I wanted some white face gauges to go in my 54 Chevy cause the dash is going to be blue...I thought it would make a nice contrast. Anyhow, looking through all the suppliers, the price of gauge sets was kinda out of my range, on a whim on day I went to Autozone and found a Sunpro white face 3 gauge set for 35 bucks...and a matching tach for $45 (got that for X-mas). Now I needed a speedo to match, after digging through some of my junk I came up with a early 70s speedo mechanism which is exactly the same as my 54 mechanism!!! I figured the new part was better shape and the numbers on the odometer were too. the process of taking the gauges apart is pretty easy, just some small screws, you may have to bend some tabs up to get the bezels off and very carefully pull the pointer off...if it doesnt want to come off dont try to force it, the shaft is very fragile and will break, try some WD-40. Now the face on the 54 speedo is made up of 3 pieces, one with the dots that correspond with each MPH number, one that goes behind the numbers and a chrome piece that goes under the pointer. I took the first two pieces and scuffed them with some fine sandpaper then sprayed them with Testors flat white model paint...it says flat, but is really a semigloss...this color matches the color of the Sunpro gauges best. after the paint dried I the old dots where still barely visible...enough to have a guide for the new dots. I went to the craft store (Hobby Lobby) and bought a large sheet of 1/4" black rub on letters or "dry transfers". The sheet has numbers, letters, dots and dashes...the dots and dashes are very close to the ones on the Sunpros...if there are different though, you could modify an L or I into something by carefully cutting part of it off. The "!" would make a good dash with out the " . ". The easiest way to transfer the character is to cut out a small piece of the sheet with a few characters on it, it is easier to handle that way...all you do is place one dash where you want it and rub it on with ?..I used the butt of an x-acto knife...you need something that is blunt and smooth, but not too soft...there are special pencils that are made for this purpose. Be careful to only press the one you are working on, if you your finger is on another dash, it might get pressed on accidentally. Now just work your way around the face, I did all the dots first the added the dashes in between to ensure they lined up. After all of the transfers are on, its a good idea to clear the whole thing with a semigloss or flat clear, I used Testors semi-gloss in a rattle can. Testors model paint is thinner than say Krylon or Hardware store cans and serves its purpose well on the gauges. After everything is dry, you can reassemble the speedo...I didnt get to do the numbers yet, they are sunk into the clear plastic face...I need to clean out the old white paint and add black paint to them so they will show better. The last photo is just a mock up with cardboard...I will make a new aluminum piece for the gauges to fit in, as well as the turn signal indicators (Radio shack LEDs) and a gas gauge will go under the middle gauge (I have a gas gauge that sweeps left to right in a straight line, as opposed to the circular motion) Well I hope this is informative for you guys...I am not the best in grammer so forgive any mistakes. Hope you like it .
I had done the speedo in my '41 like that. Painted the face an off white then had a sign shop print the numbers reversed and put them on the back of the glass instead of the face of the gauge. The sign guy did the numbers in a translucent dark green vinyl so when the light was behind them they kinda glowed.
excellent. No where else but the HAMB. You just proved that it can be done if you want it bad enough. Just a little elbow grease. Looks real good.
If you are as lazy as me you may want to try an ink wash for the nmbers. Mix it up thin (you can use thinned paint) wash it on with a paint brush thn wipe the gauge with a cloth. The paint stays n the dips. Now I figure that if you are using testors paint you build models and know this already.If so sorry.
that looks really nice. i like it and want to see it when it is finished. very nice and something not alot of people dare to try for fear of the unknown (as in the insides of the gauges). KOOL!!!
Thanks for the compliments everyone...BTW, the pointer was painted with plasti-kote orange glow...both the testors and PK paints are in the small 3oz. cans found in craft and hobby stores. Elrusto, the translucent numbers is a good idea...I think I might try some clear blue model paint in the number recesses. Ant, yes I am familiar with thinned out washes, many people dont know this is a good way to bring out detail on small stuff...on the numbers though, its just a matter of getting the old paint out of the recesses...its very thick and hard, I tried soaking it with some thinner and it didnt even soften...scraping with an x-acto knife is the only way I have made any progress. Kustombuilder, your right about the "unknown" of the insides of gauges, 53-54 gauges are a dime-a-dozen though, so I took my chances...some older or rarer gauges might need alittle more caution though.
Absolutely you have my vote! It is little details like that, that make a car stand out from the crowd. TDC
Tcoupe, with that kind of workmanship, you could maybe get a job with the shop that did the gauge panel for the new concept Cobra that was featured on "Rides" a couple of weeks ago! As av8 said, "Well done!" "Good pictures!"
Nice! Gives me motivation to get out and mess with my Freak-conoline gauges...they'll be even easier! By the way...I kinda like the way the numbers look on the speedo in the last pic. Kinda mono-chromatic. Might be a nice swanky look for a 60's style custom...just use whatever color you want for the background of the gauge and then go one or two shades lighter (or darker) for the numbers. Probably not too read-able, but might look "smooth".
If you go to a good art supply store, or a store that supplies the architectural drafting profession (like some stores that do blueprint reproductions) you will usually find a large assortment of dry transfer letters / numbers in a number of different fonts and designs that may be a better match for a speedo or gauge you are trying to match. Letraset is one of the better known brands and some of the fonts they have available as transfers can be seen at this link: http://www.letraset.com/us/template1.asp?catid=3456&viewtype=all
-Digger Dave...Thats a good idea !...I havent seen the show you are refering too though. -Barnett...the white numbers actually show up pretty good, but I would rather have them match the ones on the other gauges or close anyway. Your right about using any color though and then a translucent of the same for numbers. -BigJim...Thanks for the links, some of those letters would be neat on some custom gauges...Ive got a box full of old aftermarket gauges, Im gonna try to open a few of em up and restore them.
[ QUOTE ] -Digger Dave...Thats a good idea !...I havent seen the show you are refering too though. [/ QUOTE ] The show "Rides" is on TLC (The Learning Channel) runs Tue. nite up here. The program is about different Rod builders and some of the projects they "create."
On the '54 speedo, I had to pry up the bezel all the way around the main "cup"...its shown in yellow (the bent part is hard to see in this pic, but it goes all the way around the cup, except where the mounting tabs are) I used a small pair of needle nose pliers, this part does not show so I will simply bend it back into place to hold it together. The bezel holds the lens and number back piece to the main cup Then there are 2 screws that hold the mechanism to the cup..shown in green. This photo shows all of the parts...the face is still on the mechanism...the pointer must be pulled off, then 2 small screws to remove the face and chrome piece. Lastly, shown in green is a tab on the bezel that all of the pieces align onto, then a tab fold over to hold it all back together straight. This gauge is a little more involve than others...some just have a mechanism and face and are held onto a large gauge panel with a separate lens for all gauges...Hope this helps
The Jalopy Journal
