dash illumination - heater controls?

[toolboy62]

Hi all,

I'm messing around with my dash lights, thinking of maybe changing the color from white to either blue or red. The gauge panel I can handle (although I wish that Flamingeye guy would start selling again so I could buy one of his kits rather than mess around with LED bulbs and chrome spray paint...) but how do you access the illumination for the heater controls and rocker switches? Is it possible? Also my clock is no longer lighting up, so this question has some immediate relevance to my life.

Also I can tell you from personal experience that white spray paint will NOT fix your light guides. The light goes right through it. I guess you either need a paint with a high metallic content or else resort to the tinfoil trick. Maybe stainless tape?

thanks,

nate

[livewirevoodoo]

Nate,

Go with the tinfoil. Have had good results. Make sure you get all of the old reflective material off first though. On my first attempt I lacked patience, but that part is key. Then I used some clear 3M sticky back tape (more like little rubbery squares though) to adhere the foil, then covered with masking tape (otherwise will tear the foil when you try and jam it back in the dash).

The heater control (the knob) has a light in it. I forget the sylania bulb #, but you just pull the knob off and replace. If you pull the heater face place off you can see another bulb or two back there, behind a sheet of plastic or something. Looked to be more than I wanted to deal with so I left it alone.

Not sure about the rocker switches, haven't had to deal with it yet. Great question tho, sure hope someone replys.

BTW - the headlight knob has a light in it that illuminates as well. I found this out only a few months ago.

[WolfeMacleod]

This issue of dash illumination and tinfoil has me wondering...
I'm assuming that the rear face of the guages are plastic, and that the reflective surfaces have flaked off, correct?
Was ii originally reflective paint, or what?

Didja know it's possible to have plastic surfaces metal plated? As long as there are no electric charged that would be touching the plated surface, I think it's work just fine.

[toolboy62]

Here's a good explanation of the problem that I'm having:

http://www.flamingeye.co.uk/causeofdimillumination.htm

In my case the vacuum metalizing was nearly completely gone; I removed the remainder and painted the light guides with gloss white paint. Unfortunately it is apparently very translucent so it doesn't do the job that I wanted it to do and my dash lights are dismally dim.

nate

[flamingeye]

To remove the heater unit, you first have to remove the two control knobs and two sliders. These just pull off. Next you have to very, very carefully prise the heater fascia, this will no doubt snap. Should I go on or stop now?

After you have removed (snapped) this there are four machine screws holding the unit in, to unscrew. You will then be able to slide the unit out. Unclip the connector on the back and the unit is free.

The trouble then is to get to the bulbs, you have to get the clear plastic cover off which again is made of ‘breakalite’. You have to press in lugs to do this.

There are four bulbs altogether. One is in the speed control, which you can get to when you pull the knob off; the other three are soldered to the circuit board (under the clear plastic)

As the unit’s light works on ambient light from the conventional bulbs transmitting through the complex channels of the clear plastic, LEDs are more directional therefore not really suited especially as you are dealing with a very shallow space.

Therefore all the above is a bit of a waste of time.



Cheers. That Flamingeye guy.

[flamingeye]

More pics

[flamingeye]

And another.

[toolboy62]

Thanks Darren, I got your email too. You know, I'd be *more* likely to buy your kit if you just said something like "oh, it's cake easy" and handwaved a little bit

But anyway glad to see you here and drop me a note whenever you're selling again.

As a stopgap, I bought some fake chrome tape from Pep Boys, that is working for now, my lights have gone from "almost nonexistent" to merely "dim." The LED bulbs still aren't bright enough but I can live with the regular 194s.

Amazingly, even the fake chrome tape is translucent. I can see the lights shining *through* the tape when the dash lights are on. I was hoping for some stainless tape like you'd use to patch up an exhaust pipe, but apparently they don't sell that anymore.

nate

[Zero10]

Go to home depot, and buy the tin-foil backed duct tape, that's what I use. I use tin-foil under it, then protect it all with a layer of tin-foil duct tape, so it doesn't get destroyed on installation.