Turn signal and high beam indicators

[jsssgrl1209]

I bought a Stewart Warner 5" speedometer and tach for my 81 corvette and am getting ready to make a custom dash for them.

I am not new to the custom dash thing but would like to do it differently this time. The last time I did a dash the only turn signal and high beam indicators were stupid and ugly just 2 green circles for the right and left turn and a blue circle for the high beams. SO what I did was paint the green circles black and left the shape of green arrows in the center. This was very time consuming and just a pin in the ASS!

Besided the quality of indicators were junk. think all 3 of them cost me 15 dollars.

What are the other options I have? I would like something that looks good and is a better quality.

Once I start finishing up some of my projects on this car. I will be pulling out the seats out again and selling them. So keep an eye out in the future.

 

[Twin_Turbo]

For V-Twins car I drew up some logos for the brake and low fuel lights, printed them on clear sheet. Printed a whole bunch of them, cut them out and laid them over each other so that the black would really be black and stuck a colored light behind them:

 

[jsssgrl1209]

Well first let me say that is alot of gauges!! And I though having 4 of them next to each other was hard to focus on.

I would never be able to look at them, after 5 seconds of staring and trying to figure out which one I want to look at I would say oh well.

Your lights look good, but I am not looking to go through the whole process like you did. It is hard to believe that there are not any nice ones out there from a kit you can just buy.

If I cant find any already made, I will get stuck buying this 5/32 led kit. Not the most beautiful indicator lights but they might have to work.

 

[mrvette]

IF you go to my site there on shutterfly, you see the setup I have done over the years, the console was the first plate, done up north about 15 years ago...the gauge plate was done down here maybe a couple years ago or so....

I went the cheep/available Rat Shack source....wish there were decent electronic parts houses left anymore, but not in Jacksonville Fl.....


the white faces are overlays that looks like shit, and so are up for changeout...I NOT HAPPY with the tach/speedo lack of linearity and overall accuracy....they flat out liars....so been looking for some reasonable instruments to fit my '72 dash....I"m not into fabbing all that vinyl/glass crap, enough with it on the body already.....:drink:

 

[jsssgrl1209]

I clicked on the shuttrefly link but you only have 26 pictures and none of them are of any gauge settup? You have one of those garden setups 2. We had 2 of them when we moved in the new house. I took one out instantly, just something else I would have ended up working on occasionally. SSSSHhhhhhhhh....think the wife is still pissed!!

When I make a gauge setup I usually do it very simple....I have had this corvettes gauges out and apart yet, but here is what I do.

Usually gauges setups can be unscrewed and taken apart in 2 pieces. The front stock bezel attaches to the back stock gauge panel. I cut the back of the gauge panel out completely allowing my new gauges the neede space to stick through and I just add a nice piece of whatever I am using..(black plastic, stained wood etc) in between the 2 halves. The piece will already have all my holes to mount the signals and gauges in. And I fasten everything back together with the new gauges and using the original lense assemblies. So it looks decent.

I will post pics when I do this settup. Might start it next week. Depends when I get my damn transmission back.....Thanks alot Tick Shift Performance still waiting!!!!!

 

[mrvette]

Shit, thought I had a better pix posted there, i'ts old....under the album photo by Eugene, you see one called work in progress.....

that shows the console, my flashing lights, and NASA style switch panel for all sorts of crap....HVAC, cruise, lights, garage door opener built in, the lights are arranged to flash in firing order, so the red ones flicker, the blue light above them are for the FI banks A&B, the Check engine light and the fuel pump light....

sorry one of the center gauge panel, it's just a bent up aluminum plate with just gauges and lights on it....alt and fan on.....plus a sonalert I have not hooked up yet...that's for telling sleepy time ME to look at the fucking gauges, there is trouble afoot.....

:devil::smash:

 

[Twin_Turbo]

Well first let me say that is alot of gauges!! And I though having 4 of them next to each other was hard to focus on.

That's why the important ones have a warning led that illuminates when something is not right, oil pressure and water temp

 

[jsssgrl1209]

"work in progress"

Mr Vette...........I looked at your pic called work in progress, I didnt catch it at first glance, was looking for a close up pic of gauges or the console plate.

It looked pretty good, I wouldnt have to change the gauges in my car, but the t56 6 speed cahnges the speedometer from mechanical to a vss signal.

So that is the reason I have to do all this crap. I could have bought a converter box to convert the speedometer cable but got a great deal on my Stewart warner gauges on ebay. So this is the road I am travelling.

 

[jsssgrl1209]

started the gauge swap on my 1981

First you take the stock gauges out of the car and take it all apart....... There is not much to expalin here it is very simple.


