Indiglo gauges overlay from eBay (PICS ARE UP! 1MB)
 

Alright, posting an update regarding the following instrument cluster overlay that can be bought on eBay...

http://www.badboypodcast.com/bonneville/overlay.jpg


First off, it is a great overlay, looks good in the daytime, and the indiglos are brilliant and bright at night. The particular reason I bought these is because my car just happens to also be blue and the indiglo blue matches my CD illumination wonderfully.

Okay... so originally I goofed and let a mechanic try to install them. After that, I completely removed his handiwork and scraped all the glue clean. I then received another overlay (they're fairly cheap) and installed it myself. It wasn't as difficult as you might think, especially me being a first-time installer. It is fairly delicate working with the needles (you do NOT remove your gauge needles to do this job!), but not difficult. The things to remember are to try and avoid pulling the needles up from the panel and try to avoid moving the gas gauge at all (if possible). I was actually able to do the install without disconnecting the cluster at all, I simply disconnected the battery and worked with the cluster pulled slightly forward. This is a tight fit however, so fair warning.

As for caution and warning... do NOT glue the overlay on. Use some sort of double-sided thin permanent tape. I used scotch, though 3M is recommended. Also, be sure to cover the back of the overlay as completely as possible with the adhesive tape. If you do not, your overlay will bubble and lock your needles in place. This brings me to the needles... All my gauges worked fine after the install, except the speedometer kept freezing. I discovered this to be a bubble in the overlay from where the tape had released. When you are putting the trim back on the panel (black piece that connects the clear plastic window to the panel) it pushes down on the overlay, and if you do not smooth out any bubbles created by this, your needles will get stuck on it.

Last but not least, if you have a column-shift like I do (bench-seats) then you will need to cut out sections to see PRND12. The positive about this is you can cut into the indiglos without hurting the lighting. The negative is, if not done very carefully, it can look quite ugly. Also, make sure that the bands that control the slider on the PRND12 (column-shift) is at the right distance or your gears will read incorrectly. In my experience so far, the indiglos are 'capable' of dimming, but it appears to be run by an interruptible circuit. I'm not sure if I said that right, but basically there's a button to turn them on and off, however, if you turn them on, and then turn the headlamp switch (as if dimming the interior lighting) it turns the indiglo display back off (leaving the rear lighting on in your instrument panel so you can still see PRND12 and the systems monitor, etc.). You simply press the button again to turn it back on.

I will post pics of the process and finished product in the next few days, just wanted to share the experience! ;)

how did you get the overlay on without removing the needles?

You gotta be real careful and patient, not to mention it takes a bit of dexterity, lol.

I found the easiest way is to work the overlay over the left-most needles (this applies for BOTH left and right halves of the overlay), then once you have those through the holes (you will have free play with these needles) you can gently ease it over the right needles...
For the left side, I did this by sliding the overlay to the right with both tach and spedo pointing straight to the left. After I got it over both of those, I turned the overlay at a 45 degree angle counter-clockwise, then clockwise to slide it down the gas needle. It helps if you're reading about half a tank or less gas when installing.

which would be the fuel needle for the left half and the battery for the right half. Yes, it is going to try to pull a little on the needles. Don't panic if it does, but don't let it get carried away either. An extra set of hands helps at this point, but I was able to keep it under control by myself. ;)

In the event that you DO move the fuel needle, don't panic. Just be sure that you remember where it was originally and gently work it back into that position... it will gradually correct itself, so be sure the final resting place is where it was to begin with. In my experience with this, the gas gauge did not misread after the install. Nonetheless, the less you move it, the better.

I will try to upload pics tonight.

Could you post a link to where you got the overlays from? I have been looking to get indigo lights ever since I saw them in the VW's.

There is a guy on eBay called d1zone, here's a link to his eBay store. They are REALLY cheap there. I got my last one for about $0.50, course it's about 8.99 shipping lol

Here's the link...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/i397-...spagenameZWDVW


Also, as an update, I was partially wrong on the glue. You're probably going to have to glue specifically any part that lays under where the speedo or tach needles will go over, due to the fact that constant heat/cold (mainly from the A/C) alternating causes the tape to release and small bubbles to form. This is particularly prominent where the needle rests when the car is off. I am looking into best solutions for long term. Give me a little time and I'll let you know what works.

I have to say, this is the 4th or 5th set installed on our Forum, and it's come up for discussion several times. I'm personally not a big fan of it, and I know that one member before didn't like it after the install.

