So of course right after I get my stereo playing, I end up putting the stang in the shop for the ball joints, which turns into conrol arms and $600 later, I get the car back.
Three days ago I noticed that one of the bulbs behind my tach burned out(it is 14 yrs old). I had been considering trying to switch my dash color to a blue that is closer to the radar, alpine deck, and voltmeter I installed and was happy to find out it was as easy as putting in a blue bulb. The gauge cluster was not too bad to take out and I figured while I had it out, I would paint the shroud that goes over the cluster to a shiney black laquer(sp) that would match the radio surround that I painted last year when I had to fill an old hole from the alarm led. I didn't like the few flat black areas of the interior(gauge shroud, door handles) and had wanted to make them all nice and shiney to match the center so I thought it would be easier to do them all at once. The door handles had a really bad rubberiezed coatinjg that had been wearing off since we bought it. I had to sand the heck out of them to get that coating off, and then used a sprayable high build primer on the handles as well as the dash shroud and then started rubbin them all. 400, 800, 1000 later (been single for some time so my arm is not tired) I put on 2 light coats, and 3 heavy ones to to make sure I would be able to lightly sand and then shoot another coat when I get scratches too big for the marker to hide. Man these things look good as since they are the same color, but a different shade or type they pop out while not screeming like painted interiors normally do. my roommate had to admire them as well(after 2 coats of carnuba) so I went and installed the window and lock switches in them, mounted the handles and then stood back to notice that the switches now look 15 yrs old, maybe even 20.... I am considering now painting them and then writting some arrows on the switches to help them look a little newer but I am sure after I do that, something else will be sticking out, poking me everytime I driver her....
Replies (4)
SQLThump on 03/20/2008 22:27:38
Sounds like some cool interior work, I "converted" to a blue light for my insturment cluster after it failed as well, but that more consisted ot wedging a 12" neon tube in between the dash and the steering wheel, wrapping it in lots of window tint and electrical tape and hardwiring it to my fuse box after dismantling the cigarette lighter plug and putting the inner workings back together.
Show us some pics on car domain or something. I am always down to see your work!
As for your window switches, and whatever comes after that, that is just a part of the joy/pain/love/agony/creativity/obsessive compulsive disorder than many of us car guys suffer, but in the long run it makes for us having some great rides, and making some buddies in the process, even if the significant others can't stand it. So screw them, the car is first priority! If they don't like it, I know a special little lady with a heart of solid iron who does!
swez on 03/21/2008 17:33:47
Hehe, know the feelings guys. It's a lot like owning an older home. We update something and the rest begins to look shabby and in need of updates as well.
It goes like this...
1. We update the kitchen and all looks nice and functional
2. Next comes the bathroom and we piddle with that until satisfied
3. Then we move to the living room and do something to make that part fit in
4. Now the bedrooms look shabby and we gut them and start all over
Yadda, yadda, yadda... it never ends and we eventually wind up with $30,000 in upgrade and the property value receeds as the rest of the neighborhood declines.
In other words, please your own taste/preference and forget the trends and de-valuation. Just plan to hang on to the "WHAT EVER" until it pukes and dies. Resurrection of the old, is often cheaper than buying new. As long as we are happily busy and like the results, who cares about the rest.
Sounds like a nice project that will never really end. That's OK if you have the time and talent to pull it off.
Swez
PS From what I've seen so far, the talent is definitely there and why not take it up a few notches?
ttocs on 03/23/2008 16:59:19
I am lucky to have equity in my house with out putting a dime into it. I bought the only house that I could afford that was a little further away from work and where I wanted to be but it was all I could afford. It was about a year later they announced that they were going to put a new bypass that would be a little more then a mile away and shortly after that that prices skyrocketed as gilbert az became the fasted growing community in the nation. The year after that they announced the new hospital, auto mall, as well as the largest mall in az in the spot where the dairy used to stink up our hood 5 yrs ago.... Even with the sharp decline of the last 2 years I am still ok.
so I painted the switches and then got a white paint pen to put the arrows and the L and U. They look better although I think I will keep my eyes open for a pinstripers at a show or something. I am sure it would not take them more then a couple of mins to make them look better then stock.
