Cascade Crew

[Al Hasse]

I had this wild idea that I wanted the interior lights for gauges and dash to be red instead of white and came up with this

I took the faceplate off from the semi-stock radio in my 89 this afternoon to figure out how to change the color of the backlight on the controls. Changing the bulbs was out of the question, they're soldered to the circuit board behind the faceplate as you can see here...



I took the faceplate apart further and saw how the light gets through the buttons and switches, then used model paint to color the backs of buttons and other spots the light shows through...



End result is red labels on everything when lighted from behind. I did the same to my defrost switch. I colored the bulb behind the HVAC controls, but it needs an LED now and so do the gauges

[Schultzy89GTA]

That looks cool Al.

-Schultzy

[83Z28BlackBetty]

That looks awesome! I need to do something to my interior lights. Everything is really dim at night. I'll pick your brain sometime about it. ~JAKE

[Al Hasse]

The gauge cluster is pretty easy to brighten up. The lights reflect off the back of the metal bezel around all the gauges. Stock, it's painted a light powder blue, just repaint it a bright reflective color like gloss white or metallic silver - I painted mine silver, then the front side is red to give me red rings around the gauges.

I only have a picture of the front, but the back of this piece is silver

[GREG DAVIDSON]

thats good work and good thinking ! looks really good ! wish you could change the colors on aftermaket cd players

[83Z28BlackBetty]

How hard is it to take that bezel off? Do you need to mess with the steering column?

[Al Hasse]

Eight torx screws in the front, then you have the lens and bezel which are held in with small hex head screws, 5.5mm. It all comes out the front and the only thing left holding the cluster in is the speedo cable and a pair of 10mm nuts down where the brake, seat belt, choke, lights are

[GREG DAVIDSON]

just like my firebird wow they did do everything almost exact on the two styles huh

[Al Hasse]

[GREG DAVIDSON]

no i meant the way the inst cluster is held together i new the radio was out of a newer rig

[Al Hasse]

OIC

[Twilightoptics]

Those two nuts that holds the gauge cluster use a 10mm socket. They are sheet nuts.

Nice job Al. That looks really sharp. I'd like to do that to my HVAC controls too. How hard was it to take the cover of those off and what paint did you use?

I've got LED bulbs running my Autometer gauges. Something to match would be sweet in the HVAC.

[Al Hasse]

In the HVAC, I just have a colored bulb, but an LED would be better (one of those #194 wide angle 5 LED assemblies). I've been toying with the idea of removing the plastic "lens" which the light shines through and somehow color it, but I need to first remove the ends from the slider controls. After that it looks pretty easy just to snap it out. The defrost switch was really easy, just take it out, pop the top, color the back side of the label and reassemble.

Timed exposure kind of enhanced the not very much light showing through the HVAC area. It lights up just enough to where you can see it in the dark.

The paint I used was a Testors model paint, I wanted to use a tail light paint, but the hobby shop I went to would have had to order it. I used a regular red that I already had.

[iansane]

That's sweet, Al.

[cameron7710]

thats cool i still need to replace all my gauge lights but last tuime i tryed i got couldnt get the speedo cable off then it started to rain and i had to put it back togeaher

[Al Hasse]

Your 92 should be electronic shouldn't have a speedo cable (90-92). After removing the screws holding the gauges in, just lower the column a little and they should come right out. You should only have 4 lights for gauge illumination (the 89 has 11), plus the ones for all the indicators.

[cameron7710]

ok ill try that