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We have a new digital printer at work, and I'm already seeing the benefits!
...I've tried a few things before, but I kept running into problems. Either the faces weren't UV protected and didn't last, or the black wasn't "black" enough when I used the UV material. This new printer uses a solvent based ink so long story short I can pretty much print whatever I want for whatever application.
You can't really tell in the pic, but there's a glare due to the gloss material. I plan on rediong them some time in the future, but for the meantime I'm pretty happy.
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__________________ 1989 Iroc
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o man those gauge faces r sick lookin. would it be possible for you to make me a set for the 115 cluster. ill pay for em i just love the font you chose and the lettering awsome work
ill PM u about makin em.
matt
Those look very good, how did you go about creating those before you printed them though? I mean getting the circle shape and the right pointes on everything?
Years ago I has some Macewen faces. I scanned them in, and then used Illustrator to size and manipulate the colors, layout, fonts etc.
I have so many files with different fonts, colors, numbers etc. it's not even funny!
Here's a few more. You can see some oil and crap form my fingers. It came right off, but of course I didn't notice until I took the pics...of course! You can see the slight reflection of the needle too, which is from the gloss. I'm gonna go back and try again in a few weeks to tweek it a little and see what I can come up with.
Can you see the light blue outline around the 55 and the red outline around the 100 hash? Just a little personal touch.
I didn't take into account the high-beam indicator and the screws when I designed them....again back to the drawing board.
As far as making them for you guys, I'd be happy to, but I gotta work out some issues before I would consider them worthy enough to sell. The gloss finish doesn't look ideal when in the car. As I mentioned, the number placement on the speedo. The biggest thing is the installation technique. These are not the semi-rigid like Macewen faces, and they are fully backed with sticky, not with tabs. They're flimsy like a wet noodle and they want to stick to EVERYTHING they touch. It was a BITCH to install, and there's no way I'd expect someone to be able to do it. I work at a sign shop and know all the tricks and it was still a pain. I have some ideas though, but like said, it's gonna be a little while.
They look so much better than the white or silver faced gauges. They just look out of place on our cars. Those however are a perfect match, to the untrained eye they look stock but to third gen owners they give the car that more custom look.
O yes give me give me I am extremely interested keep up the good work and dont give up on us like some others do on the boards when they make something
sign me up for a set too. wow those are nice. i just got white faced gauges a couple monthes ago and they keep peeling up so having it be all stickey will help out a lot.
Damn guys, I gotta say I'm really taken back by all of your comments and inquiries about getting some made. I just threw out a few pics like we all do when we come up with something. I never expected such a positive response!
I also hadn't intended to develop these to the point where they could be sold, but I'm gonna look into what's needed to do so. Like I said, there's a few problems at the moment, but i think I have a few solutions. Since I can't be sneaking them out the back door of the shop, I'd have to charge to cover my costs, but I'd pretty much make'em for cost. (at least for TGO'ers). Lemme see what I can do........
I have been searching for soooo long for someone that made black face WHITE NUMBER gauges . I think the whites face are cheap looking. If you consider producing some for a 92 rs with the 110 on the dash... please let me know!!!!!
__________________ -Mitch : White 1992 Camaro Rs 25th Anniversary
Project "Make Mitch's car faster" aka "White Thunder" progress: THE BEAST IS COMPLETE!! MWAHAHA
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The design is easy. I can make 'em pink with rainbow numbers if ya want. Kmh, 110mph, TA overlays, no problem. I would need some sort of pattern to go by. Since I have the dimensions of 82-89 Camaros, I'd just need a GOOD photo, and I "think" i have some bird gauges from an old parts car. I do NOT have a 91-92 pattern....
...but we're gettin' ahead of ourselves!!! Lemme work on ironing out the kinks on the production end first, then we'll get into different designs.
keep up the good work bro, those are really flippin nice, you need to find a 91-92 dash man, i wanna see the wonders you can do to that thing, if you can do this to an 80s id love to see a 90's. Also, when you got all you stuff sorted out, how much do you think they would cost?