If it suits your taste, more power to you. They've been available for at least 4 years that I know of, and very few takers.

Well, other than the issue I'm attempting to fix with the bubbling, the overlay itself looks really nice. As mentioned previously though, not a great application for column shifts.

I just read this guys instructions for instalation. seems like a pain i nthe a$$ just so you can have blue lights. I will pass on getting the overlay :cry: not like it would make my car faster anyhow. On the other hand... the high velocity TB from ZZ takes the same amount of time to install and is far more rewarding :lol:

lol, its not a real difficult task once you get familiar with the area your working in. Hell, if you know how to disconnect and reconnect an instrument panel, then installation is a snap. But it is agreed that this is more something you do after you've spent your money modding the car how you want it, and when you've got the spare time. (Just for reference, without the bubbling problem the whole job took me about 30 minutes-1 hour)

I also agree with the lack of any performance gain though, I was thinking about adding some NOS stickers and a Honda logo.. doesn't that automatically add 10-20HP? :lol:

Don't forget this.............


http://onlinecarparts.co.uk/eShop/Pr...20(Custom).jpg

I prefer the red in the Bonne, but I have been considering these for The Missus's Astro for a while.

I can't wait to see your pics.

ummm I believe the bonne would respond better to the Ford badge mod due to the oval areo dynamics and gain about 45-50 hp to the wheels. if your interested I have one I can give you for cheap :lol:

BUT the ford badge also reduces the reliability by at least 40%. :shock: :shock:


:lol:

Back on topic please. This isn't the lounge.

Thanks Wren...

Okay here are the pictures I have. It was very hard to get the stupid thing to focus in the dark, but there are a couple halfway decent photos.

A NOTE BEFORE VIEWING: Ignore the cutouts for the PRND12, I did that because I have a column shift, and it's not finished, that's why its ugly :lol: Also, the Systems Monitor is all scratched up from whatever the previous owner did, not me, and lastly, the dirty look is actually the Plastic panel shield. I didn't get a chance to clean it before taking the pictures.


ENJOY!

Full shot, blurry though
http://www.badboypodcast.com/bonneville/061.jpg

Head on - Decent pic
http://www.badboypodcast.com/bonneville/063.jpg

Right side, blurry
http://www.badboypodcast.com/bonneville/065.jpg

Used the flash on this one to give you an idea of what it looks like in daylight
http://www.badboypodcast.com/bonneville/066.jpg


As an added bonus... this is what you get to deal with if you take it to an incompetent mechanic to try and install....

http://www.badboypodcast.com/bonneville/glue1.jpg

http://www.badboypodcast.com/bonneville/glue2.jpg

so are any of the gauges off at all? idle seems kinda high at 1500 or is it normal?

Well.................








If you want my honest opinion, I am going to have to give it a big NO. Honestly, it does not fit the car whatsoever, and the all white is borderline ricer. Sorry, just my honest opinion. ;)

Is it just me or did the mechanic use weather strip to glue it on there?

__________________
Best Car Insurance | Auto Protection Today | FREE Trade-In Quote

lol sure looks like it...
I dunno what it was, but it was thick as crap and a pain to get off, you may be right though :?

I have a glitchy tachometer that jumps from time to time. It was like that before the new gauges. Any idea how to fix it?

Well, actually I put them in because it's really much easier to read during the daytime on a white background. I was going more for practical use than aesthetically pleasing. The indiglos are also a beautiful match for my radio, not to mention the car's blue to begin with, so it went well. I most certainly do see the tendency toward ricer status though. You hurt my feelings with that one! jk ;)

:lol: You know it's a 3M weatherstrip adhesive for sure.

Overall... you did a good job fixing it. Looks as if you took the time and effort needed. As a general rule of thumb... don't take appearance items to a mechanic. They tend to have a "fix it" mentallity that doesn't lend itself for these little items we might like to have done.

That don't look bad at all. I still prefer the red on black, but like I said earlier, I'm thinking more for The Missus's van....

And, your mechanic is apparently an idiot when it comes to detailing items... ;)

The mechanic followed the man's guide to HoneyDo's.

Rule 1, if you never want to do it again..do the worst job possible.

After seeing what your mechanic did..you'll never ask him to do that again.

Darn skippy Boosty....

Just for anyone thinking about doing this little gem on their Bonne, I'd give it a 5 out of 10 difficulty rating, only because you have so much to take off and you have very little wiggle room. Other than that, it's pretty straightforward.

