I really like how my security light can light up a circle on my driver seat. Sure it might attract attention at night but when they look up close, they'll know I have a security system in my car.

 

my god that is sexy

 

oh my car, i know it truely is

 

that shiet is hot, wanna do mine? lol,jk... im thinkin bout doin mine but not really good at soldering and stuff..

 

Sweet, I actually wanted to do the same thing, only opposite (white needles with blue faces). Definitely keep us updated.

 

the first time i ever soldered was when i did this, a week ago.

incubus, will do.

 

Nice work man. I can see you took your time.

 

I need to do this... now how do you do the clock its an LCD ?

 

All you need is some cellophane (go to your local party store) and then read the stickies to see what color you need. I think its red to turn the clock to blue.

 

hey Mendon, great job on the climate control. I finally stumbled upon this thread.
Can't believe I missed it. Modding that thing is a PITA isn't it? I commend you on your work and am always glad to see to new ideas on improving old ones. My write-ups are definitely not set in stone and anybody is welcome to tweak/upgrade/add more leds/etc.. One update on LEDs is that I do not use 5mm LED's anymore, because 3mm are more versatile and are just as bright. Again mendon great job and time well spent.

 

hey thanks man. Yes, i hate taking that thing apart.. i fear im gonna break something every time.. yeah i used all 3mm LEDs.. easier to work with, easier to fit in there..

about your gauges write up.. that was your write up, right? (iirc it was) 97 gauges, and prolly 96 and 95's are different, specifically the speedo gauge. since the 98-99's have a digital trip and odo., theres barely anything going on behind that gauge..my 97 has a manual trip and odo, with physical pieces for each number. this makes behind the speedo gauge VERY BUSY. i can BARELY get an LED in there.. let alone get it to aim where i want it.. theres virtually only one or 2 places you can shove them.. i did so anyway, and it either falls over with car movement or just still isnt right..cus its real dull.. im gonna try to add another one to that one needle. You may want to put in your gauge write up that the 95-97's Speedo is way different than yours, and you have to be very careful. when i do this again, im gonna see if i can take all that crap off back there, but it doesn;t look promising.. sorry to drag on, just thought you should know. thanks for the props.

 

I also noticed this too so I ended up giving up on the LED needles for now. Let us know if you get the speedo needle to light up clearly! I'm willing to try it again if somebody lets me know it's possible.

 

i think the needles are the hardest to light up. i tried every angle and wasn't that bright and couldn't get it to stay put

 

i used black tape like the write up says.. you need to get the bulb AS CLOSE AS POSSIBLE to the needle, practically touch it, without touching it, or affecting its travel at all. i mean jam it up in there. then it looks good.. im pretty sure those bulbs with 4 LEDs per bulb would work better for the needles... i may order like 4 off ebay, then they'll be ridiculous bright like my climate control.. in which case id generally ride around with the dimmer set half way lol

 

i need to do this mod but with my crummy job i dont get enough time off plus escuela :S seems time consuming but fun. i need to do something like this :P. You did badass with the led's making them brighter i love it! Great Job

 

definitely looks good man, i am interested in doin this now as a winter project

 

I just want to ask on the info on the LEDs what were the what is the Luminous intensity that you use for the best results? Let me know please

 

Actually which LEDs are the best to use on the interior lumens wise and what volts should they be? Thanks.

 

i used 12 volt (has to be this) 5000 MCD LEDs

go to ebay, and go to advanced searched, and select 'search by store/user' something like that and the person is "cwithk" (c with k). he has tons of LEDs for sale real cheap

 

that looks very nice how long did it take you and what size led's did you use?

 

Thanks man that helped out a lot cause damn radioshack sells one 5mm LED for 5 bucks!!!! WHAT A RIP OFF!!!!!! I just bought some from that CT wick guy for 10 bucks

 

Any way to make the clock glow blue?

 

naplesmax, the LEDs are 3mm, as mentioned earlier.. oh and because i messed up at first prolly an hour longer than it should have, so id say with tweaking, testing, fitting and building probably anywhere around 4-5 hours.

ptato yea you gotta add some other color, like red or some thing, i guess just test different colors until you find it ? im gonna do white tho, cus a blue clock would be too much blue in my interior IMO

 

thank you i want to do it but it's just going to take me way to long so i guess i'll have to pass on this mod

 

?? lol all the best modifications that are worth it the most take some time man, who cares how long it takes? pick a saturday.. you cant possibly be that busy.

 

looks really good, Wish I had the patience/time to do that!

 

Kick A, Nice, I'm saving this thread :

 

NICE! You've inspired me to do the same! I'm going to use superflux LEDs, hopefully it turns out to be equally as impressive.

 

Looking good, I had a similar thing done to my car over the weekend.

 

really metal? i thought you were ahead of me. this is an old thread too.

superflux leds are what meanbean uses for his gauges, and they look phenominal, im sure the outcome will be great. good luck with the retro

 

Also anyone that has manual climate controls and wants this done, let me know, it can be had for a price. im going to be doing so for org member HarrisH, very soon.

 

I installed the blue 194 bulbs for my gauges but they don't seem to be very bright. How did you guys get your gauges to be so dang bright?

 

you will never really eliminate ALL hotspots using 194 bulbs. you need to use superflux LEDs and a PCB from radio shack. that and lots of testfitting/testing. if thats too much work, there are some expensive 194 bulbs from autolumination.com that can be bought and you will get rid of most hotspots

 

Dint read the entire thread but that looks sweet!!

 

Actually, they can be made quite bright, however you need to remove all of the needles and sand the blue film off of the back of the gauge faces. This makes ALL the difference in the world.

I have my climate control button LEDs done, but I did not mess with the acrylic until...well, today. I have tested some buttons using them and the 45-degree viewing angle REALLY makes a significant difference, although I have to do a fair amount of cutting to the acrylic to make it fit. I'll get some pics up when it's done, but I must tip my hat off to you for the inspiration.

Oh, one other thing, I would suggest using a TO220 voltage regulator and a zener diode on your power supply...your LEDs may burn out prematurley otherwise.

 

ygpm metal. thanks for the help.

 

Anytime, my friend. If you need any additional help, you know how to reach me.

 

Mendon..... Nice Work --- you looking to do more install work??? If so, PM me we are opening up a facility in January...Kenny

 

opening up a facitility? where? in RI? seems interesting....

 

awesome job! Ive always kinda wanted to do something about this, but never really put much thought to it. the light for my **** doesnt even work. haha, i should probably look into doing this.

since you ran into all the hard parts, im sure it wouldnt be too difficult, right? haha