Interior/Exterior FINAL PICS: Outmotoring replacement speedo/tach faces
5th Gear
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 1,044
Likes: 19
From: Bedford, TX.
A very versatile rotary tool with numerous attachments that can be use for cutting, polishing, sanding, grinding, etc.
Check here
Check here
Nothing for Nav yet (as was posted earlier in this thread. 
As far as the note about the dremeling, here's a little background..
However, if you're like me, in that 1. You won't ever be using those hash-marks (there's a rumor you can have them 'turned on', but on my car, an '02, that's impossible save for test mode) and 2. You won't even need to replace the facia, then.. do it. Looks fantastic:
Sorry for the bad focus, but it's zoomed in on a much wider-zoom shot. THe blue ticks around the "6" is to what I'm referring.
Note that this is a very similar issue to the small 'dead' spot at the top center of the speedo - Canadian and UK models have the High-Beam indicator there. We don't, but since we don't have ANYTHING there, they didn't bother changing the facia behind the gauge face. (Cheaper, you know..
And yeah, they're really retro, and one of the main reasons I'm going for these over Cockpit Specialities.
Mike.
As far as the note about the dremeling, here's a little background..
If you notice on your tach gauge, if you have a manual transmission, you have 'unlit' hash marks around the "6k" RPM mark. (Despite rumors, it has very little to do with a "MC" or "MCS" model. I have an "MC" and my red-ticks start at 6.5k.)
In the electronics, there are actually 4 'stages' to these lights: 1. 6.75k and up; 2. 6.25k & 6.5k; 3. 6k; 4. 5.5k and 5.75k. A 'stage' means that the controller can light up each of these stages at once - they're on different circuits. To avoid light bleeding and giving you the indication that 6.5k is redlining when it's actually at 6.75k, the facia - a white piece of plastic to which the face mounts on - has dividers built into it.
These dividers are actually really well done, as the 6k hash mark divider is thin enough to let the orange light in through it, but have the red light not leak out onto the face when it's on.
So, like in a set of gauges that I did blue for another NAM'er here, who had the custom Cockpit Specialities set, the unused hash marked looked like cr@p not lit up. Using a dremel, I removed (carefully, of course!!) the light dividers on the facia to allow the gauge lighting to light up the hashes.
Now, modifying your gagues in this way has two potential downsides - First, it's unreversable. You'd have to buy a used tach off of ebay or a junkyard, and replace the facia. Second, if something happens and you need those tick-marks to light up in red, the bright red will leak out onto the rest of your gauge and look rather bad. In the electronics, there are actually 4 'stages' to these lights: 1. 6.75k and up; 2. 6.25k & 6.5k; 3. 6k; 4. 5.5k and 5.75k. A 'stage' means that the controller can light up each of these stages at once - they're on different circuits. To avoid light bleeding and giving you the indication that 6.5k is redlining when it's actually at 6.75k, the facia - a white piece of plastic to which the face mounts on - has dividers built into it.
These dividers are actually really well done, as the 6k hash mark divider is thin enough to let the orange light in through it, but have the red light not leak out onto the face when it's on.
So, like in a set of gauges that I did blue for another NAM'er here, who had the custom Cockpit Specialities set, the unused hash marked looked like cr@p not lit up. Using a dremel, I removed (carefully, of course!!) the light dividers on the facia to allow the gauge lighting to light up the hashes.
However, if you're like me, in that 1. You won't ever be using those hash-marks (there's a rumor you can have them 'turned on', but on my car, an '02, that's impossible save for test mode) and 2. You won't even need to replace the facia, then.. do it. Looks fantastic:
Sorry for the bad focus, but it's zoomed in on a much wider-zoom shot. THe blue ticks around the "6" is to what I'm referring.
Note that this is a very similar issue to the small 'dead' spot at the top center of the speedo - Canadian and UK models have the High-Beam indicator there. We don't, but since we don't have ANYTHING there, they didn't bother changing the facia behind the gauge face. (Cheaper, you know..
And yeah, they're really retro, and one of the main reasons I'm going for these over Cockpit Specialities.
Mike.
5th Gear
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 623
Likes: 0
From: VA
It is easy to forget most people aren't as mechanically challenged as I am.
5th Gear
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 980
Likes: 1
From: Downtown Denver
Are all the colors a satin-like finish? There seems to be a very subtle texture on the face.
