.
Painted Gauge Bezels [Pics]
Thread Starter
Night Owl for life
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 24,729
Likes: 4,564
From: Bugs Bunny should'a made a left turn here
Painted Gauge Bezels [Pics]
I recently installed my new LED interior switches (to be covered in another thread later), and while I was in there I decided to paint my gauge bezels.
I went to the store to pick up a silver ink pen, but they didn't have any. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise because I ended up painting the gauges with an old school paint brush. The paint brush method works extremely well and gives much greater control than an ink pen would have given me.
As far as the removal of the gauge cluster, I followed the great writeup located on www.vetteessentials.com and got it out for the first time without issues.
Once removed, I popped the black part of the cluster housing to raise the bezels from the gauges themselves, so there wouldn't be any paint accidentally getting on the gauges.
Here's the bezels with the first coat of paint.
And a pic after the total 3 coats.
Some closeups.
Here's a shot with the clear cover back on.
And a shot with the cluster fully assembled.
Here's a final night shot with the cluster installed.
I'm very pleased with the results.
The brushes were $5.
The paint was $2.
The satisfaction of doing it myself...priceless.
I went to the store to pick up a silver ink pen, but they didn't have any. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise because I ended up painting the gauges with an old school paint brush. The paint brush method works extremely well and gives much greater control than an ink pen would have given me.
As far as the removal of the gauge cluster, I followed the great writeup located on www.vetteessentials.com and got it out for the first time without issues.
Once removed, I popped the black part of the cluster housing to raise the bezels from the gauges themselves, so there wouldn't be any paint accidentally getting on the gauges.
Here's the bezels with the first coat of paint.
And a pic after the total 3 coats.
Some closeups.
Here's a shot with the clear cover back on.
And a shot with the cluster fully assembled.
Here's a final night shot with the cluster installed.
I'm very pleased with the results.
The brushes were $5.
The paint was $2.
The satisfaction of doing it myself...priceless.
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 5,987
Likes: 18
From: DuBois PA
St. Jude Donor '11-'12-'13-'14-'15
That turned out excellent!!! I'll be doing the same soon, well the next time I have my IPC out anyway... I've been toying with the idea of laying some Gloss Clear over the silver, thoughts?
Thread Starter
Night Owl for life
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 24,729
Likes: 4,564
From: Bugs Bunny should'a made a left turn here
i hadn't considered a clear. i figure it's pretty much sealed from any of the elements or human touch so it shouldnt need protecting.
Thread Starter
Night Owl for life
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 24,729
Likes: 4,564
From: Bugs Bunny should'a made a left turn here
Administrator
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 368,522
Likes: 24,821
From: In a parallel universe. Currently own 2014 Stingray Coupe.
C7 of the Year - Modified Finalist 2021
MO Events Coordinator
St. Jude Co-Organizer
St. Jude Donor '03 thru '26
NCM Sinkhole Donor
CI 5, 8 & 11 Veteran
Great job you did and the price to do it was excellent. 
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Every 2027 Corvette Engine Explained
Joe Kucinski
Designer Imagines A Corvette That Looks More Like a Corvette Than the Corvette
Verdad Gallardo
10 Ugly Corvettes That We Still Kinda Love
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 6,312
Likes: 399
From: North Haven, CT
Wow, nice job. I love the look and had the metal rings on my first Vette but they kept falling off. Have you ever done detailed paint work like this before? I just can't see them coming out that nice if I did it.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 7,612
Likes: 107
From: North Carolina "life is good"
2025 c3 ('68-'73) of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 5,987
Likes: 18
From: DuBois PA
St. Jude Donor '11-'12-'13-'14-'15
Pro
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 549
Likes: 44
From: Houston TX
I'd love to do this myself (I've thought about it quite a few times before), but I'm always worried that it won't come out very nice when done with my own hands.
Did you freehand everything, or did you tape the area off?
Thread Starter
Night Owl for life
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 24,729
Likes: 4,564
From: Bugs Bunny should'a made a left turn here
i just freehanded it.
it's really not that bad.
to the inside of the bezel, you can go all the way in and not worry about going too far. to the outside of the bezel, you go slightly beyond the peak.
i did go over too far on the outside on some spots, so i used a black fine tipped sharpie to cover the silver paint. can't even tell there was a blemish.
using the small paint brushes gave me very tight, accurate control over the process and is highly recommended to anyone who might want to try this.
it's really not that bad.
to the inside of the bezel, you can go all the way in and not worry about going too far. to the outside of the bezel, you go slightly beyond the peak.
i did go over too far on the outside on some spots, so i used a black fine tipped sharpie to cover the silver paint. can't even tell there was a blemish.
using the small paint brushes gave me very tight, accurate control over the process and is highly recommended to anyone who might want to try this.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 2,107
Likes: 4
From: Northern VA
That looks great. I have the ABS bezels on mine and i don't like the fitment of mine on the speedometer. Next time the cluster comes out i think i will paint them.
By the way, do you notice that purpleish hue when the lights are on like in your picture? I swear i thought it was the glue that i used looks like a black light in some spots. Guess its just the way the led reflects.
By the way, do you notice that purpleish hue when the lights are on like in your picture? I swear i thought it was the glue that i used looks like a black light in some spots. Guess its just the way the led reflects.