yeah I concur, I started my gauge install, but have been having some severe shoulder pain due to torn Labrum tissue. I have an MRI scheduled but not till the 15th then I have to wait till the 5th of Feb to see the Orthopedic surgeon. I'll be putting up with this D$#mn bike accident and it repercussions for months more to come. So anyway, I pulled the gauge cluster and started the work on mounting the billet specialties 6 gauge panel to the steel dash. I quickly realized that I don't have the patience to rework the steel dash to accept the billet panel alone. I have instead gone with mounting the billet panel to the raveged plastic stock gauge panel. I cut the plastic for a preliminary fit and haven't went back to it in a couple of days, maybe tomorrow. My 10mm blue high intesity leds are here and I've trial fitted one to a 194 socket and installed it, with 9 volts it lights the gauge well with a nice blue color. with 12 volts it is even a little brighter and quite easy to see the light even in room light. So I'm thinking this will work out well in all the 2 1/16" gauges. I'm not sure how well the single led will work on the larger speedo and tach as they only have provisions for one led. I would like to add more as I have 4 extra leds, but I'm not sure I am willing to start drilling holes into my new Autometer gauges! I am sanding the tips of the leds with 320 grit paper this does help the light diffuse better out the sides. I might try some deflectors for the tips if I need to. I haven't really got far into it yet. I've a lot of work going to the full aftermarket gauges with tach and electronic speedo. It'll be while! I think it will be worth it in the end. -- Mark Price markprice242ATadelphia.net Morgantown, WV ---- Tom Jennings <tomj@xxxxxxx> wrote: > On Sat, 30 Dec 2006, Keith wrote: > > > > > Since I had the dash out, I hooked up 12VDC to the dash light circuit. I first checked to see how hot the 168 bulbs (2 CP) got by holding them in my hand. I then did the same with the 192 bulbs (3 CP). The 192 bulbs were warm like the 168's, but not hot to the touch. Certainly not a conclusive test, but I suspect if I can hold them, then the platic indicator covers shouldn't melt (I think). Guess I will find out. BTW, the 192, made the dash backlighting real nice. > > Whenever I've taken dash gauges apart, they're usually darkened > by dust and smoke pumped through them by hot air off the > lamps. It's really noticiable; lots of sooty dust around the > lamps, more over than under. Most of it washes off, some is > permanently affixed to the plastic and sometimes aluminum. The > cheap plastics used also discolor from lamp heat and age. > > When I re-did the gauges in my Hornet, I scrubbed and repainted > stuff. I'm moving to all-LED internal lighting (requiresd > makin diffusers etc). I did the center heater/AC control in > LEDs (edge-lit plexiglas) and the white LED color makes the > factory style light bulbs -- new bulbs and cleaned plastic -- > look like dim yellow camp fires. > > > It's funny this contrast. I really like the old stuff, which > is generally dim, yellowish incandescent lamps, subdued colors, > mechanical pointers... but I also like the bright, crisp modern > LED stuff (when its not cheap flat-panel silkscreened plastic) > but the juxtaposition of those two, in the same car, just > looks awful. Gotta go one or the other. > > _______________________________________________ > AMC-List mailing list > AMC-List@xxxxxxxxxxxx > http://www.amc-list.com/mailman/listinfo/amc-list > > or go to http://www.amc-list.com _______________________________________________ AMC-List mailing list AMC-List@xxxxxxxxxxxx http://www.amc-list.com/mailman/listinfo/amc-list or go to http://www.amc-list.com