Coloring Instrumental Panel

[Joel87GT]

Coloring your instrumental panel can add a bit excitement to your drive. Well what led me to do this write up is because there is no write up for doing up your instrumental panel. All you see is people posting their end results pics. One guy - Chris embedded LEDs for his boost. Cool setup. Anyways this isnt rocket science. At first attempt will take some moving some panels around with your body in many akward positions under dash. Yeah, Haynes manual give you the directions but it doesnt give you any insite of things you may encounter ~ "Well as explained from doing so." For you new comers here - I hope this helps.

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www.turbocelica.8m.com.......................www.procarparts.com/


Product: TOYOTA CELICA 87-88 EURO REVERSE GLOW GAUGES

SKU: TY87CC-0167RGX

Description:
1987-1988 TOYOTA CELICA GT WITH 120MPH TOP SPEED EURO REVERSE GAUGES -INCLUDES 2-COLOR BLUE/GREEN INVERTER SWITCH -NUMBERS & MARKINGS WILL GLOW AT NIGHT 4 TOTAL COLORS-RED,LIGHTGREEN,BLUE,HYPERBLUE -SCRATCH RESISTANT,ANTI-GLARE SURFACE

Price: US$35.98

Here's a drive to the BatCave.

[/b]
*background color panel
*aftermarket neon lights
*Add boost gauges
*Routing Tachometer to mount above dash.


Bulbs194's: 194R for red 194B for blue
www.bionyxindustries.com/[/ul]

However, you mod your instrumental panel this method will familiarize you by removing and installing your instrumental panel. The first time maybe be hard, 2nd time a charm. Right - 9600? Look at both instrumental lights red and white setup. Which is comfortable for your eyes. Does the red make your eyes lean to the left? If so - how will see the road? I plan on installing blue soon- tired of white.

www.garbled.net

Haynes Reference. Chap 11-15 note 21

Tools needed: Thumb size Philips screw and Flat Head screw driver.


:oFIRST DISCONNECT BATTERY

1. Remove trim held by two black screws. Pull out both Push Button Defrost and Hazard buttons carefully and remove the connectors.

Once your remove the push buttons – remove the other two hidden black screws. The instrumental trim will come off.


2. Now unbolt the lower part of the steering column dash panel. You will need to remove the two hidden black screws holding the lower part of the instrumental panel. Now remove the other two black screws holding the instrumental panel at the top.

You may want to lower your steering column in order to remove the instrumental panel.

3. Remove the 4brass screw from the top instrumental panel holding it in place. Instrumental panel is able to be pulled out. You will see three connectors pinched in with green data cable mounted on the back side of the instrumental panel. The three ribbon connectors (remember from left to right) detach by depressing each ribbon connector to disconnect from back panel. Once disconnected leave connectors in place in where installed for reinstallation.

(You will have to fish, adjust the cumbersome panel out between your dash and steering wheel. Careful not to break, crack the green data ribbons).

4. You now have the trim and instrumental panel out – The clear protective instrumental panel can be removed by depressing the two black thumb locks.

5. Remove the rest of the 4 black screw backside of the trim.

6. Now Paint with your heart content. – To install reverse this process - Remember to install the speedo cable properly - its neon green looking and slides back into your dashboard.. The speedo cable inside the NEON Green connectors is squared fitting so do be sure that you line up the fittings.


Aftermarket & Gauges

Bulbs - "194's 194R for red 194B for blue.
schmooot

Neon Edge - theneonedge.com/performance/performanceupgrade.htm
9600-tachometers, cluster guages

Lumin Face Plates - www.2kracing.com/product_info.php/cPath/9_65_188/products_id/2002
It says fits all celica..Hmmm.

Euro Reverse Gauges
www.procarparts.com/store-detail.asp?sku=TY87CC%2D0167RGX&dbname=onlinestoreDB
White87GT



Conclusion

Finally finished this write up. It was a PITA and I hope the information read here will bring excitement to your every day / night drive. What next huh? Maybe upgrading your steering wheel from APC to compliment your cool looking instrumental panel.

All materials researched on 4gcelica.net and google.com.

