So i get how to pull it apart and the process makes good sense. Im aiming for a red cluster and HVAC. I will be using red led's but ive heard unless you coat the back of the cluster in glass paint youll get this splotchy effect. well i found this at advance yesterday: http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/web...7CGRP2050_____

could this work? with red lights of course. and second; could this work on my dome light as well. with red bulbs and red sprayed plastic?

 

you can try spraying the back of the overlays with that stuff. If i was doing red instead of blue i'd try red duplicolor metal cast spray paint but my spare cluster is long gone i think

 

i use tamiya clear model paint for mine. clear red on one, clear blue on the other. plus, i already had them in my selection of paint.

 

If you're using colored LEDs, you don't actually need to coat the back of the face with the color. You could actually just do a thin coat of white over the numbers, etc. The colored LEDs have a very pure color and high saturation level, so filtering is not necessary.

 

good info. but Ive always heard and read that LED are very direct. like splotchy effect behind the dash? maybe im wrong.

 

is that dupicolor stuff spray paint? and translucent?

 

If you use wide angle LEDs, you'll get the best coverage. There aren't any plug-n-play replacement bulbs that will give a true even wash throughout the face, but they're getting better.

 

yeah thats what im saying exactly. since none will work perfect then should I also spray the back to ensure best coverage. itll even out the brightness

 

If you do a light coat of white on the back of the gauge face (too much will darken your light altogether) it will help. If the bulbs you're getting have the one on top pointing directly up, the best thing to do is to soften this one a little, as these are the ones that give you the real hotspots because they're pointing straight at the gauge face. There really isn't a good easy way to do this, but most of them have part of the clear plast that protrudes out toward them. Adding some tint to this might help, but it also may make your needles dimmer. I've actually had a bit of luck using the single LED bulbs (big clear plastic dome) and reshaping them with sand paper, making them beveled, and flattening the top, then putting a drop of paint on top. The thing about these is that they don't give off as much light overall as the multiple LED ones, particularly the ones full of SMDs. Assuming you are working on a spare cluster, I would just do a little experimenting until you get the desired results.

 

yup. i used it on my 99's tails because it had the amber turn signal on the top. I sprayed the whole tail light with that stuff to blend it, looked OEM.

 

thanks yall solid recon and report (watching sniper sick movie). but this is my next "big" project, being a full time student my monthly income is sub 100 bucks haha soooooo no big endeavors yet. hopefully bagging a job at advance or auto-z here soon and buying stuff

 

did you do this project? A sticky would be nice.