I just put in MacEwen's white faced gauges and now want to make the needles red like they did on their website, white needles and white gauges look too plain. I called every art supply store in the city and not one had the TRIA alcohol based marker that MacEwen recommends. Any reason why I can't use a Sharpie brand regular red permanent marker?

 

My white faces should be in the mail tomorrow if macewen gets the xenon bulbs in..
I was just gonna use red model paint if I can't find one of those markers. That should do the trick too.


Ken

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Bright red 86 Iroc-Z Choo Choo Customs Convertible
A few free mods
ChevyKen's Camaros

Administrator @ ChevyWorld.net (Now in a BRAND NEW Design)

 

I put mine all together yesterday. Mine were for my Firebird though and that's a different set up. I have orange needles, but they are clear with orange paint on the underside. They get lit up from behind so they sorta have to stay clear. I want to change the color to red, to match the lighting. I have to figure out how to take the needles off

As for using the Sharpie marker, I think the problem is that it won't evenly coat the plastic.

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Member of The Connecticut F Body Association
Proud owner of the slowest L98 in the North East
1987 IROC 5.7 - 16.43 @ 82 the project
1986 S10 4x4 w/93 Vortec 4.3 - the nitemare
1988 Formula WS6 - the Cow

 

Where is this MacEwen place? If you could post their website, or phone # I would greatly appreciate it! I'm dying to get some of those!

86 IROC 355, 700r

 

I used a permanent ink marker. It works just fine. Sharpe should do the same.

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'82 Firebird, dead stock, 9 bolt disc rear, over 200,000 miles and still going strong, more to come...
http://www.spinfrenzy.com/stingerssx...easures.html#4

 

http://members.aol.com/rmacewen1/

 

Buckeye, I tried a spare gauge with the sharpie and was horribly unimpressed with how it looked. I used Testor's model paint and a very fine brush instead, and I'm happy with how they came out. I just pulled up the picture of the two styles (sharpie and paint) next to each other, but the picture is too blurry to be useful. Anyway, here's the finished product:
I was also worried about the sharpie fading over time, because they have quite a tendancy to do that sort of thing.

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Heya, I used silver mettalic paint, with a small FINE tip brush,

Heres the pic or link, or whatever works



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91 FireBird 305 V-8
no true mods,
ghetto rigged cold air intake,
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I used a paint pen in green and when the lights came on, the needle didnt illuminate. Be careful with what brand/color you go with. It may not allow your needle to shine at night.

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91 Formula
305 TPI 5speed
1LE/G92/WS6

Paxton SN93, SLP airfoil, ported/polished plenum, March pulleys, Crane AFPR(43psi),Crane Gold 1.6rrs,MSD coil,MSD6AL, Holley 9mm wires, fastchip, Bosch O2sensor, Bosch in-line pump(w/stock pump), SLP headers & catback,short shifter,3:73s w/Auburn posi,170* t-stat,JET 195* fan switch, Macewen white face gauges, Autometer gauges, Zoom hi-performance clutch.

 

Good tips and pics guys, thanks for the input. Jim, that looks good.

 

This is because they are clear and need to be painted on the bottom. This is the problem I am trying to avoid, but it seems the only way to do it right is remove the needles.

 

Most art stores don't know what the TRIA brand is. Just have them bust out whatever catalog they order their crap from and IT WILL be in there. That's how I got mine. I did my needles with the TRIA marker, it was easy and it looks SWEET. Also, if you screw up and hit the guage face or something while doing it you can just get some rubbing alcohol and a rag and it will wipe right off.

 

Any one try just masking off the cluster with cutouts for the needles to poke through and hitting it with a coat of spraypaint?