Gauge Needles

[sle2115]

Ok, so I know some of you have painted the speedo, tach, temp, op, etc. guage needles in your trucks. How did you do it? Did you remove the needles? Just mask around them? Mine are about like a yellow color and I'd like to brighten them up (since I've got the whole damn truck torn apart putting a hydroboost in!!!

 

[Cincinnati Guy]

When I did my 85 I used a arts *** craft paint brush on the needles.

 

[wbw189]

All I did was used a model brush and paint. Mine are now white. I have also used spray paint into a small paper cup and dab out what I need with a q-tip or small brush.

 

[dyoung14]

I painted mine with a brush and a red-orange color paint, looks good with my white gauges

 

[The Warden]

I could be wrong, but I was under the impression that most of the people who painted their needles were doing so on '80-'86 trucks, which have solid needles. I'm not sure what paint you'd use on a brick truck with needles that are supposed to light up? ...is there a paint that will render the needles orange while still allowing light to pass through them?

 

[towcat]

I could be wrong, but I was under the impression that most of the people who painted their needles were doing so on '80-'86 trucks, which have solid needles. I'm not sure what paint you'd use on a brick truck with needles that are supposed to light up? ...is there a paint that will render the needles orange while still allowing light to pass through them?

supposedly, you have to pull the needles off and paint the backside of the needle since the front side is translucent.

 

[dyoung14]

I could be wrong, but I was under the impression that most of the people who painted their needles were doing so on '80-'86 trucks, which have solid needles. I'm not sure what paint you'd use on a brick truck with needles that are supposed to light up? ...is there a paint that will render the needles orange while still allowing light to pass through them?

I did forget about this, seems like me and idi guy were talking about this one day and he knew something to do, i even own a bricknose truck and i dont know nothing about this but i never drive mine it just set in the weeds all lonely

 

[The Warden]

supposedly, you have to pull the needles off and paint the backside of the needle since the front side is translucent.

Ah, okay...I'm guessing the needles just pull off with enough force? I had the gauge cluster from that '87 apart a couple of months ago, although I didn't make any effort to remove the needles, and I can't look now (Spark&Fire has the cluster at the moment). It would be nice to get the needles "properly" orange again

 

[sle2115]

Ah, okay...I'm guessing the needles just pull off with enough force? I had the gauge cluster from that '87 apart a couple of months ago, although I didn't make any effort to remove the needles, and I can't look now (Spark&Fire has the cluster at the moment). It would be nice to get the needles "properly" orange again

Exactly...would like to have mine not **** yellow!

Guess I should have been more specific on why it wasn't just a paint the front style job.

 

[towcat]

Exactly...would like to have mine not **** yellow!

Guess I should have been more specific on why it wasn't just a paint the front style job.

I used paint for my gunsight on the needle backs. sand off the old paint first.

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

Exactly...would like to have mine not **** yellow!

Guess I should have been more specific on why it wasn't just a paint the front style job.

My wife has painted the needles on several of our trucks whenever any surgery got me in there where she could get to them.

I found this big spray-can of Flourescent Orange in a big box-lot of stuff from an auction.

So far, we have simply shook up the can and sprayed into a cup until a big enough puddle formed.

I keep intending to get an actual bottle from the model rail-road store.

She uses a sharp-tipped artist's brush and hasn't made a mess yet.

It is amazing how much better the whole dash looks when the needles are shiny-new, instead of *****-colored.


Were I you, I would just paint the show-side of the needles flourescent orange and not worry about that transluscence business; I would almost bet that they will turn out fine.

All manner of night-mares can result from pulling off gauge needles.


Another thing I always do is to really get after the clear plastic cover, on both sides, with McGuires clear plastic polish; it really makes an old dull scratched one look better than new.

 

[sle2115]

Another thing I always do is to really get after the clear plastic cover, on both sides, with McGuires clear plastic polish; it really makes an old dull scratched one look better than new.

Cool! Mine isn't scratched but has dust on the outer side...gonna clean out everything in there while I'm at it. Where do you get the clear plastic polish?

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

Cool! Mine isn't scratched but has dust on the outer side...gonna clean out everything in there while I'm at it. Where do you get the clear plastic polish?

Here it is at Advance :

http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/we...-oz-)-Meguiars_7110122-P_N3312W_T|GRP2074____


Walmart and just about everywhere else also has it.

 

[sle2115]

Here it is at Advance :

http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/we...-oz-)-Meguiars_7110122-P_N3312W_T|GRP2074____


Walmart and just about everywhere else also has it.

Thanks, have never looked for it, so just thought I'd ask!