Peace

[schmooot]

the bulbs for the back are 194's 194R for red 194B for blue and so on, I can get em for under 10 bux canadian for 4 of em at the local auto parts store

[Joel87GT]

schmooot said:

the bulbs for the back are 194's 194R for red 194B for blue and so on, I can get em for under 10 bux canadian for 4 of em at the local auto parts store

COol thanks I go ahead and update this thread.

[Joel87GT]

Hey all - did a write up in doing up your instrumental panel. Let me know what you tink.

[aDDicshunZ]

nice write up. im currently in the process of making mine light up white with red needles. i bought "hyper white" leds off of ebay(5 bux for 4 shipped) and im using testors transparent red paint to make the needles red. i ran into a problem tho, the needles don't light up enough so im thinking im gunna have to put in extra leds or something to solve that but i will post pics when i get closer to being finished

[Joel87GT]

aDDicshunZ said:

nice write up. im currently in the process of making mine light up white with red needles. i bought "hyper white" leds off of ebay(5 bux for 4 shipped) and im using testors transparent red paint to make the needles red. i ran into a problem tho, the needles don't light up enough so im thinking im gunna have to put in extra leds or something to solve that but i will post pics when i get closer to being finished

I order the Euro Reverse gauges -blue. You got a good point - the needles will need a bit more glow after so many years with our model. I am going to the hobby shop to see what florescent paint reacts to our dashlgihts. white, blue. I wouldnt have these euro glows overshadow my needle. Yeah, if I can find florescent blue it will match evenly.

[GTRJDM]

the 4 ways i experented wif were

couloured bulb jacket covers - despite what people say they look quite good over the standed bulbs and dident melt for me. (I TRYED BLUE AND RED JACKET COVERS)

L.E.D aftermarket bulbs theses are good but i found that they dont spred the light they tend to send it in one direction which made me have brighter spots on my dash than other places(mine were L.E.D RED)

painting the bulbs this dident work for me because i used the wrong paint but i bety if you found the right paint it would work niceley

ARTICWHITE BULBs for the best setup i would get articwhite/blue bulbs (good quilty nice bright coulour) and buy couled jacket covers for them and choose what ever coulor you want theses bulbs tend to spred the light not point it in one directoin like some other couloed L.E.D bulbs which is good (alot like standed bulbs but much better)

cheers just my 2 cents.........

[rye]

I just put red colour bulbs in....turned out pretty good ;D

[Chris]

lol...

I've currently got my gauge cluster pulled again...doing something a little different again. This time I'll have two aftermarket gauges in there... ;D

I think I want to put some new bulbs in it...I want to keep the green colour, but I want it to look *more* green...if that makes sense. The stock lights are starting to look a little whitish and not so green. What bulbs should I buy?

[Jeremy]

You can get 194 style LED's in green, they are somewhat hard to find but you should be able to find them if you look hard enough. another idea is to remove the black face plate that covers the gauges & hot glue some neon/EL wire around the recess ridges that go around each gauge, then you can get EL wire in just about any color & it will front light your gauges so if you make custom faces it will evenly light it. I plan on doing this soon but I have to finish the engine b4 I mess with the ICE.

[GTRJDM]

huh well you could do that too lol

anyway i love that white celica ^^^^^ above whos ever that is it looks fuckin allsum good job

[ToyLeeka]

i love those aftermarket guage faces (white face) except that i need KPH speedo not MPH

mate of mine has a st183 with blue indiglo guage faces, looks awesome but i still havent managed to find them for the st16 series, not in kph anyway...

if anyone knows where theres aftermarket guage faces in kph, please please let me know as my car is becoming a show car and id really like blue indiglo faces...

[blck87gtconv]

Just go custom, dude.

Remove your stock gauge faces, scan them into your computer.. fidget with the numbers and what not, and print it out. Use some thin plastic to affix this paper to. You may want to spray a clear coat over the paper or something so it's not so noticeable what it is, but i'tll work. Then just do the bulb mod listed at the top of this thread.

[cbr74]

Good info... I didn't see mentioned how many bulbs are needed...
I'm gonna go blue to match my stereo... just wondering how many 194B's I need to buy to do the whole instrument cluster?

Also... when painting the gauge faces and the cover panel.. is there a particular brand or type of paint that works well?

Thanks

[taticelica]

I think its only 4 but I am not to sure.