Stepdown Instrument Paint --hard to see
Does anyone on the forum have any success with "brightening" the speedo numbers and gauge markings. My 54 has the same brownish color as my old 52 Hornet coupe.. I think it is supposed to be luminous paint. All I know is that with the six volt bulbs working, I can't see what is happening at night!
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Comments
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Is your dash light dimmer bad? They might not be as bright as they should be. The little variable resistor may be bad. There are places that repair gauges and redo the numbers,
Roger0 -
The numbers are translucent. I used fine (400 grit?) sandpaper glued to a short, approx. 1 inch section of a wooden paint stir-stick. It removed the discoloration.0
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Ivan, The problem with your speedo gauge background is due to aging and sunlight. . Best way to deal with that is to get white luminescent paint and go back over the numbers and hand. As has been pointed out ,speedo repair shops will do that for you but you can do the same thing yourself. Very few speedos and clocks are still luminescent after 60 years.0
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Thanks for the suggestions. It does not seem as if these numbers were ever white--a brownish gold maybe? does that sound correct?0
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Ivan
I believe your question was related to a 54 Hudson insturment panel. Am I right?
If so the 1954 is totally different from the earlier Stepdowns. The numbers on the 1954 are painted on glass and the back ground is then painted over with Black paint with the exception of those areas where the backlighting is meant to shine through.
About a year ago I purchased a replacement glass lense from Lance Walker. Lense painting on my 54 has totally deteriorated and it peeled away from the glass. If your lense is good, make sure the bulbs in the housing are lighting and that the rheostat is allowing full brightness for these bulbs.
Good Luck
Ken
Poor picture, but it shows color age of speedo
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Ken, there are two different types in 54. the hornets used a clear glass and a molded piece with the translucent numbers as mentioned in earlier posts. The wasp used the black and white painted glass.Heart_Of_Texas wrote:Ivan
I believe your question was related to a 54 Hudson insturment panel. Am I right?
If so the 1954 is totally different from the earlier Stepdowns. The numbers on the 1954 are painted on glass and the back ground is then painted over with Black paint with the exception of those areas where the backlighting is meant to shine through.
About a year ago I purchased a replacement glass lense from Lance Walker. Lense painting on my 54 has totally deteriorated and it peeled away from the glass. If your lense is good, make sure the bulbs in the housing are lighting and that the rheostat is allowing full brightness for these bulbs.
Good Luck
Ken
Ivan, have you replaced the wiring? if not the added resistances definitely dims the light, I have seen 54s both dim and bright with new wiring they are quite bright but with the old wiring can bearly shine through the plastic. as someone else mentions be sure the rehostat is not causing a voltage drop as well.0 -
Thanks again to all who chipped in here--My car is a 54 Hornet special 4 door. The people at
Yn' Zs are making a new wiring harness as you read this. I will be sure the reostat for the instrument lights is clean--if the Hornet Special has one! I don't remember taking it out of the dash when I stripped it for painting.0 -
They were not real obvious ,would be under the edge of the dash near igniton key. Just a little knob sticking down ,you might easily miss it,
Roger0
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