I couldn't say for sure. I haven't priced materials yet. All I can say is that they'd be quite a bit less than other overlays. That's not saying "others" ARE or ARE NOT overpriced, but I just wouldn't feel comfortable charging that much.
Add me to the list for some 'Bird versions. What would you need for the 91-92 gauges? I might even have a spare dash set I could loan you if it helped you get them going....
There use to be some templates of them on the Tech Pages linked off of the TGO main page, but they are not there now. But i figured that is what you need, i think i have them saved on my laptop though, so if i find them i will post those up for the Firebird Gauges
Those are very cool looking- I like the font. One question: Why did you include 5mph, 145mph and 155mph, when everything else is in increments of 10mph?
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Originally posted by Firebird 383 Those are very cool looking- I like the font. One question: Why did you include 5mph, 145mph and 155mph, when everything else is in increments of 10mph?
i was thinking the same thing
though i did notice the top mph is extended to 155 but i dont see the point of those 5 mph increments
Those are very cool looking- I like the font. One question: Why did you include 5mph, 145mph and 155mph, when everything else is in increments of 10mph?
Well, the stock gauge has 5 and 145 listed. I guess I coulda left the 145 off, but the 155 is on there to have a "top speed" listed, just like the OE 145.
Quote:
How do they look at night with the interior lights on?
I have the cool blue xenon bulbs, but I've had 'em for a few years. These faces look the same as the OE faces did at night.
Quote:
Those look real nice! Maybe a tad bit smaller numbers on the small gauges?
I agree, at least on the volts, and fuel. There are a few little changes that I'll make in the near future.
As for those of you who are interested in getting some of these faces, here's the deal: At the moment, I'm getting my Iroc ready for a HUGE car show at Lowe's Motor Speedway. 51 clubs will be showing, and there will be over 2000 cars. It's a 3 day event. I also happen to be coordinating the event for our club Triad F-Bodies. Hotels, directions, parking locations, permits, money for at show lunches, awning, etc. etc., and the list goes on. I have just about every weekend and evening filled with something to do! I just don't have time to work on these faces.
Yeah, I know, where's the violin smilie when ya need it!
The faces are currently too flimsy to put on without a fight. It's WAY to difficult, especially how you have to slide the needles through the center hole etc. We have some clear acetone sheets that I think will solve this problem, but I haven't got a chance to try it yet.
Once that problem is solved, I'll post up another post and I'll see who wants what gauges. I'll probably start with 82-89 Camaro guys, and if those guys are happy, we'll go from there.
Most of the cars this old have different engines with different redlines anyways. Also older tachs with aging capacitors will all read differently. I would reference an accurate tach with my factory tach to know when to shift if this were the important.
Hmmmm...throw out a number, eh? I'm gonna guestimate about $30-$40. I can make 'em for a little less, but if ya walked into my shop and I didn't know you, they'd cost a little more. I kinda halfed it. We all win that way. Heck, Macewens are almost twice that, right?
UPDATE:
I tried out the acetone idea today with some scrap material and it solved the flimsiness issue. The inks are solvent based, and the faces have to be laminated to the acetone so I want to make sure there's no reaction, or any de-laminating. I'm "hoping" to have a set mocked up this weekend and in the car. I wanna run 'em for a few weeks and make sure they're OK. Last thing I need is to have a bunch of you start using them and then they start peeling or delaming. Unfortunately, only time will tell, and it's gonna be a few weeks.
I still gotta figure out the gloss/matte issue too.
sounds like someone has too much time at work,maybe i should talk to the boss!? 
J/K!! 
I meant AFTER work!!
You can see the slight reflection of the needle too, which is from the gloss. I'm gonna go back and try again in a few weeks to tweek it a little and see what I can come up with. 
I am extremely interested keep up the good work and dont give up on us like some others do on the boards when they make something
