Gauge Bezel Retainer
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 24,125
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From: Columbia Missouri
Gauge Bezel Retainer
I'm wondering about the color of the gauge bezel retainer that covers the gauges under the plastic bezel. It's designed...painted light blue, to reflect the light from the bulbs under it to shin on the gauges.
I am wondering, instead of repainting this light blue...would I get better lighting results with white or silver? Maybe even powder coat it chrome? I am installing very powerful SMT LED bulbs in the cluster to increase the light on the gauges and wondered if the blue would tint the light blue or if maybe white or silver might reflect better for better light.
Any thoughts?
I am wondering, instead of repainting this light blue...would I get better lighting results with white or silver? Maybe even powder coat it chrome? I am installing very powerful SMT LED bulbs in the cluster to increase the light on the gauges and wondered if the blue would tint the light blue or if maybe white or silver might reflect better for better light.
Any thoughts?
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 2,336
Likes: 1
From: North Bellmore Ny
St. Jude Donor '09
Anytime light reflects color the darker the color the less light reflection. chrome would reflect best, color over chrome would reflect brighter than just the color itself.
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 24,125
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From: Columbia Missouri
The powder coating chrome would be the hardest and most expensive. I know I can get chrome spray paint and white spray paint.
Between white and chrome spray paint, which would reflect best? I am leaning towards glossy white.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 2,336
Likes: 1
From: North Bellmore Ny
St. Jude Donor '09
I would think glossy white would work best because chrome will reflect the image being aimed at it & the gloss will illuminate instead of reflecting the image of the lights that are lighting it. I copied the following from the web becuase it hard for me to explain with a photometric chart in fromt of me.
If the reflecting surface is very smooth, the reflection of light that occurs is called specular or regular reflection. The laws of reflection are as follows:
The incident ray, the reflected ray and the normal to the reflection surface at the point of the incidence lie in the same plane.
The angle which the incident ray makes with the normal is equal to the angle which the reflected ray makes to the same normal.
If the reflecting surface is very smooth, the reflection of light that occurs is called specular or regular reflection. The laws of reflection are as follows:
The incident ray, the reflected ray and the normal to the reflection surface at the point of the incidence lie in the same plane.
The angle which the incident ray makes with the normal is equal to the angle which the reflected ray makes to the same normal.
Last edited by 400hp427vette; Feb 2, 2009 at 12:51 PM.
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 24,125
Likes: 15
From: Columbia Missouri
Luckily the plate is already designed to reflect the light from the bulb onto the gauge faces so I'm not totally trying to re-invent this thing.
However, I wonder why they picked light blue for the color. Could it be to make the gauge light appear more white since the incandescent bulb light is very yellow?
I'm wondering if I will also have good results by opening up the speedo and tach and painting their reflective surfaces glossy white, as opposed to the stock light blue color.
The LEDs I am using are cool white anyway and unless I have white faces I don't want blue light on the gauges.
However, I wonder why they picked light blue for the color. Could it be to make the gauge light appear more white since the incandescent bulb light is very yellow?
I'm wondering if I will also have good results by opening up the speedo and tach and painting their reflective surfaces glossy white, as opposed to the stock light blue color.
The LEDs I am using are cool white anyway and unless I have white faces I don't want blue light on the gauges.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 2,336
Likes: 1
From: North Bellmore Ny
St. Jude Donor '09
Luckily the plate is already designed to reflect the light from the bulb onto the gauge faces so I'm not totally trying to re-invent this thing.
However, I wonder why they picked light blue for the color. Could it be to make the gauge light appear more white since the incandescent bulb light is very yellow?
I'm wondering if I will also have good results by opening up the speedo and tach and painting their reflective surfaces glossy white, as opposed to the stock light blue color.
The LEDs I am using are cool white anyway and unless I have white faces I don't want blue light on the gauges.
However, I wonder why they picked light blue for the color. Could it be to make the gauge light appear more white since the incandescent bulb light is very yellow?
I'm wondering if I will also have good results by opening up the speedo and tach and painting their reflective surfaces glossy white, as opposed to the stock light blue color.
