LamboClone - The Premier Site for Lamborghini Replica Builders
How To - Tips => Electrical => Topic started by: lamboman on September 19, 2012, 05:43:06 PM
-
any photos or videos
lamboman
or Michael
-
Welcome...
-
::bounce
thanks
-
?....???
::study
Don't get it!
-
::zzzzz I seem to have missed something here. ::scratch ::scratch ::scratch .......and if you call within the next 5 minutes, we will also send 2 of the wingbat remover wrenches. Yes, you heard right! Two for only $19.95 plus S&H.
Jim
-
I'm gonna go out on a limb here, so here goes.........
First, make a guage mounting panel out of 1/8" plexiglass. It should be the same size and shape as the instrument guage face, plus whatever extra you need to mount it in the sharkmouth.
Once thats cut to size, lay the guage face over it, and mark the center point of each guages needle pivot. Drill those out to whatever size you need for the needle shaft to protrude through the plexi unobstructed.
Now, take each guage and hold it in place from behind the plexi, and mark with a sharpie where you need to drill to insert screws to attach the guage to the plexi. Do this for each of the guages, tachometer and speedometer. Once they are all mounted, flip the plexi over and trace the shape of each guage body onto the back of the plexi with a sharpie.
Now remove all the guages. Be sure to label each one with what it is, and which side faces up. Now take your guage face and tape it in place on the face side of the plexi. Hold it up to the light and trace each of the guages areas that need to be illuminated. Now you will have the illumination area, and the guage body areas marked on the back. You will need these shapes in order to cut your electroluminescent panels (available on Ebay) to fit. Trace these shapes onto a piece of paper and cut them out, and then use those a s cutting template for the EL panels.
The EL panels can be held in place from behind many different ways, I used a second piece of plexi cut to shape slightly larger than each template, and then captured the EL sheet between the guage mounting panel and them to hold the EL sheet in place. I made them slightly larger than the EL sheet so that I had room to run screws through around the edges without perforating the EL panel.
Remember, guages need to be mounted to the plexi guage mounting panel, so the plexi that sandwiches the EL sheet need to be cut like a donut to fit around the guage body, and not so that the guage body mounts to them. The reason is, the pivot needles (especially on Fiero guages) do no protrude very far out of the guage, so you want to keep the mounting panel as thin as possible so there is enough of the pivot needle passing through to press the indicator needle onto.
I'll skip the wiring and warning light mounting for now, thats builders choice and there are 846 different ways to do it.
So now, we move on to the guage face mounting. There are sever types to choose from, IKR sells one, and so do I. You need to have this before you start anything on this project, for reasons spelled out in the beginning of this post.
My guage faces come on a self adhesive mylar, just peel and stick. Since I dont know how IKR'r mount, i'll explain how I did mine.
Take a very thin (1/16" ) sheet of clear PVC and peel the backing from the guage face. Mount the face to the PVC, working out all the bubbles as you go, much like you do when applying window tint. Now take the guage mounting face and place it over the guage face and center it where it needs to be so everything lines up. Trace the shape of the mounting face on the guage face, then cut it to the same shape. Now move it to the front and make sure it fits. This can either be held in place with a few pieces of thin double stick tape, or by capturing it between the guage mounting face and sharkmouth.
There are several other minor things that need to be done, but I wont get into them right now, especially because i'm not even sure if this topic is what you're asking about!
-
Murci me can we just ship you a fiero cluster and have you work your magic turning it into a lambo Lookalike cluster ? How much?
-
Murcime is usually extremely busy so I doubt it, Or else believe me he would have my car right now lol
-
thank you, I did get the gm wiring from the post. Question are you using fiero gauges or other gm gauges?
Help with the digital read out for gear selector position on the murci dash. Does anyone have this wired and working? Looking for a parts list and how to.
-
I am getting a custom LCD for my instrument cluster.. =)
if any one would like one let me know so i can see if i can get u another one..
