend I will do gauge surgery on my baby.....:eek3:

[wingsnthangs]

I love the white faces and red needles, but I'm not diggin the lack of contrast between the face and the numbers/notches. Has anyone done this white faces upgrade with tinted numbers so in the day you cant see the "outlined" numbers but they light up at night? Sort of like the gauges in stock USDM S14 240SX SE's (for reference (http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL61/958713/1823364/21638809.jpg)).

Has anyone make it so the gauges light up red or orange (as in stock RSX's or stock BMW's respectively)? I don't really dig the indiglo.

[KiDyNomiTe]

Why are you guys messing with the needls. AFAIK you just slip on the guages. Put the needle through the hole, and slide it over the old one. I never thought you would need glue, cuz I figured the bezel was smaller than the gauge and would hold it in place.

Now as to calibrating the needles do you just mean that they arent ireading properly, like it idles at 3K or something like that

If thats the case just rotate it till its right, you prolly have to go over that little needle thing that sticks out to stop the needle from going all the way down, and just keep moving it (it'll click), just be careful cuz they are weak.

[andrave]

my faces slipped over the needles, I can't think of any reason anyone would want to take the needles off.
I did indiglo gauges in an hour in my parking lot.

[amolao]

When doing the overlay (vinyl stickers) the hole in the middle is not large enough to get the neddle thru it.......I seen the indiglo ones and the hole is big enough, though..... the needles gotta come out. I might paint my needles fluorescent orange while they are out.....

[fiebru1119]

Originally posted by amolao
When doing the overlay (vinyl stickers) the hole in the middle is not large enough to get the neddle thru it.......I seen the indiglo ones and the hole is big enough, though..... the needles gotta come out. I might paint my needles fluorescent orange while they are out.....

whenever painting needles, make sure you account for the extra mass/weight of the paint. i'm looking to see right now if i can find the write-up on it for RX7s. they come with black cluster/white needles so when you get white guages, they paint the needle orange and shave material off the back of the needle in order to compensate otherwise it wont read or calibrate right..

[amolao]

Hey thanks fiebru...I didnt think that paint will make that much of a difference on the calibration .....Uhmmm...well yes I was going to take the "translucent" factory paint off first anyway. But definetely wont go to heavy with the painting, maybe use a marker or model paint....:boink:

[fiebru1119]

yea according to FC guys it does make a difference. I suppose if you strip the paint off w/something it'll be cool. what they used on the write up (that i still havent been able to find) was some kind of translucent orange paint from hobby shop. i think it was like "stained glass" spray paint, and used in really light coats (just so that the needle looks the color).

also, bobmeindertsma, could you post night pics of them? i'd like to see how they look

[fiebru1119]

amolao, i found another writeup that used the marker method you were talking about.. guess it work alright

http://www.rotaryrx7.com/2nd_Gen_Gauge_Install.htm

[amolao]

got my overlays installed today...broken tach and hard to calibrate.... I bought the overlays in Ebay, quality OK, instructions suck big time. The dont apply to an analog cluster, no mention on how to calibrate the tach when there is the digital clock on the way......the calibration does not work the way shown in the instructions. Now is time to get a another cluster and switch the needles and overlays....I did paint the needles "safety" orange, for that military old school gauge looks, it looks sweet!!!!! better than red color, I thought about using red first....I might include pics later....DO NOT ATTEMPT TO INSTALL THESE OVERLAYS!!! by using the instructions..... Only a friendly warning....:bash: :bash:

[Pepperoni]

Yeah I'm having trouble with the calibration part too.. i did this mod before i read these instructions posted. Anyway, my tach isn't right. It freaks out when I rev it for example, kinda sticks but does read it right every other 1000rpm. If i rev it and it stays at 3000rpm, i rev again higher and then skips to 5000rpm and stays there (or sometimes goes down) but it's always off really. I don't exactly know how to calibrate the tachometer properly...I checked to see if there's a clearance issue but the needle isn't touching anything....just need to be pointed in the right direction..thanks :bow:

[amolao]

Pepperoni,


I found this page last night, too late after messing with my tach.... This guy does covers the steps in taking the digital clock and tach apart....at the bottom of the page there is a section about something similar to the problem you are having.....check it out :boink: :boink:

[andrave]

oh yeah if your needles "stick" after you put gauge faces in, take sandpaper and slide it under the needles and rub them back and forth, they stick cause the gauges add thickness and the needles get stuck. Just take a lil off the back and they will work fine!
mine did that at first too!