Raywilson Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 81 F150 Ranger I recently installed a new dash gauge setup w a tach n tip meter, which the other set of gauges didn't have. Having a trip meter is so awesome! My old gauge orange needles are really faded, new ones are bright orange. Well, the new gas gauge reads full up to 125mi into a tank of gas before it moves, the old gauge reads pretty accurately for both tanks. So I put the old gauge into the new cluster and it looks bad because of the fading. Is it possible to swap needles between the 2 gauges? I'm so ham fisted, I'm afraid I'd do my usual and make both inoperable. I saw a video where the guy adjusts the needle through the hole on the back side. Is that doable? You can see the adjustment teeth in one of the holes... Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
viven44 Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 I used this paint a few days ago to paint the faded needles on a gauge and it worked wonderfully! https://www.michaels.com/product/testors-fluorescent-enamel-paint-10226505?cm_mmc=PLASearch-_-google-_-MICH_Shopping_US_N_Craft+%26+Hobbies_N_PMAX_LocalOnly_N-_-&Kenshoo_ida=&kpid=go_cmp-18514199957_adg-_ad-__dev-c_ext-_prd-10226505&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAopuvBhBCEiwAm8jaMQ6WxlI_h7UsqZUdFwF2xdVSSsgDdfNja6gSjIkneOlnOXFlJqy7IhoC7DYQAvD_BwE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raywilson Posted March 6 Author Share Posted March 6 I used this paint a few days ago to paint the faded needles on a gauge and it worked wonderfully! https://www.michaels.com/product/testors-fluorescent-enamel-paint-10226505?cm_mmc=PLASearch-_-google-_-MICH_Shopping_US_N_Craft+%26+Hobbies_N_PMAX_LocalOnly_N-_-&Kenshoo_ida=&kpid=go_cmp-18514199957_adg-_ad-__dev-c_ext-_prd-10226505&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAopuvBhBCEiwAm8jaMQ6WxlI_h7UsqZUdFwF2xdVSSsgDdfNja6gSjIkneOlnOXFlJqy7IhoC7DYQAvD_BwE That might be the simplest solution. Does it match the original or did you paint all the needles? I've got the LED bulbs too. They really look good! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
viven44 Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 That might be the simplest solution. Does it match the original or did you paint all the needles? I've got the LED bulbs too. They really look good! Thanks! Yeah I painted all of them and the color is a close match if not spot on. If you go this route, make sure the little bottle is shaken and stirred well. And use very little on the tiny brush. It goes a long way. You don't want to drip the paint on the gauge for sure. I did 2 coats. And make sure its fluorescent paint. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
viven44 Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 That might be the simplest solution. Does it match the original or did you paint all the needles? I've got the LED bulbs too. They really look good! On the LED bulbs, they have polarity so you have to install them in the correct direction. Else they won't work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raywilson Posted March 6 Author Share Posted March 6 On the LED bulbs, they have polarity so you have to install them in the correct direction. Else they won't work. I found that out. Annoying to have to pull the dash out again to reorient the bulbs but they look so good. Don't dim very well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
viven44 Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 I found that out. Annoying to have to pull the dash out again to reorient the bulbs but they look so good. Don't dim very well I have been there as well and pulled the cluster again to fix them. What I do now is use a spare battery, with a resistor and inline fuse in series (just extra protection) with the led bulbs to mark out the positive and negative terminals so I know which way to install. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mat in tn Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 I found that out. Annoying to have to pull the dash out again to reorient the bulbs but they look so good. Don't dim very well I find them never bright enough. I have not wanted to dim them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 On the LED bulbs, they have polarity so you have to install them in the correct direction. Else they won't work. Not all of them are polarity sensitive, and many of them DO dim💡 We like hi-po parts for both the needle paint and the LEDs... Vendor ratings and reviews in the marketplace section.... They also have all the shop manuals available on CD, if you want a physical copy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
viven44 Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 Not all of them are polarity sensitive, and many of them DO dim💡 We like hi-po parts for both the needle paint and the LEDs... Vendor ratings and reviews in the marketplace section.... They also have all the shop manuals available on CD, if you want a physical copy I just assumed they were all polarity sensitive, as they are a transistor fundamentally. Looks like I need to go back to school Is it this one ? https://www.hipoparts.com/fluorescent-speedo-gauge-needle-restoration-paint/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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