Home Made Indiglo Install...
Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 465
From: Tampa, FL
Home Made Indiglo Install...
Ok, guys. Check out page one of my web site. It has a pic of my speedometer at night. The picture isn't GREAT, but is a LOT BRIGHTER, and VERY NICE. I LOVE IT. I'm SO HAPPY I did it, I want to share it with everyone so you can stop wasting money on indiglo gauges, and go buy some performance mods...
First thing: I want to make sure you all know I am not responsible for what you do to your car. If you mess something up, it's on you.
2nd: Keep in mind, there are plenty of junkyards/salvage places online, which have F-bodies, so any part you ruin is replaceable.
ok, now for the good stuff...
Approx install time:
1 hr
TOOLS NEEDED:
Needlenose Pliers
Metric Socket Set
part # 195 light bulbs (Your choice of color)
Courage, and a brain.
Start by tilting your steering wheel as far down as it will go, then take off that little **** that lets you move your steering wheel up/down. Just unscrew it. It *may* be tight, but just unscrew it like you would any common every day screw.
Next, below that, there is a plastic piece. This is TRICKY to take out the right way, but what i did was (Facing the steering wheel) grab it firmly, and pull it to the left towards the drivers side window. It should pop out a little. Then, wiggle it around towards the speedometer, and it should come right off.
Then, you will see some wires there, and the wires closest to the speedometer, you can pull to the left, towards the window, and a little clip will pop out. This helps you later, you'll see...
Now, there is some kind of plastic piece around your speedometer. Look at the top of it, and you will see two little Hex head bolts. (7mm) if I remember correctly. I am telling you all of this from memory. I figured it out on my own yesterday. Anyways, take those two bolts out. Then, give that plastic piece a tug towards you/steering wheel, and take it out. (There are like 3 clips at the bottom holding it in.) It is a tight fit, but you can twist/flex it, and it will come right out.
Next, you will see the main glass portion of your speedo. (Bear with me here, this is hard to explain, but EASY to do.) There are (I'm almost positive, only six) little black clips holding the glass on your speedometer. Two on the lower left, one on upper left, one on upper right, and two on lower right. You have to take your fingers, and feel around. You want to push those clips down, and pull the glass outwards towards the steering wheel. Now, you will have all of you gauge needles in plain sight, you can touch them.
Now, there are 4 bolts holding this part in place. (I think these are 7mm as well.) One in top left, one in top right, one on bottom left, and one on bottom right. Unscrew all 4, and lift your speedometer out by pulling on the left side, then right side. Your speedometer will come all the way out. It is connected to the computer by a slot sort of like a Nintendo 64 cartridge is like. Plugs in basically the same way. Or, the same way as you'd plug in a pci/isa card in your computer.
(Note: Touch a piece of metal before touching the circuit board on the back of your speedometer. It is a good safety practice to ground yourself before working with electronics.)
Now that you have your speedometer out, look at the back of it. You can count 8 little black things that look like *****. Grab a pair of needlenose pliers, and turn them counter clockwise, and they'll pop right out. There's your light bulb. Pull the light bulb out of the black casing, and replace it with bulb #195 which you can get from a Pep Boys, or possibly from an Autozone. The # is the same regardless of color.
After you've changed all 8 light bulbs into the black housings, put those housings back into the speedometer. Give each one a SMALL tug, to make sure they're seated firmly. Then, slide your speedometer back into place, and work it into the computer slot. EASY to do, don't worry. Just look where the bolt holes line up, and push the speedo in, concentrating on the middle.
Now, replace the 4 Hex head bolts to ENSURE that your speedometer is plugged in correctly. Then, start your car, and turn on your lights. (It was day when I first did this, so I got a big bath towel, and covered the area, and stuck my head inside so that I could see how it looked, and all I could say was WOW!!!)
After you have confirmed that everything is working correctly, shut your engine off, and take the key out. Take your finger, and place all needles in center position. Don't worry, you won't hurt the gauges. If you don't put them in the center, they'll get stuck in between the glass, and you have to pull the glass back off. I made that mistake. After you are sure all needles are in the center, replace the glass, by pressing firmly until you are confident that it has fully seated its tabs back in their respective positions.
Restart your car, and double check your gauges. You don't have any needles upside down, right?
Good. Now, replace the cover that goes around your speedometer, screw the bolts back in, and look at the wires you pulled away from the steering column. Push the white tab back into the steering column, replace the black cover for those wires, screw that black thing on that makes your steering column move up/down, and your all set.