The LEDs I am using are cool white anyway and unless I have white faces I don't want blue light on the gauges.
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 11,891
Likes: 3
From: Kansas City, MO ...I'd like to go fishing and catch a fishstick. That'd be convenient. - Mitch Hedberg
I was very tempted to paint mine glossy white when I did my gauges. For some reason I didn't, but I have always wondered what the outcome would be. I've got two sets of center gauges, I might as well paint one of the metal pans and give it a shot.
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 24,125
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From: Columbia Missouri
Okay I am pretty sure I am going to paint the inside of the gauge bezel, along with the retainer plate...and probably the inside of the speedo and tach...a gloss white.
Now, the question is, spray lacquer or spray enamel? I can find both in gloss white very easily. Advantages to either? I want the best reflection and smooth surface as I can get without three coats and wet sanding in between. LOL.
Now, the question is, spray lacquer or spray enamel? I can find both in gloss white very easily. Advantages to either? I want the best reflection and smooth surface as I can get without three coats and wet sanding in between. LOL.
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Drifting
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 1,629
Likes: 4
From: Somers CT
Matt,
Be carefull about making your instrument panel too bright
I installed a C/D player/radio that had SMD LED's under the faceplate. It was so bright that it drove be crazy shining in my face at night, I finally ended up taking the radio apart and removing them all. They illuminated portions of the faceplate I didn't need to see.
Bill
Be carefull about making your instrument panel too bright
I installed a C/D player/radio that had SMD LED's under the faceplate. It was so bright that it drove be crazy shining in my face at night, I finally ended up taking the radio apart and removing them all. They illuminated portions of the faceplate I didn't need to see.
Bill
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 24,125
Likes: 15
From: Columbia Missouri
Matt,
Be carefull about making your instrument panel too bright
I installed a C/D player/radio that had SMD LED's under the faceplate. It was so bright that it drove be crazy shining in my face at night, I finally ended up taking the radio apart and removing them all. They illuminated portions of the faceplate I didn't need to see.
Bill
Be carefull about making your instrument panel too bright
I installed a C/D player/radio that had SMD LED's under the faceplate. It was so bright that it drove be crazy shining in my face at night, I finally ended up taking the radio apart and removing them all. They illuminated portions of the faceplate I didn't need to see.
Bill
Thanks. I actually had LEDs in it before, they were not bright enough, so I installed the incandescent bulbs again. They did get brighter but not enough. I found SMT bulbs that are much brighter than the old LEDs I had, but because LEDs focus more I need better reflection off of the paint and I think it'll be perfect. If the white paint makes too big a difference I can put the older LEDs back in.
The other problem was that I did not have the retainer plate installed. I didn't have it when I first assembled it all and I left it out. I know that's half the reflection right there so I'm expecting some very good results from the SMT LEDs and white paint.
Now I need to dig into the speedo and tach and see how hard it'll be to paint inside their housings without messing with the faces.
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 24,125
Likes: 15
From: Columbia Missouri
Try these...they are MUCH brighter than the LEDs from Whitegauges.
http://www.v-leds.com/Shop/Control/P...id/0/SFV/32481
They have more expensive versions with even more SMT LEDs per bulb.
http://www.v-leds.com/Shop/Control/P...id/0/SFV/32481
They have more expensive versions with even more SMT LEDs per bulb.
Instructor
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 137
Likes: 0
From: Nottingham
I too am rebuilding my gauge cluster, i have white gauge 'transfers' to install, like you i wondered why the blue, the conclusion i came to was that the blue was to make the backlight look more natural and maybe soften the glare from the reflection.
I have repainted both the cluster, speedo and tach in white satin enamel, this, i saw as the happy medium, as i will be installing blue backlights, the satin finish should relect a nice soft blue.
I also accounted for, as mentioned above, the potential glare if the rear surface was too reflective, easier to change the bulbs than repaint the carriers.
I have repainted both the cluster, speedo and tach in white satin enamel, this, i saw as the happy medium, as i will be installing blue backlights, the satin finish should relect a nice soft blue.
I also accounted for, as mentioned above, the potential glare if the rear surface was too reflective, easier to change the bulbs than repaint the carriers.
