white dials?
Thread Starter
Scooby Regular
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 130
Likes: 0
From: wakefield
white dials?
i'm thinking about getting some white dials for my '94 wrx, i've fited dials before but i'm a bit worried about these because it says that i have to remove the speedo and rev counter needles!!! 
has anyone done this, i hope it's as easy as the other ones i've done?
has anyone done this, i hope it's as easy as the other ones i've done?
Scooby Regular
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 263
Likes: 0
From: On the other end of a Mobile Phone with GPRS...Thanks to Mr British Telecom..
Originally Posted by wakeydave
i'm thinking about getting some white dials for my '94 wrx, i've fited dials before but i'm a bit worried about these because it says that i have to remove the speedo and rev counter needles!!!
has anyone done this, i hope it's as easy as the other ones i've done?
has anyone done this, i hope it's as easy as the other ones i've done?
Regards
Chris
Scooby Regular
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 1,253
Likes: 0
From: evesham, worcester
Yep, i did this recently, and it cost me another £110 on top of the dials 
The petrol guage and temp guage needles are not removable and are really really delicate, and i mean delicate, after breaking them and having to buy a new instrument console from grade A for the above price i decided to just do the rev counter and speedo. The needles pull out and the whole guage face is replaced as opposed to a piece being put over the top of the old one.
For the rev counter i made a note of the position of the needle at idle and then once the dials were replaced i put the console back in the car without the clear cover on and let the car idle and put the needle back in that position, not super accurate but the best i could think of.
As for the speedo, it was a case of putting the needle back in roughly and then getting someone to drive around in their car at a set speed and you following them and adjusting the position accordingly.
hope this helps a little bit and despite the fuel and temp guages not being done it still looks really good, hell of an improvement over the originals anyway
oh and don't forget to get some paint for your needles
The petrol guage and temp guage needles are not removable and are really really delicate, and i mean delicate, after breaking them and having to buy a new instrument console from grade A for the above price i decided to just do the rev counter and speedo. The needles pull out and the whole guage face is replaced as opposed to a piece being put over the top of the old one.
For the rev counter i made a note of the position of the needle at idle and then once the dials were replaced i put the console back in the car without the clear cover on and let the car idle and put the needle back in that position, not super accurate but the best i could think of.
As for the speedo, it was a case of putting the needle back in roughly and then getting someone to drive around in their car at a set speed and you following them and adjusting the position accordingly.
hope this helps a little bit and despite the fuel and temp guages not being done it still looks really good, hell of an improvement over the originals anyway
oh and don't forget to get some paint for your needles
Scooby Regular
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 8,238
Likes: 0
From: the middle bit
it's not so hard but it is a bit precarious i found getting the fuel & temp uns off the easiest bit c/o a small pair of scissors & a pair of nail clippers to hack away the old black thing then slip white bad boys on.
I did however have issues using the 2 spoon & hairdryer technique for getting needles of the main rev & speedo dials, they are a bit of a weak point & there's no guarantees they wont break when pulling needles off but many do this successfully. In the end, & 2 bust rev dials later, i just melted the old needles off with a soldering iron as i had a few spare needles lol. If you can get a couple of spare needles which should be easy to come by in theory then job shouldn't be too hard & does improve the otherwise pretty shyte looking interior no end....
Si
I did however have issues using the 2 spoon & hairdryer technique for getting needles of the main rev & speedo dials, they are a bit of a weak point & there's no guarantees they wont break when pulling needles off but many do this successfully. In the end, & 2 bust rev dials later, i just melted the old needles off with a soldering iron as i had a few spare needles
lol. If you can get a couple of spare needles which should be easy to come by in theory then job shouldn't be too hard & does improve the otherwise pretty shyte looking interior no end....Si
Trending Topics
Scooby Regular
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 165
Likes: 0
Possible solution...
When I had an FTO and fitted replacement dials, they were made with the centre hole about 2mm larger than the diameter of the needle cap.
The original dials were removed, then a black sticker shaped like a ring with a split was stuck onto the clear plastic mount right underneath the needle cap. This stopped the back lighting from leaking out from under the needle cap.
The dial was simply slipped over the needle then over the cap.
No need to remove any needles at all!
Then the dials are stuck down.
The result was fantastic looking dials with minimum fuss!
Maybe this can be replicated with your aftermarket dials...if you can cut a perfectly round hole???
Here's the FTO dials
http://www.kato.enterprise.btinternet.co.uk/dials.html
The original dials were removed, then a black sticker shaped like a ring with a split was stuck onto the clear plastic mount right underneath the needle cap. This stopped the back lighting from leaking out from under the needle cap.
The dial was simply slipped over the needle then over the cap.
No need to remove any needles at all!
Then the dials are stuck down.
The result was fantastic looking dials with minimum fuss!
Maybe this can be replicated with your aftermarket dials...if you can cut a perfectly round hole???
Here's the FTO dials
http://www.kato.enterprise.btinternet.co.uk/dials.html
Scooby Regular
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 1,253
Likes: 0
From: evesham, worcester
Won't work i'm afraid, the replacement dials are about 1.5-2mm thick, the same thickness as the originals so slipping them in between the old dials and the needles (like my xr2i ones) means that you risk breaking the needles.
These are replacements for the original faces, not an insert or cover, so the old faces need to come off.
The way the dash lights work also means that you cannot just slip them over the originals, they light from the rear, not the front/bottom, so laying them over the top makes it potentially too thick for the dials to be lit up.
No real shortcuts i'm afraid
These are replacements for the original faces, not an insert or cover, so the old faces need to come off.
The way the dash lights work also means that you cannot just slip them over the originals, they light from the rear, not the front/bottom, so laying them over the top makes it potentially too thick for the dials to be lit up.
No real shortcuts i'm afraid
Scooby Regular
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 165
Likes: 0
Originally Posted by gljam
Won't work i'm afraid, the replacement dials are about 1.5-2mm thick, the same thickness as the originals so slipping them in between the old dials and the needles (like my xr2i ones) means that you risk breaking the needles.
These are replacements for the original faces, not an insert or cover, so the old faces need to come off.
The way the dash lights work also means that you cannot just slip them over the originals, they light from the rear, not the front/bottom, so laying them over the top makes it potentially too thick for the dials to be lit up.
No real shortcuts i'm afraid
These are replacements for the original faces, not an insert or cover, so the old faces need to come off.
The way the dash lights work also means that you cannot just slip them over the originals, they light from the rear, not the front/bottom, so laying them over the top makes it potentially too thick for the dials to be lit up.
No real shortcuts i'm afraid
Remove old dials before everything else! Oops!
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post