E-mail me with install pics of all the different colors you guys choose, etc. If you need help with anything else in the future, and I've done it, dont hesitate to ask. Enjoy.
First thing: I want to make sure you all know I am not responsible for what you do to your car. If you mess something up, it's on you.
2nd: Keep in mind, there are plenty of junkyards/salvage places online, which have F-bodies, so any part you ruin is replaceable.
ok, now for the good stuff...
Approx install time:
1 hr
TOOLS NEEDED:
Needlenose Pliers
Metric Socket Set
part # 195 light bulbs (Your choice of color)
Courage, and a brain.
Start by tilting your steering wheel as far down as it will go, then take off that little **** that lets you move your steering wheel up/down. Just unscrew it. It *may* be tight, but just unscrew it like you would any common every day screw.
Next, below that, there is a plastic piece. This is TRICKY to take out the right way, but what i did was (Facing the steering wheel) grab it firmly, and pull it to the left towards the drivers side window. It should pop out a little. Then, wiggle it around towards the speedometer, and it should come right off.
Then, you will see some wires there, and the wires closest to the speedometer, you can pull to the left, towards the window, and a little clip will pop out. This helps you later, you'll see...
Now, there is some kind of plastic piece around your speedometer. Look at the top of it, and you will see two little Hex head bolts. (7mm) if I remember correctly. I am telling you all of this from memory. I figured it out on my own yesterday. Anyways, take those two bolts out. Then, give that plastic piece a tug towards you/steering wheel, and take it out. (There are like 3 clips at the bottom holding it in.) It is a tight fit, but you can twist/flex it, and it will come right out.
Next, you will see the main glass portion of your speedo. (Bear with me here, this is hard to explain, but EASY to do.) There are (I'm almost positive, only six) little black clips holding the glass on your speedometer. Two on the lower left, one on upper left, one on upper right, and two on lower right. You have to take your fingers, and feel around. You want to push those clips down, and pull the glass outwards towards the steering wheel. Now, you will have all of you gauge needles in plain sight, you can touch them.
Now, there are 4 bolts holding this part in place. (I think these are 7mm as well.) One in top left, one in top right, one on bottom left, and one on bottom right. Unscrew all 4, and lift your speedometer out by pulling on the left side, then right side. Your speedometer will come all the way out. It is connected to the computer by a slot sort of like a Nintendo 64 cartridge is like. Plugs in basically the same way. Or, the same way as you'd plug in a pci/isa card in your computer.
(Note: Touch a piece of metal before touching the circuit board on the back of your speedometer. It is a good safety practice to ground yourself before working with electronics.)
Now that you have your speedometer out, look at the back of it. You can count 8 little black things that look like *****. Grab a pair of needlenose pliers, and turn them counter clockwise, and they'll pop right out. There's your light bulb. Pull the light bulb out of the black casing, and replace it with bulb #195 which you can get from a Pep Boys, or possibly from an Autozone. The # is the same regardless of color.
After you've changed all 8 light bulbs into the black housings, put those housings back into the speedometer. Give each one a SMALL tug, to make sure they're seated firmly. Then, slide your speedometer back into place, and work it into the computer slot. EASY to do, don't worry. Just look where the bolt holes line up, and push the speedo in, concentrating on the middle.
Now, replace the 4 Hex head bolts to ENSURE that your speedometer is plugged in correctly. Then, start your car, and turn on your lights. (It was day when I first did this, so I got a big bath towel, and covered the area, and stuck my head inside so that I could see how it looked, and all I could say was WOW!!!)
After you have confirmed that everything is working correctly, shut your engine off, and take the key out. Take your finger, and place all needles in center position. Don't worry, you won't hurt the gauges. If you don't put them in the center, they'll get stuck in between the glass, and you have to pull the glass back off. I made that mistake. After you are sure all needles are in the center, replace the glass, by pressing firmly until you are confident that it has fully seated its tabs back in their respective positions.
Restart your car, and double check your gauges. You don't have any needles upside down, right?
Good. Now, replace the cover that goes around your speedometer, screw the bolts back in, and look at the wires you pulled away from the steering column. Push the white tab back into the steering column, replace the black cover for those wires, screw that black thing on that makes your steering column move up/down, and your all set. E-mail me with install pics of all the different colors you guys choose, etc. If you need help with anything else in the future, and I've done it, dont hesitate to ask. Enjoy.
Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 465
From: Tampa, FL
194, 195. I dunno what the diff. is. I used the 195's, and as far as I know, that is the part #. It says it right on the package. All 8 bulbs cost around $15.00. Enjoy. Share my install doc with whoever you like.
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