Dial mods & lighting

[Anonymous]

Fellow members... I would like some ideas on how I could illuminate these:

I want to illuminate them from behind, but if I shine a torch behind them, it shows up the shape of the clear plastic on the back.
The markings are printed on, so I can't just peel them off.

Ideas please..... :lol:

 

[Anonymous]

After poking around with a knife, I've found the white dial designs are printed on a thin plastic which is stuck on!

I've peeled the tacho one off and popped it in the scanner to make this:

The tacho doesn't look central because the front of the unit isn't clipped back down properly

When I've finished, it wont be printed on paper and I will be modding it to light the numbers/marks from behind.
Was thinking of lighting like this:
MAYBE the tacho 6 & 7 red
The end of the temp gauge red
The empty end of the fuel gauge red

Ideas on lighting colours and thoughts so far.....?

 

[Anonymous]

A little update:

You can see a line underneath each needle.. I slit the paper to slide it in instead of pulling the needles off again.
The finished article will be printed on plastic, put on with the needles removed.

When finished, I expect this mod with lighting from the rear, to cost around £2.

 

[Anonymous]

Speedo is next:

 

[Anonymous]

These dials are spares so I can modify them without the risk of breaking the ones in my car.
Now, would it really be bad to alter the mileage on this one to match the mileage on the car....!?

 

[Perfect Dark]

Looking good.

How about, when you do come up with a finish product, you make a couple dozen and sell one to me?

 

[Anonymous]

 

[warrenpenalver]

im confused, i thought you could get black faced dials out of pretty much any (bar extreme poverty spec) fiesta mk4?

 

[evilrob]

im confused, i thought you could get black faced dials out of pretty much any (bar extreme poverty spec) fiesta mk4?

That's what Colin (BOK) did in his Milly - Fiesta Mk4 black dials, chrome rings and red LEDs:

 

[Ginger Tom]

That looks good

 

[Anonymous]

And... the confusion came from where....!??

Yeah, maybe you can get the dials from a Fiesta, but why buy something I can do myself!
If I wanted blue dials, would I get them from a Fiesta?
If I wanted purple dials, would I get them from a Fiesta? Erm, I doubt it. I can have whatever colour I want!

 

[Shanosburgess]

As you are the pp god of soldering and lighting, i figured something like this could be right up your street and look the mutz nutz
http://electroluminescence-inc.com/customPattern.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[Perfect Dark]

So how easy is it to fit the dials from a Fiesta Mk4? and I'll take those chrome rings also.

Are there any guides?

 

[red]

Also the lighting effect will be different from behind the way you're doing it right? Rather than just being around the edge it will shine through the white parts if I've understood correctly?

 

[Anonymous]

As you are the pp god of soldering and lighting, i figured something like this could be right up your street and look the mutz nutz
http://electroluminescence-inc.com/customPattern.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Hmm, that looks good! Certainly something to consider...

So how easy is it to fit the dials from a Fiesta Mk4? and I'll take those chrome rings also.

Are there any guides?

Whether you will get the dials unit out of the hole is another issue.... :?

Also the lighting effect will be different from behind the way you're doing it right? Rather than just being around the edge it will shine through the white parts if I've understood correctly?

As you probably know, the standard dash lighting is two bulbs which light the green diffuser.
At the moment, I have replaced the two bulbs with white LEDs and removed the green diffuser.
Either way, the dials are lit from the front.

What I will be trying is to light the dials from behind. The main colour of the dial faces will block the light so it only shines through the numbers & marks on them.
I can colour the marks and numbers also to give a different colour/lighting effect.

 

[Anonymous]

As an example:

Main face colour is black, numbers green, marks orange/gold. So the lighting effect would look something like this but not as bright:

Or, grey dial faces with red & blue marks and white numbering:

For this one, I could make the blue colour darker so it allows less light through, so the red marks would be brighter than the blue...

 

[warrenpenalver]

And... the confusion came from where....!??

Yeah, maybe you can get the dials from a Fiesta, but why buy something I can do myself!

it would of cost you a tenner from a scrappy, probably what youd get back selling the white dials on ebay, (and you bought spare dials to start with anyway!) and saved you a few hours work.

 

[warrenpenalver]

So how easy is it to fit the dials from a Fiesta Mk4? and I'll take those chrome rings also.

Are there any guides?

dials from a mk4 fiesta are straight swap with all NON-DIGITAL dash earlier pumas.

dials from a mk 5 fiesta (the ones illustrated above with the chrome rings) are a straight swap with all DIGITAL dash pumas.

Digital dials CAN be fitted into earlier analogue pumas but it requires some rewiring to do.

 

[Anonymous]

it would of cost you a tenner from a scrappy, probably what youd get back selling the white dials on ebay, (and you bought spare dials to start with anyway!) and saved you a few hours work.

I never said anything about the cost, and irrespective of whether they are black, white or sky blue pink, I can have dials any colour for pennies. And it don't take hours to do it!

 

[Perfect Dark]

Thanks warrenpenalver,

Are there any guides?

I've been wanting to switch out the dials since before I even owned a Puma.

I'm no good with anything mechanical if it doesn't come with instructions, too afraid of breaking something... and every time I get the super glue out, it all goes down hill.