I was switching out my instrument cluster and saw the clear light bulbs in the back. Does anyone here used colored bulbs? Or do they even exist for our cars at this point? I was thinking of like a cool blue or something like that.

I think our cars get the orange look because the instrument panel's back is painted orange. The light reflects this color to the gauges so changing the bulb color will give you strange results. You need to remove the orange first.

spray over the orange with rattle can chrome bumper paint.. then use colored bulbs
there is some orange in the actual guage overlays however as the first time I made my own overlays they lit up more yellowish and I had to add a color filter behind to match it up

I have custom white face gauges and I have a button to switch from green to blue light and to dim and brighten it. I like it a lot better then the stock orange and its much brighter and easier to see. I don't know if you can change the color on the stock gauges though. Let us know if you try.

Angie

what about the heater/AC lighting?

it can be done.. its a matter of how much work you want ot put into it.. the easiest is to go all red since things are already tinded orange the red will overpower it

but if you try for blue you will get green etc. without replacing some things

quote Originally posted by FieroAngel: I have custom white face gauges and I have a button to switch from green to blue light and to dim and brighten it. I like it a lot better then the stock orange and its much brighter and easier to see. I don't know if you can change the color on the stock gauges though. Let us know if you try. Angie

Do you care to send me the info on How you did this please.

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88 GT, 3800SC, Getrag 5sp., fastest one in Austin,Texas and surrounding areas.........so far

quote Originally posted by revin: Do you care to send me the info on How you did this please.

A friend got the gauges off ebay for me. They were just reverse glow white face gauges for a fiero. I took the old ones out and put these in. I think they were like $40. If I remember after dark I'll go out and take a pic of them for you. I don't have the a/c one though so its the stock color.
Found some like mind for you http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=7960204359&category=43952&sspagename=WDVW

Angie

[This message has been edited by FieroAngel (edited 03-09-2005).]

those reverse glow (blue) ones are so cool..I hate the orange red thats stock. hmm...

If you just add a red filter will it all go red? Because that is part of the color scheme im shooting for

i got the same ones from the link FieroAngel posted above. i also scraped the orange paint off the needles and painted them flourescent blu to match. i don't have any pics yet but i'll post them when i do.

Just noticed the ones on ebay are only MPH. Looks like theres none in KM's

I took appart the cluster. Took out all the bulbs. Glued LEDs, (6-8 for the larger gauges and 2 for the gas and temp) along the rim of the gauge (out of sight when the cover is back on). I then hooked the leds up to the light bulb power.

I used blue LEDs. What happened was only the writeing was lit up blue. the rest of the gauges did not light up because they are flat black, only the white letters showed up blue. Looked extremely good.

If you look at the gauges that are listed on ebay, it looks like the first line indicating the empty mark does not light up? The line is on the guage face itself but it doesnt look like it lights up.........that would really annoy me.

www.speedhut.com does custom work on reverse glow gauges... i bought some off of ebay. Much cheaper, but if oyu want to do KMH or any logos speedhut is wonderful.

hey angel, did you use the aux guage sheet out of your guage set?... if not i'll buy it from you , the solder joints on mine broke.. grrr and repairing didnt work needless to say

Good responses!

Does anyone know if they make multicolored bulbs that u can just use to replace the clear OEM's?

quote Originally posted by GiddyUp85GT: Good responses! Does anyone know if they make multicolored bulbs that u can just use to replace the clear OEM's?

You can get all sorts of bulbs to replace the stock clear ones red, blue yellow etc. But it won't do you any good. As has been said above the light has to shine through a red or orange overlay that's part of the cluster and not removable. I know as I just pulled out a bunch of blue bulbs that the previous owner had put in the cluster. They made some of the gauges light up a sickly white and looked like crap.
But if you want to try it I think the bulbs are 194's or the same type as used for the interior lighting in the footwells. They just snap into a plastic socket and then twist into the clusters circuit board

[This message has been edited by GT-maniac (edited 03-12-2005).]

FYI, we're in the process of changing the I/P lighting to blue. Michigan winters provide all the time for experimentation. After lots of forum searches here's what I pieced together..

Start with ElGlo from SpeedHut as fieromadman noted.
http://www.speedhut.com/el_detail.asp?catagory=PONTIAC&auto_number=251&bhcp=1
https://www.fiero.nl/forum/Archives/Archive-000002/HTML/20030531-1-023602.html
High quality, looks great.

Re-paint the backside of the I/P as Koburn advised to change the odometer color.
https://www.fiero.nl/forum/Archives/Archive-000001/HTML/20040710-2-045912.html

Remove & re-paint the gauge needles with flourescent paint.
https://www.fiero.nl/forum/Archives/Archive-000001/HTML/20020208-2-011815.html
https://www.fiero.nl/forum/Archives/Archive-000001/HTML/20030531-2-029430.html

Tried colored replacements for the #194 bulbs. Easy to find locally, here's what they look like:
http://silverimageracing.com/pd_194_blue.cfm
They don't illuminate the blue needles well.
Lot's of warnings against using a brighter bulb -- see Ogre's cave.

Check out the 6-wedge LEDs (search on 194) here:
http://www.superbrightleds.com/1157.htm
Work great but expensive.

There's a small light in the HVAC that illuminates the push buttons. The light is directed thru a clear plactic overlay. This overlay is also painted orange. The orange comes off easily with paint thinner. Use the same fluorescent paint as for the needles. Works fine but color not as vibrant as the needles.

Last but not least are the orange idiot lights. These are a PITA as you'll see here:
https://www.fiero.nl/forum/Archives/Archive-000002/HTML/20040710-1-036100.html
We're experimenting by printing the icons using a PC to an inkjet printer on Apollo Transparency Film. Black bacground, blue foreground. WIP (work in progress) but looks promising.

Hope this helps.

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Steve, 87 Fiero GT, Getrag w/Ultimate Shift Kit, Street Dreams drop spindles, Poly mounts, KYBs, Borla exhaust, Pioneer audio, DashScan

gtmaniac i'll have to spray over the orange to be certain

Slagrec1 you should get an accomation for all that reserach, great info we all thank you