-
Murci-me's method is exactly right. My guy apparently mounted the gauges First and then tried to apply the face. I have bubbles now and the face is ruined. I have custom gauges but my car came with a camaro cluster and you can't get any cheaper than that. If I were to do it again I would use the $20 camaro gauges from a salvage yard that just plug into the Fiero wiring installed in murci-me's way. If I stopped there I would either have to live with the gauges looking ok but not displaying the correct rpm and speed or find a way to get them right. Dakota digital? I had to use the oil temp gauge on this face for my voltmeter.
-
I am getting a custom LCD for my instrument cluster.. =)
if any one would like one let me know so i can see if i can get u another one..
is it plug and play? how much?
-
Its very simple to do, yet very time consuming. Mounting the guages doesn't take much time, its the wiring and circuit board construction for the trouble lights thats alot of work.
My guage face does not have the trouble lights in the same location as the OEM faces, mine run across the top of the face all in a row. I like it better that way, its easier to make and all the icons are up high in your line of sight, not hidden by the steering wheel.
All my guages are Fiero. I did that so that everything wires up the same without any guesswork of compatability. If you're building on a Fiero with a Fiero engine, it only makes sense to use what was designed for the car.
I have the dot matrix in the upper center of the guage face. There are many ways to make this work, but if you go with a "off the shelf" display, you will need the circuitry to drive it as well. I made my own display with micro size L.E.D's, and then came up with a driver board using diodes.
The complete working guage face (without the dot matrix display)would cost about $650 if I were to build it, as long as you supplied the guages. It takes about 30 hours to build.
-
i wish some one wood jest make one plug an play ill buy it asap
-
So, what exactly do you guys want? I can make working guage clusters for anybody who wants them. They will have my guage face, unless you send me the one you want to use. As far as the Fiero guages go, you can send me yours to be installed or I can get them from the junkyard and you pay the cost (usually around $50 for the 6 guages). If you want them to light up, you'll need to send me the 12v electroluminescent panels (available on Ebay, 2 req'd), and its a $30 charge to cut and install them.
The best price I could do is $230 plus parts (guages, EL panels, wiring harnesses). This would not include the dot matrix shift display. You would have to mount it to your pod/shark mouth (trim). If you dont have either of those, I could supply them finished (send me your leather or vinyl) for additional $150.
If you want to see what my cluster looks like, I can make a video or you can look at the one Vf1skullangel posted.
☆★☆★☆★☆☆★☆★☆★☆☆★☆★☆★☆☆★☆★☆★☆☆★☆★☆★☆☆★☆★☆★☆☆★☆★☆★☆☆★☆★☆★☆☆★☆★☆★☆
Link for EL panels: http://www.ebay.com/itm/5-x6-EL-Panel-Sheet-Pad-Back-Light-Display-Backlight-W-/271149639823?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item3f21c7288f&vxp=mtr (http://www.ebay.com/itm/5-x6-EL-Panel-Sheet-Pad-Back-Light-Display-Backlight-W-/271149639823?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item3f21c7288f&vxp=mtr)
-
murci-me im in but i have a 3800sc in mine
-
Are you built on a Fiero?
-
yes 86 fiero
-
No worries at all then ;)
-
Hi Murcie Me
Can you please email me at pjkovach@comcast.net?
I have the gauges, your gauge display sheet/decal, EL sheet and power supplies that came with them, etc.
My dash and center console are black and grey, but I was going to do my pod/housing in carbon fiber.
You said $230 for building it with my parts
I am in and would love you to do it!
I haven't gotten my new housing from Rob, so that is the bummer - but hopefully will have it soon
What do I need to do for you to build it ? :)
Thank you!!!
Peter
-
I know this hasn't been topic for awhile, but I had to rewire some stock Fiero gauges this weekend and thought this might help. I didn't think to take pics until after the gauges was back in the car and I wasn't taking them back out sorry. I did all the pics from my phone so they're not the greatest, any questions just ask. P.S. Didn't do the pinout for the speedo since it just plugs right in. Thanks Charles
-
Were you making murcielago gauges by any change?If so, would you sell a complete set?
-
Sorry was not making Murcielago gauges, but with this pin out and a template of the Murcielago gauges you could easily make them yourself. I know at one time IKR and Murci-Me both sold the template and I believe at one point Murci-Me would build and sell them as a complete set.