Charcoal looks like a great finish to compliment the MINI interior. Now I just need to find some money. . . :impatient
Charcoal looks like a great finish to compliment the MINI interior. Now I just need to find some money. . . :impatient
5th Gear
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 1,044
Likes: 19
From: Bedford, TX.
Nothing for Nav yet (as was posted earlier in this thread.
As far as the note about the dremeling, here's a little background..
However, if you're like me, in that 1. You won't ever be using those hash-marks (there's a rumor you can have them 'turned on', but on my car, an '02, that's impossible save for test mode) and 2. You won't even need to replace the facia, then.. do it. Looks fantastic:
Sorry for the bad focus, but it's zoomed in on a much wider-zoom shot. THe blue ticks around the "6" is to what I'm referring.
Note that this is a very similar issue to the small 'dead' spot at the top center of the speedo - Canadian and UK models have the High-Beam indicator there. We don't, but since we don't have ANYTHING there, they didn't bother changing the facia behind the gauge face. (Cheaper, you know..
And yeah, they're really retro, and one of the main reasons I'm going for these over Cockpit Specialities.
Mike.
As far as the note about the dremeling, here's a little background..
If you notice on your tach gauge, if you have a manual transmission, you have 'unlit' hash marks around the "6k" RPM mark. (Despite rumors, it has very little to do with a "MC" or "MCS" model. I have an "MC" and my red-ticks start at 6.5k.)
In the electronics, there are actually 4 'stages' to these lights: 1. 6.75k and up; 2. 6.25k & 6.5k; 3. 6k; 4. 5.5k and 5.75k. A 'stage' means that the controller can light up each of these stages at once - they're on different circuits. To avoid light bleeding and giving you the indication that 6.5k is redlining when it's actually at 6.75k, the facia - a white piece of plastic to which the face mounts on - has dividers built into it.
These dividers are actually really well done, as the 6k hash mark divider is thin enough to let the orange light in through it, but have the red light not leak out onto the face when it's on.
So, like in a set of gauges that I did blue for another NAM'er here, who had the custom Cockpit Specialities set, the unused hash marked looked like cr@p not lit up. Using a dremel, I removed (carefully, of course!!) the light dividers on the facia to allow the gauge lighting to light up the hashes.
Now, modifying your gagues in this way has two potential downsides - First, it's unreversable. You'd have to buy a used tach off of ebay or a junkyard, and replace the facia. Second, if something happens and you need those tick-marks to light up in red, the bright red will leak out onto the rest of your gauge and look rather bad. In the electronics, there are actually 4 'stages' to these lights: 1. 6.75k and up; 2. 6.25k & 6.5k; 3. 6k; 4. 5.5k and 5.75k. A 'stage' means that the controller can light up each of these stages at once - they're on different circuits. To avoid light bleeding and giving you the indication that 6.5k is redlining when it's actually at 6.75k, the facia - a white piece of plastic to which the face mounts on - has dividers built into it.
These dividers are actually really well done, as the 6k hash mark divider is thin enough to let the orange light in through it, but have the red light not leak out onto the face when it's on.
So, like in a set of gauges that I did blue for another NAM'er here, who had the custom Cockpit Specialities set, the unused hash marked looked like cr@p not lit up. Using a dremel, I removed (carefully, of course!!) the light dividers on the facia to allow the gauge lighting to light up the hashes.
However, if you're like me, in that 1. You won't ever be using those hash-marks (there's a rumor you can have them 'turned on', but on my car, an '02, that's impossible save for test mode) and 2. You won't even need to replace the facia, then.. do it. Looks fantastic:
Sorry for the bad focus, but it's zoomed in on a much wider-zoom shot. THe blue ticks around the "6" is to what I'm referring.
Note that this is a very similar issue to the small 'dead' spot at the top center of the speedo - Canadian and UK models have the High-Beam indicator there. We don't, but since we don't have ANYTHING there, they didn't bother changing the facia behind the gauge face. (Cheaper, you know..
And yeah, they're really retro, and one of the main reasons I'm going for these over Cockpit Specialities.
Mike.
I'm not 100% certain, but when I asked if the text is black on the white faces I was told that could be done. I have to figure that means that the text is normally not black.
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6th Gear
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 5,692
Likes: 2
If you're panning on going to the Dragon you can see the gauges in my car - I have no plans to de-install them.
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