Need opinions!!!
 

So I've decided that the incandescent bulbs that came with my autometer gauges are not bright enough. I like the color of them tho because they match my factory gauges pretty good. Ive been looking at the autometer LED bulbs, im undecided on what color to get tho they have amber, red, blue, and green. Idk if amber is going to be an orange kinda like your average side markers, and i wouldnt like orange haha if they made a clear LED id go with that. I also like the idea of red, i think it would look pretty cool, and MAYBE blue. I dont like the green. So what do you guys/gals think?

i think matching your off normal 1993 yellow gauges if you can would be best. other wise the gaiges to me look stuck on instead of belong.

I agree, but like i said, idk if the amber is going to be an orange or a yellowish white, I guess I'll have to call up autometer and ask them about it.

What kind of bulb is it? If it's a standard bulb like a 194 or a 74 you can go to superbrightleds.com and have tons of options. What color are the dash lights? HP LED bulbs kick ass.

I bought all red led bulbs from superbrightleds.com and did my autometer gauges and instrument cluster so they all matched

Im pretty sure this is whats in there now:

http://www.autometer.com/cat_accesso...l.aspx?vid=141

Yup, that's a 194. Tons of options for brightness and color on that site.

Holy shit!, you werent kidding! thanks for the site man!

Yeah like Alex said with anything LED find out what bulb your looking at good website is Sylvanias guide here:

http://www.sylvania.com/ConsumerProd...de/default.htm

and get leds from a number of places superbrightleds, ebay, and even amazon. I got leds off amazon for cheap and they're identical to superbright LED's. Just convenient because it was cheaper and already have my payment account set up there.

As for color choice, I strongly do not recommend blue. That color is blinding and can be a huge distraction esp up in your eye sight. I have an AFR gage down under my stereo like the 1st gen cluster area and it blinds me, wish I went with red.

You should get red led's for the gages, get a 94-96 gage overlay from junkyard and scratch the blue paint off the back and install red led's in your stock cluster. WIN!
Edit: nvm thats what I'm doing don't copy :P

:klab:

I just bought the warm white leds, should match the stock gauges, oh and good luck getting your cluster out without breaking your dash pad haha you should probably just buy a new one, and plan on replacing it.

pull the a-pillars first they hook under them. then it will come right off!

I did that, and mine broke in two different places, they just get really brittle over time, it was like snapping a pretzel, no joke haha

wow that sucks must have been brittle! I actually took it off when i first got the car to fix my bulb that was out

Oh thats good then, should have no problems then haha

Nope I'm jinxed now its gonna break.

I have seen some nice Plush Carpet Style covers that would simply cover up any cracks when you put it back on. (Ebay IIRC, but can't get there from work)

I've also seen repairs made with Vinyl, and it looks brand new.
Fixed Dash Pad

So I'm not sure it's then end of the world, but definitely hard to find direct replacements, as I think GM stopped production.

^ good link! I actually may just try that, seems easy enough, the worst part would be trimming the vinyl for the heat vents. Where could I get vinyl?

Michael's Craft store has Sheets of all kinds of shit!

Might want to ask someone who has done it for tips. :crazyhi:

True, but how hard could it be? bond the cracks together, sand down any excess glue on the topside, spray with adhesive, lay down the vinyl, pull it tight, remove air bubbles with hair dryer, clamp it, let it dry, trim it and tuck the flaps under. And if it comes out like crap, ill just buy a new one, cuz I planned on buyin one anyways haha.

^^^ Done!!!

DO WORK!!!

One thing I learned is that the Permatex headliner adhesive is almost worthless. The vinyl on mine is lifting in some places but you can't tell unless you put your hand on it. It's a shit ton of work but totally worth it in my opinion, to have something that looks better and will never crack. Also, whatever you use to bond the vinyl to the top of the dash pad, make sure you spray it in a clean, dust and debris free area, as much as possible. You don't want anything getting trapped under the vinyl. I had a tiny little speck of something and it drove me nuts. For material, go to any craft store near you and get samples of any color that looks good, then compare them to the dash to find the best one. Feel free to post up any questions if you plan on trying this.

If I can get my dash pad out in two or maybe three pieces im going for it, but ive heard of people who try to take them out, and they end up having to break it off piece by piece.

I would be one of those people.

Haha damn! but you were still able to get it back together?

I think it was ten pieces. Here's a pic of the bottom:

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t...0pad/dash1.jpg

Finished product:

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t...0pad/dash2.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t...0pad/dash3.jpg

whaaaat you vinyl wrapped your dash Alex?? Pics!!!

Came out good Alex! what did you use for adhesive again between the vinyl and actual dash pad?

That Permatex headliner adhesive in the blue and orange can, and it sucked. I would research that aspect of it more and try to find a better product.

Same here, mine disintegrated when I went to take it apart. At least a dozen pieces. The stupid velcro was stronger then the plastic lol