Next I like to cut off the back of the gauge panel, done carefully with a grinder, hacksaw and a file. Make sure you dont cut off any mounting holes you will need to use. I chose to use the stock holes and screws for the 81 gauge cluster to mount the panel to.


The next step is to make a panel that will mount to the existing modified cluster and hold the new gauges and lights. I found a nice thin, but strong piece of laminate.


The last step after everything is mounted and fits nicely is to disassemble everything and paint it how you like. I will get more pics once all my paint is dry and the setup is back together.

Total time involved.......3 hours.

I still need to decide on which turnsignal and high beam indicators I will use to finish the project.

 

[big2bird]

First you take the stock gauges out of the car and take it all apart....... There is not much to expalin here it is very simple.


Next I like to cut off the back of the gauge panel, done carefully with a grinder, hacksaw and a file. Make sure you dont cut off any mounting holes you will need to use. I chose to use the stock holes and screws for the 81 gauge cluster to mount the panel to.


The next step is to make a panel that will mount to the existing modified cluster and hold the new gauges and lights. I found a nice thin, but strong piece of laminate.


The last step after everything is mounted and fits nicely is to disassemble everything and paint it how you like. I will get more pics once all my paint is dry and the setup is back together.

Total time involved.......3 hours.

I still need to decide on which turnsignal and high beam indicators I will use to finish the project.

Go to a REAL electonics store. There are ALL kinds of 12v panel mout lamps and LEDS. You don't need arrows. Mounted upper left and right, you'll know what they are.

 

[mrvette]

Bird, a REAL electronics store don't exist in Jax region.....none that I have located....used to be a .mil surplus store down the street, but he went outta business, shame, had I known, I would have bought the joint from him.....

so all we have is Rat Shack.....and mail order.....up north there were 2 of them, and they are missed....

:drink::gurney:

 

[BBShark]

It looked pretty good, I wouldnt have to change the gauges in my car, but the t56 6 speed cahnges the speedometer from mechanical to a vss signal.

So that is the reason I have to do all this crap. I could have bought a converter box to convert the speedometer cable but got a great deal on my Stewart warner gauges on ebay. So this is the road I am travelling.

I would like to see what you did to get the VSS working :thumbs:

 

[jsssgrl1209]

What do you mean vss working???

First, I bought a set of 5/32 LED lights for turn signals and high beam indicators. They should be in shortly. Ebay to the rescue there.

As far as a vss goes it is so simple. The speedometer I have in the picture is a Programable Elecetronic Speedo. I have all the connectors on my t56 transmission, so all you have to do is........2 wires coming from the VSS, take the wire that sends the signal and hook it up to your speedo.

I have a button for my speedo that I hit and I have to drive it exactly 1 mile and it takes the signal from the trans and automatically sets itself up. If you look at my pics of the gauges closely you will see the button. I mounted it directly inbetweent the speedo and tach.

I know it is confusing, but Hey, who understands how some electronics do what they do anyway? This is not my first t56 swap and with the last one I did the same thing. Just bought a very expensive programmable electronic speedometer. This Stewart Warner speedo was around 280.00

You always have the option of sucking it up and buying the following http://www.atrol.com/cablex.htm

I have heard that they work, but have a few draw backs....under 25mph they are fairly inaccurate and the box has a motor in it that drives your mechanical cable which is said to make a humming noise. Think they cost around $320

I hope I answered your question

 

[jsssgrl1209]

Finished the gauges. Finally got the turn signal L E D lights. Chose to use a red LED for high beams, to match the red lights in the gauges. Here is what they look like. I decide against using the stock factory clear plastic cover. Thought it would look more custom with out it.

Also took out the factory screws on the top part of the bezel and used nice stainless screws.

 

[mrvette]

jsss, where you find those tach/speedo??? are they about 5"?? look like it....

I have looked and looked, and gave UP.....

now I"m fraid of the price....and where/how...

h::bonkers:

 

[jsssgrl1209]

There are actually alot of 5" tachs n speedos. I found a bunch.

They tachs are around 150- 180 for in dash. The speedometers are usually 230-260 for electric and 150-180 for mechanical if you buy them from jegs or summit.

I won them both off ebay, both were brand new in the box. speedo cost me 70 and tach cost me 80.

The guy actually did a poor job listing the speedometer and it was very easy to win the auction. He wrote that is was an electronic speedometer, when it actually is an electric.
Huge difference when people search for items.

A couple questions about the gauges you are looking for....Do they have to be 5" and do you need an electric or mechanical speedometer?