As far as appearance and overall use of the product, I'd give it an 8 out of 10 because of the bubbling problem I initially had.

Hope this helps anyone considering!

Wolf...we need to talk about this.

What was tough or tight when doing this?

I think they look great at night, but for the day time, personally looks kinda like a hack job just about, only because I can see the seam between the speedometer and the Systems Monitor.....If it could be all on solid piece it would have looked a lot better.

The font and shape of the gauges almost remind me of my parents old caravan, or anything Dodge just about, but that's just a minor detail lol.

Lastly, that's a LOT of white on the dash now, have you possibly considered some type of overlay to go over the open areas, to kinda separate everything? Something kinda like these:
http://www.speedhut.com/product_list...STER_CAT=BEZEL

I know they don't have one for a bonne,but wouldn't be too hard to make, I have a stainless one in my old Chevy that looked awesome.

Over all....Looks Great!

Lakeville... Actually the overlay is about the only white on the car. Those climate control knobs you see I'm painting, lol. I have considered possibly trying a different bezel design to see how it meshes/clashes with the overlay.

In response to Boosty's...
The confusing part is really only to do with taking apart the dash to begin with. If you have a FSM like I do, it's pretty easy, but all in all, you'll need a Torx T15 for everything in the instrument panel, and a 13/32 socket for the sound insulator under the column. The real finger workout is trying to get to the torx screws that are connecting the clear plastic window to the spacer in between it and the panel. They are located facing the front of the car, and you'll have to turn the cluster left and right as much as you can to get your fingers behind it to get to them.

When I say tight, I mean I am not electrically inclined, nor am I very experienced with electrical diagrams (i.e. Disconnecting and reconnecting the cluster gauge itself), therefore I did the whole job with the panel still connected and simply pulled it a few inches out to do the install. A word of caution... be sure to pull the #7 fuse (SIR) and disconnect the battery for sake of safety. Otherwise, the airbag CAN deploy, although it is unlikely while doing this project.

The most difficult part was actually the weather (it was like 2000% humidity, bleh!) but other than that it was mostly caring for the needles. I think I am maybe a bit too cautious, but I surely didn't want to screw anything up to require a new cluster. The needles have a lot of free play, so it's not exceedingly difficult, but it can be a test of patience trying to slide that last needle into its hole while keeping the other two in line.

I found that you don't have to take a whole lot apart to do the task if you simply unscrew the headlamp switch assembly and let it hang out, disconnect the cigarette lighter, and then you can rotate the upper cover out of the way while you work. When using the tape, I taped the backside of the overlay rather than the panel so that I wouldn't constantly be fighting the overlay trying to stick to the panel while sliding it on. For glue, I simply used some Scotch super glue gel and in my case only had to apply under where the speedo needle passed over the overlay.

Can I see a pic that includes the radio? I was thinking about buying a set because, like you mentioned, they look like they'd match the radio (I have the same deck you have) but the more I look at them the more it doesn't look like they're what I'm looking for.

Crap, I didn't include the radio did I!? :lol:

I'll try to get one today/tonight. Sorry about that!

it probably woulda been hella easier if you took the dash out

Yeah, for a first time probably, but like I said, I wasn't real comfortable with that type of disconnect at the time, and after the first time I pulled it apart, every time following that has been a snap (just has to do with comfort in knowing what you're doing I guess, hehe) She's also my daily driver, so I couldn't risk doing something that I may not be able to reassemble, know what I mean?

I got some pics tonight, but am fixing to leave for a late movie. Will post pics w/radio when I return.

No hurry.

I didn't even notice the climate control being white....lol

Its not red!!!! How do u read a pontiac guage cluster if its not red!!!!!

Am I the only person that hates the red guage cluster?

I fricken love red guages thats one of the major reasons y i went with a pontiac over any other gm car

lol, actually they're amber, not red.

Eh, they're usually referred to as red, but either way, I can't stand it. Throwing around some new ideas now, since I've decided to not go with the ebay guage thing.

lol I understand though, I really like those amber lights. Will upload pics in a bit

If your guages look amber its because they are faded. Brand new out of the box, they are red. I have wanted to change my guage lights to blue as well because it matches the car inside and out. Unfortunately I have not found a decent way of doing it that will be easy. From what I can tell, I would have to open up the guage cluster and replace the red film with blue.

i would much rather have white (will match future paint schemes)