Cool Custom Gauge, How-To Options

[Defgeph]

Custom gauges

I wish I had a scanner... I hope one of you use this How-to.

DEF

This post has been edited by defgeph: Sep 14, 2004 - 9:25 PM

[blkGT]

Thats bad asssss

[fastgt]

found my new project

[yellowxboy]

woah! thats sweet!!!

[DamDirtyApes]

very sweet

[Defgeph]

if you try this, I've heard that paper shines light through. so try to find a different material to print on. Maybe thick paper, like poster boards would work.

This post has been edited by defgeph: Sep 14, 2004 - 9:24 PM

[lagos]

it would have to be thin enought for the needles not to rub tho

[Digndoug]

simply use photo paper, its very solid, but still thin.. and it will look a lot beter ... thats sweet now I need to find a printer. .. Im just thinking of making white afce gauges..

[Jen]

Wow, that's awesome.

[Drocay]

thats awsome.

[celimanST]

that is sweet

[creis]

Wow never realized how easy that would be, only hard thing is printing it out to scale, and taking the guages out withough busting the needles.

I got my next project, as soon as I get time.

[Drocay]

well if u set your scanner to scale and do it in photoshop the proportions wont change.

[turboinduction]

And since we all have the same car, if someone can just post a copy of their scan - we all can just use that one.

[trdevelopment]

yeh i would like one with a trd logo on it i think that would sik.

[celicarocker]

[ghostdog]

hmmm I wonder if I could do this over reverse indiglos... I don't see why not

[Defgeph]

I think you have to set ur scanner to 300dpi. that should be the right size

[Drocay]

its just a minimum of 300dpi if u want a good resolution pic when your done.

[97Celica]

I'd make crash scenes of Honda Civics as my custom gauge..aha

[x_itchy_b_x]

[frosty]

Now the only thing is for people not to copy each other

[95gtschick]

that looks really sweet, i think i'm gonna have to try that sometime

[amysmojo]

I wonder how good this would look as a dashboard background? hmm

[Drocay]

i think its a bit dark.

[amysmojo]

[Drocay]

haha true

[amysmojo]

[Digndoug]

Has any one tried scanning the gauges in yet?? cause i dont have acces to a nice scaner.. .. if someone scans it, please post it so i could use it.. Thanks a bunch..

[amysmojo]

[Drocay]

thanx that would be great.

[Jen]

There are some great wallpapers at deviantart.com - but I would advise asking the owners permission before taking their stuff.

[amysmojo]

Ok I took my dash apart yesterday so I could scan the gauges, but when I got to the point of removing the needles (the caps anyway) I found they didnt want to budge. I dont want to take a chance messing them up by force them off, so does anyone have any tips on how to remove these suckers? As soon as I get them removed I can scan & post!

Oh ya just a side comment......while I had everything apart I saw that theres 2 little thick green plastic pieces that make the turn signals blink green. They pop out easily SO I found some thick blue plastic to replace them....& now my turn signals blink blue...Woohoo....I guess yesterday wasn't a complete waste haha......

Ok really though how do I remove those needle parts? grrr!


***** I forgot to ask if it matters that I have a 99?? Anyone else w/ a 99 ever removed their needles??*****

This post has been edited by amysmojo: Sep 19, 2004 - 12:16 PM

[WannabeGT4]

If I remember right you have to use the head of a nail to get under the cap and pry it up.

[Drocay]

dont worry about needles scan with them on and we'll photoshop them out.

[amysmojo]

Ok I got them pulled off but theres a new problem!! 2 of the gauge pieces have a skinny little black point for the needles to rest on when the cars not on etc....They wont come off (well they could come off by force but then Id never get them back on again) So I am not sure how to scan when the 2 gauge pieces wont lay flat & these black things cant be removed. Grrr! So CLOSE lol

Those black things brings up another question.....if we replace our stock gauges w/ these paper print outs....what the heck will the needles rest on? Maybe they dont need to rest on anything? Oooh boy...I hope someone else has scanned theirs by now cause Im about to give up lol

[amysmojo]

[WannabeGT4]

just prop up the other side to the same height and scan it then print a test page and see if they turned out alright. once it's scanned in it can be resized and touched up in photoshop.

[amysmojo]

One thing at a time....Ok Im not sure how to post the scanned images of the gauge face because.....the FULL SIZE scan is waaaay too big. Should I just shrink it down & just let you guys resize it to your needs? Im at work so I will have to post the actual scans after work (its 7:30amPT right now & im off at 1:30pmPT)

Anyway, heres what I did yesterday, its just a sample picture. Not the perminant one. I printed it all on 1 page just so I could test it out. I dont have any night time pics yet, sorry! I'll have to do that today as well...Oh as you can see I decided to leave the 2 side stock pieces on. They scanned way too dark so I decided to just leave them there! Ooh & you can also see my blue blinkers I made haha

[Drocay]

that looks fabulousssssssssssssss. great job.

[Defgeph]

nice i can wait to see it at night

[Digndoug]

if you can post it, Save your scaned file as a zip, and try and host it somewhere, then post the file to download.. Thanks, and looks realy nice..

