Instrument Cluster gauge face overlays?

[tomer]

Hi,

My 94 E500 deserving of some upgrades in my opinion and I am guessing there has been experience with white gauge face overlays??

I did search this site with no luck. Via ebay and vendors such as performanceproducts I know white overlays were available, with some variation in quality.

Does anyone have first hand experience and a recommendation?

thx!
Tomer

 

[gsxr]

I have white face gauges in my E500, courtesy of a previous owner. Be warned that it is possible to permanently damage (i.e., destroy) a gauge during needle removal... don't ask how I know. Take extreme care when removing the needles and don't put them on super tight, in case you need to remove them again.

Also, to get the gauges properly calibrated afterwards, the gauge should really be bench tested prior to final needle positioning... not something most DIY'ers are set up to do, but it's possible if you're handy with a VOM and a RadioShack resistor assortment. Otherwise you can easily end up with the gauges being off by a needle width or more, which doesn't sound like much, but it can be really annoying. You can't calibrate the speedo on the workbench without a signal generator, so that usually ends up having to be tested in-car via GPS, preferably before & after.

My $0.02... unless you really, really like white face gauges, and/or are doing something custom like a 190mph speedo face (which requires additional changes to the odometer)... I'd skip this upgrade and leave the cluster stock. I have stock gauges in all my other cars. That said, there are a few vendors available, I'm not sure who the best is. Mine were done by Christopher Henkel, not sure if he's still making them. His last post on the Fruit forum was in 2011 and he was still doing them at that time... click here for more info. His AOL website is long dead, I'm not sure if that email still works.

 

[Jelmer]

Oh, you. Learn to internet! ;-)

http://web.archive.org/web/20071126080524/http://hometown.aol.com/crhenkel/myhomepagebusiness.html

Still available. Perhaps you can mirror it on your site?

 

[500AMM]

Hi,

My 94 E500 deserving of some upgrades in my opinion and I am guessing there has been experience with white gauge face overlays??

I did search this site with no luck. Via ebay and vendors such as performanceproducts I know white overlays were available, with some variation in quality.

Does anyone have first hand experience and a recommendation?

thx!
Tomer

Hello Tomer.

You can buy my faceplates if you like. They are illuminated and 300 KMH. And since you're located in Canada I guess you use metric values, so KMH would fit.

The green/blue balance can be adjusted, also the luminous intensity.

 

[globalgrooves]

i did the big mistake of doing brushed steel overlays on my 89 BMW 635 csi, the problem is the installation. Its very difficult to get them to stick completely flush without bubbles, plus the added risk of damaging the needles. I was very disappointed with the results especially at night. So i would not recommend them unless you are going to get a professional to do the job