Anyone interested in being the guinea pig for a set of instrument gauge faces? I've done some work for the 2002-2004 Altimas and starting now on the Maxima and 350Z if possible. These are UV protected and precision laser cut and use polycarbonate/lexan as the substrate.

I've never taken apart a 350Z gauge cluster before, but wanted to know if anyone here has and what it looks like? If it has a bunch of T-5 bases with bulbs behind the gauge face and it is just another template that sits atop those bulbs, then it certainly can be done.

If anyone is interested, reply to this thread.

 

never done it but I have read up on it before... doesnt seem too bad to take it apart no Idea though what it looks like behind it.

what are you offering?

 

Look in the DIY section. There a couple of people who have changed out their LEDs and stuff. Im sure they have an intimate knowledge of the guage cluster after doing something like that. You may want to hit them up for some info

 

I'm offering a discounted gauge face for your time. If there is something you dislike about your current gauge face, either the colors, fonts, or just overall style and something that you'd like to see changed, then let me know.

Obviously the tick marks, numbers, have to be in the same spot, but all the styling and colors around it can change.

I'll go look at the stock gauge layout of a 350Z and see what can be changed around and made to look better. I didn't try that at first.

 

http://www.blackcatcustom.ca/Nissan%20350Z.htm

 

How long?

 

I just need to be able to scan your gauge into the computer, or if you can do it for me that would work as well. I just need the scan to be unmodified and the same size as the gauge itself. So it you have to do two 8x11 scans that would work as well.

 

I just want to get this done quickly, I know about that company already, but the price is a bit high--don't you think?

Does it make a difference with AT or MT? In the Altima, both are different in minor ways, there is a cutout on the AT face for the letters.

Anyway, if anyone wants to be my guinea pig, please let me know, just need scans of your gauge faces. If you want to provide to me, that would be even more convenient or I can just quickly get them, scan them and return them. Hence the desire to do it locally.

 

Not really, since I have a brand new set waiting to be installed. Just posted to give you an idea of what the gauge faces looked like. And I believe they may slightly differ AT v. MT.

 

Appreciate that, I got it off of edmunds.com. However, it only gives me an idea, but is of course not the correct size like a scanned gauge face would be.

Are the BlackCat custom gauge faces all just black and white; I guess the rely on color LEDs behind to change the look.

I'm talking about having different colors, different fonts, different styling, etc... like what I did here:

Stock (not my car, but a representative of an AUTO Altima)


Modified (my car a 5SPD Altima):


Notice the difference?

 

If anyone wants to either scan their gauges, or allow me to use their own for a few minutes to scan it myself, let me know. Just want to get it started and at least have something to show and show the quality of them.

Thanks in advance.

 

Update: Took my car to my install guy to get this done today. Unless you've got special soldering tools you won't be able to do this.

When the main gauge cluster was disassembled we saw two bulbs, but in order to do what I wanted [switch the amber LEDs to blue] he said he'd need a soldering gun that could solder the new LEDs in and suck it out at the same time.
Black Cat Customs and another place I found online actually want you to send them your cluster plus the 3 center gauges and now I understand why. You really have to know what you're doing and need special tools.
Wound up just switching out the old cluster for the new one, but it's still amber.