I'm contemplating bezels for the gauges in my C5. Has anybody out there attempted same? If so, feedback would be much appreciated. Difficulty on a 1-10 scale might help my decision making. Thanks Mucho


[Modified by CHRVette, 4:19 AM 6/9/2003]

 

Installing the bezels is not that hard, maybe a 4 on a scale of 1-10. It is just time consuming anywhere from 1 1/2 hours to 4 hours is what people are taking to do the job. I did it to mine and it was well worth the effort. :cheers:

 

:iagree:

 

More than anything, its scary. Pulling (basically) the guts out of a $50K car is a daunting undertaking for weekend warriors such as we.

That being said - it's not difficult in the least. Get a real good set of instructions. Make sure you have all of the proper tools (torx, metric sockets and extensions).

After the instrument panel is out, be patient when removing or installing the acrylic lens cover. I wasn't and snapped off a very small piece. Not a problem for me, but I was l was lucky. If you need that replaced (if you can even get it as a stand alone part) you will be stuck with your car's guts in your hands and no altenatives. (unless by some stroke of luck the local dealer has one in stock).

The electrical connections are just a little tricky. A bit moreso with HUD.

Be very careful with the adhesive. I found that the bezels don't seat themselves perfectly unless you pay attention. Do several dry runs with each bezel (adhesive free) before committing yourself. That stuff sets fast, as if the part is crooked - you're screwed.

Also, before reinstalling the IP, hold it under a good light source. I did mine in the afternoon, so I used sunlight. I did just that and found a large hunk of dust that would have bothered me had I reinstalled the entire unit without first checking. That acrylic lens posseses some static charge and can attract dust.

One other thing. Some contend that these IPs conatin sophisticated "fluid filled" gauges that should not be positioned at extreme angles for more than a few minutes, lest their performane be compromised. Being rather skeptical, I doubt it. The things are shipped thousands of miles as complete units to Bowling Green under less that optimal positions. Nonetheless, I kept mine upright except when actually attaching the bezels - just to be safe.

One more point - At night, the unique UV IP lighting system in the C5 makes these thing glow purple at night. Pretty cool, but if that's not your taste it might be annoying.

My experience is fresh, as I installed mine just a few weeks ago. If you have further questions, feel free to send me an IM or my e-mail is available in my profile (I think).

 

Some very helpful hints, thanks
Frederik

 

I agree, a great recap. I did mine quite a while ago, and the instructions on Ken King's website are top notch. But then, the guy that wrote them (SteveL2) did most of my install for me!!!

 

This should give you an idea of what you're in for: http://www.vetteessentials.com/instr...zel_howto.html

The difficulty really depends on what you've attacked before in a car. I agree with the above statement that it is more time consuming than difficult. If you take that time rather than hurrying, it should be no problem. I also agree with the suggestion above that you should dry fit the bezels a few times to gain an appreciation of how they sit in place, particularly the ones that are not a full 360 degree ring. Otherwise, when you glue those down, you may find an uneven placement, which might bother you as it can show relative to the markings on the speedo and tach.

Good luck. :thumbs:

 

Bought mine 4 months ago in a GP from LAPD. Take a look at these install instructions: http://www.thelapd.com/bezel.htm I will be installing mine in the next couple weeks.

 

Do it I did. Takes some time, but not too hard, just takes patience. :cheers:

 

the LAPD instructions (and others) will get you going on this project.

www.thelapd.com/bezel.htm

they sure do look nice!