[amysmojo]

OK I think I figured out how to post these suckers, I put them in my yahoo briefcase. Here you go I hope this works for ya (side note! the 2 side pieces scanned really dark...you may not wanna use them, I didnt!):

Scanned gauge images

[Drocay]

thanx, looks great.

[Digndoug]

why is it not working any more.. humm.. maybe to much bandwidth or somthin

[WannabeGT4]

nvm it's working for me now.

This post has been edited by WannabeGT4: Sep 20, 2004 - 9:24 PM

[jontechie]

[Coomer]

I went ahead and hosted the images here on the server for everyone to access.

Round Gauges

Triangle-ish Sides

[jontechie]

How easy is it to remove the needles off the guages, just asking as the last
person to try this on my speedo wrecked the speedo. Can't use the posted template as the GT4 layout is different..


Jon

[amysmojo]

[jontechie]

Sorry bout that dumbass question, I didn't bother to read through all the posts

[Consynx]

do you have a night pic?
im curious how the light gets through those, and if you make the triangles...how are you supposed to do that.

[amysmojo]

[Tru_Pol]

This is toooooooo nice!

I am doing the same thing with my plastics around my radio and all. Just have to get colors right.

J-

[Digndoug]

it looks really nice, but I think that would be way to much to look at when you just need to know you speed an such...

You think there would be a way to make white face gauges??

[trdevelopment]

that is so nice is there some other pictures we can get that would look great to do this to?

This post has been edited by trdevelopment: Sep 26, 2004 - 1:56 PM

[amysmojo]

[Exile04]

and why didnt u use the girl pose???

i would use it but since i dont have photoshop or anythign like that i can print it right now or i would use it

This post has been edited by Exile04: Sep 27, 2004 - 12:04 AM

[doGGy]

WOOOHHAAA, my car on someones gauges ) Nice

There are few thing then dealing with cluster, if you guys dont wanna F. it up just ask

Actually removing the needles is the main head ake. Cuz if you just pull them, insted of relising them from the stoper, and just put them on (avoiding the spring tension) your needles will read way to high...

im trying to write a how to on this, or maybe i will just post here, that everyone could read and learn


well, here it goes HOW TO REMOVE NEEDLES CORECTLY!!!:


1. STEP *removing the KMH or MPH gauge needle.
first of all you need to release needle from the small bar what stops it. (nuber 1 in the 1 step pic). It is first easy step, you need just to lift easily the end of the needle and take it over that bar. Then you took the needle over this bar, release it so it will eventualy turn back and it will toucht the second bar(numer 2 in the 1 step pic) (the bigger one with witch you drop the miles or km to zero ). Now to avoid this bar it is kinda hard but it can be done. Same proces as before, you lift the end of the needle as much as you can (do this easy, very easy, and try to feel how much more the needle could handle), and with other hand try to lean the bar to your side as much as you can and at the same time try to take the needle over this bar. It is kinda sceary procces, but i'v done like 6 gauges before, and none of them there broken and all of the there showing same KM/h after reasembling. After you jumped through these bars, release the needle and watch how much it will turn more to the right. I would recoment to put the gauge in horizontal position and let the needle slow dowl compleatly till it stops. Then take some marker pen or somthing and MARK the place (number 3 in step 2 picture) there the end of the needle stoped.

Well, to put the needles back it is the same process only backwards

The RPM gauge is easyer, cuz there is no second bar

And the TEMP and FUEL gauges are easy too, you just need to mark the place there the needle are in OFF position (i personaly mark this place with some small sharp thing (the metal needle will do the job).

and whats it i think about the cluster, work safe, and dont blame me if you brake somthing, this is just the friendly advice NOT A COMPLEATE DIRECTIONS.

This post has been edited by doGGy: Sep 27, 2004 - 7:59 AM

[amysmojo]

[shadycrew31]

hmm looks like i should have read the posts earlier. when im doin 60 my gauge says 70. and it looks like my rpms shot up. can you fix that or am i screweed. dam those gauges are tight.

[95_celi_deluxe]

wow this is harder than i thought it would be....i got all the needles off except the fuel and engine heat ones off, any suggestions on those?

[95_celi_deluxe]

ok i did it all and got all the needles back on, but now im having some needle stickage. i did a search threw the forums and i think i may have just put the needles back on too tight, so later im going to try to wiggle them looser...i haope this works cause being stuck at 80 mph when im stopped and being at 20mph when im at 80 isnt cool...they always unstick themselves so i know nothing is broken.....oh yea i didnt glue or tape down the pic so its loose...could it be sticking on that?

[amysmojo]

Ya the needles can be a pain in the ass but I think its all worth it haha.

Just try not to put them back on tight, dont push down too hard. I found it easier putting them back on by having the gauges connected in the car w/ the key turned so I can see where the needles should jump up to.

[95_celi_deluxe]

ahh good idea amy...always thinkin on your feet i see...hey was i supposed to glue these new gauges right onto the onld ones? or what did you do because yours look very bright

[Consynx]

it'd just cut them like aftermarket gauges and slip them over the needles

if you've ever baught indiglos they can slide over the needle and still not have a hole bigger than your pt of view...

as for sticking, try some perminent double sided tape. it'll fix it right up, as long as your gauges aren't bent.

[amysmojo]