Custom gauge face plate. Options

[JOE M]

Has anyone made there own custom face for there gauges. I found a site that lets you create a template for custom gauges. I am not sure what I want for a face but I want to spice it up a little. I made a few templates so far. Here is one. I have also started to create my own led display that will be mounted into each instrument. It consists of about 30 small led`s that run off of 4 volts so I need to find a resistor to drop the voltage.

[TC.356]

Joe,

Please post a link to that site . . .

[JOE M]

here is a pic of my led aray.

[JOE M]

here is a link. this is just for the template. if you want to make a back light rather than just a diameter light you will need to more than just make a template. it requires making layers to your pattern. i will popst another link later to a site that explains how to make layers. it is actually easy and does not require a lot of skill. the good thing is that the original gauge is not modified in any way other than removing it.

http://www.thehoffmangroup.com/aurora/gallery.php

[JOE M]

Here is my first drawing. I can make the face any color. I am not sure what would look the best.

[jasons]

Its a cool project, how do you plan to print them?


EDIT: Just noticed, that site offers printing.

[JOE M]

Its a cool project, how do you plan to print them?


EDIT: Just noticed, that site offers printing.

I might have something silkscreened. For now I will probably just print on paper and see how it looks in the car. I have been looking at some face plates on other porsche such as boxter and the 911 (newer). I might try to take that look and feel and incorporate it into a my gauge. The first one I printed is on photo paper and stuck on .075" thick plastic. Not sure if I like the color though.

[PeeGreen 914]

Here is my first drawing. I can make the face any color. I am not sure what would look the best.

Your 30 is off one space.

[JOE M]

Here is my first drawing. I can make the face any color. I am not sure what would look the best.

Your 30 is off one space.

Yep here is a revise in blue and installed in my unit.

[Aaron Cox]

neat idea....

[marks914]

I do lots of custom gauge faces!
The quad gauges led to tachs, and that led to speedos and now I pretty much do anything. I did the IP/gauges windshield and wheels on the SR392 at SEMA as well.
Most of them are stock looking with custom readouts, but I have done a few wild ones. See my website below for more info.
Mark

[JOE M]

I do lots of custom gauge faces!
The quad gauges led to tachs, and that led to speedos and now I pretty much do anything. I did the IP/gauges windshield and wheels on the SR392 at SEMA as well.
Most of them are stock looking with custom readouts, but I have done a few wild ones. See my website below for more info.
Mark

What are you using for the face? Is it a silkscreen?

[marks914]

I was using a screen for a while, but each gauge turned out to be a one off, each customer wanted something a little different. Now I use a plastic-printed adhesive backed vinyl overlay that is mounted to the original or a new metal face. The first one I made is still stuck on some plastic out in my backyard, I made it over a year ago.
I also use dry trandsfers for the bezel faces. We have some mock-ups at work that are 10 years old with this technique, and they still look like new. Now I have the flexability to do a multiple color gauge in a single pass, with crispness that surpasses silkscreening. OEMs use pad-printing, not silkscreening to do instrumentation nomenclature, that is much crisper than screening.
To do a screen, you are looking at about $75 per color to create and about $50 to print from just about any screen shop, that is for each seperate gauge. Once you have the screen, you can usually print 1-50 for a lot price of about $50. The piece price is cheap when you are doing 50, but for one, it is costly.
Mark

[marks914]

Here are a couple of gauges in the OEM style

Mark

(IMG:http://inlinethumb35.webshots.com/30818/2017584280057582025S600x600Q85.jpg)
(IMG:http://inlinethumb02.webshots.com/28353/2851033840057582025S600x600Q85.jpg)

(IMG:http://inlinethumb22.webshots.com/5205/2692095480057582025S600x600Q85.jpg)

[marks914]

Here is a silkscreen set, as you can set, as you can see, nice, but not as nice as the vinyl overlay

Mark
(IMG:http://inlinethumb03.webshots.com/29954/2104835250057582025S600x600Q85.jpg)

(IMG:http://inlinethumb62.webshots.com/27773/2407748930057582025S600x600Q85.jpg)

(IMG:http://inlinethumb25.webshots.com/27032/2835721400057582025S600x600Q85.jpg)

[marks914]

Here are the white face prototype vinyl overlay gauges in my car.
They have been in for about a year now.

Mark
(IMG:http://inlinethumb25.webshots.com/27480/2713420060057582025S600x600Q85.jpg)

[nsr-jamie]

Wow Mark, those gauges are awesome!! I would really be interested in getting one of those quad gauges in black for my 914 next year for sure! Excellent work!!

[JOE M]

Thats really nice work. My intent is only to have a winter project not to go into business , so for what I want to do it sounds like it could get costly. I think I will just play around with some more ideas but I will probably never use them in my car. Sounds like when I am ready for some new faces I found the right place to go. Great work Mark.