Restoring Faded Gauges?

[DeloreanJoshQ]

The instrument gauges in 3307 are faded regarding the red/orange numbers and hash marks. The white lettering and hash marks look fine....

The first question I have is how to remove the needle to separate the instrumentation from the actual gauge. Do you just pull the needle out or is there another way? I haven't tried yet.

The next question is if there is a way to restore the color to look like new...or do I need to just replace the whole gauge piece if I want the instrumentation to look fresh?

Thanks!

Josh Q

[Ryan King]

The instrument gauges in 3307 are faded regarding the red/orange numbers and hash marks. The white lettering and hash marks look fine....

The first question I have is how to remove the needle to separate the instrumentation from the actual gauge. Do you just pull the needle out or is there another way? I haven't tried yet.

The next question is if there is a way to restore the color to look like new...or do I need to just replace the whole gauge piece if I want the instrumentation to look fresh?

Thanks!

Josh Q


I have an old Speedometer laying here on my desk and the needle unit just pulls straight off. No problems on my end with that.

You could either have someone repaint the digits and such, or buy a whole new one from Houston. The choice is all up to you really.

[DMC3165]

Last year I replaced my fuel/oil pres gauge with a nos one from Grady. I was surprised how little difference there was between the red on the old gauges vs the new ones. How badly faded are yours?

[jawn101]

Last year I replaced my fuel/oil pres gauge with a nos one from Grady. I was surprised how little difference there was between the red on the old gauges vs the new ones. How badly faded are yours?

Yeah, Josh - they're not really red but more orange I think. Maybe they're not as bad as you think but you're just judging them by the wrong standard? Pics would help.

Personally I'd replace the gauge before I tempted fate by tinkering with it

[dmc6960]

You'll gain nothing by removing the gauge faces, who sells just replacement faces? Once you remove the needle, you'll need to figure out a way to reattach them in the proper alignment. You will not get the shafts to remain completely motionless while the needles are removed and it will be completely impossible to mark it accurately. I've done it with success, but I do not recommend it.

Either buy new gauges, a whole new cluster, or wait for other projects to bear fruit...8)

[nofear365]

I believe Grady has them in stock usually.

[Kenny_Z]

I've seen restoration of the paint on the needle with testors model paint and a piece of paper between the gauge face and the needle. As for the faces of the gauges, I have no idea. I've never seen them repainted, only replaced.

[Bitsyncmaster]

Use a permanent magic marker to "paint" the needles right on the gauge.

[jawn101]

Use a permanent magic marker to "paint" the needles right on the gauge.

Artist's rendering:

http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=8221&d=1328650731

(lol)

[nofear365]

Be careful when painting the needle. You'd be shocked at how little it takes to weigh one down. I learned this the hard way when I restored the instrument panel on my old Z28. The needle was originally orange and had faded to a gross yellow. I popped the needle off, painted it with a near exact orange that I found in a hobby store, and reinstalled. Happy with my results, I set off just to find my needle barely moving. From 0 to 20 it wouldn't budge. From 20 and I it would start to slowly glide it's way up - always reading 20 or 30 MPH off.

Soon after I found a replacement needle and swapped it out properly.

[Farrar]

Seen this yet (http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?2662-instrument-cluster-200)?

[DeloreanJoshQ]

Seen this yet (http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?2662-instrument-cluster-200)?

Yes I saw that, thanks for the lead.

The only fading my instrument cluster has is the red/orange lettering and hashes...that is all I would want to fix or replace; basically the tach and volt/temp gauge. Eventually I want to get the 140 speedo.