The panels came out really really nice and I had to smile a little when I turned on the new blue dash lights and noticed that they reflected off of the shiney newly painted shroud. The door pull also feel nice now with a couple coats of wax on them and they certianly look better since they are not scratched up. ya know what I am bored, and my camera is in the car as I type I'lll go take some pics and update the site. Look forward to the comments.
ttocs on 03/23/2008 17:42:40
I updated it now. Page 10 is the doors/kicks. Cardomain.com ride# 2395420. Now the only part of the door that I am unhappy with is the black perferated section, directly to the right of the newly painted piece. It doesn't match anything so I am considering covering it in a the same material I covered the factory sail tweeters with as it has a little bit of a shimmer to it. I sound like a chic matchin her shoes to her purse huh?
I also updated page 11 with the rear package tray cover as well as added the pg power source I added. I only have a little more to do on the fitment of the cover, but I need to disconnect and drop the box to do it and I am still enjoying it playing too much. I also have a pic of a usb port that I molded into a factory mustang coin holder for a guy on my mustang forum so he could use his jump drive easily. Came out perty slick....
Three days ago I noticed that one of the bulbs behind my tach burned out(it is 14 yrs old). I had been considering trying to switch my dash color to a blue that is closer to the radar, alpine deck, and voltmeter I installed and was happy to find out it was as easy as putting in a blue bulb. The gauge cluster was not too bad to take out and I figured while I had it out, I would paint the shroud that goes over the cluster to a shiney black laquer(sp) that would match the radio surround that I painted last year when I had to fill an old hole from the alarm led. I didn't like the few flat black areas of the interior(gauge shroud, door handles) and had wanted to make them all nice and shiney to match the center so I thought it would be easier to do them all at once. The door handles had a really bad rubberiezed coatinjg that had been wearing off since we bought it. I had to sand the heck out of them to get that coating off, and then used a sprayable high build primer on the handles as well as the dash shroud and then started rubbin them all. 400, 800, 1000 later (been single for some time so my arm is not tired) I put on 2 light coats, and 3 heavy ones to to make sure I would be able to lightly sand and then shoot another coat when I get scratches too big for the marker to hide. Man these things look good as since they are the same color, but a different shade or type they pop out while not screeming like painted interiors normally do. my roommate had to admire them as well(after 2 coats of carnuba) so I went and installed the window and lock switches in them, mounted the handles and then stood back to notice that the switches now look 15 yrs old, maybe even 20.... I am considering now painting them and then writting some arrows on the switches to help them look a little newer but I am sure after I do that, something else will be sticking out, poking me everytime I driver her....
Replies (4)
SQLThump on 03/20/2008 22:27:38
Sounds like some cool interior work, I "converted" to a blue light for my insturment cluster after it failed as well, but that more consisted ot wedging a 12" neon tube in between the dash and the steering wheel, wrapping it in lots of window tint and electrical tape and hardwiring it to my fuse box after dismantling the cigarette lighter plug and putting the inner workings back together.
Show us some pics on car domain or something. I am always down to see your work!
As for your window switches, and whatever comes after that, that is just a part of the joy/pain/love/agony/creativity/obsessive compulsive disorder than many of us car guys suffer, but in the long run it makes for us having some great rides, and making some buddies in the process, even if the significant others can't stand it. So screw them, the car is first priority! If they don't like it, I know a special little lady with a heart of solid iron who does!
swez on 03/21/2008 17:33:47
Hehe, know the feelings guys. It's a lot like owning an older home. We update something and the rest begins to look shabby and in need of updates as well.
It goes like this...
1. We update the kitchen and all looks nice and functional
2. Next comes the bathroom and we piddle with that until satisfied
3. Then we move to the living room and do something to make that part fit in
4. Now the bedrooms look shabby and we gut them and start all over
Yadda, yadda, yadda... it never ends and we eventually wind up with $30,000 in upgrade and the property value receeds as the rest of the neighborhood declines.
In other words, please your own taste/preference and forget the trends and de-valuation. Just plan to hang on to the "WHAT EVER" until it pukes and dies. Resurrection of the old, is often cheaper than buying new. As long as we are happily busy and like the results, who cares about the rest.
Sounds like a nice project that will never really end. That's OK if you have the time and talent to pull it off.
Swez
PS From what I've seen so far, the talent is definitely there and why not take it up a few notches?
ttocs on 03/23/2008 16:59:19
I am lucky to have equity in my house with out putting a dime into it. I bought the only house that I could afford that was a little further away from work and where I wanted to be but it was all I could afford. It was about a year later they announced that they were going to put a new bypass that would be a little more then a mile away and shortly after that that prices skyrocketed as gilbert az became the fasted growing community in the nation. The year after that they announced the new hospital, auto mall, as well as the largest mall in az in the spot where the dairy used to stink up our hood 5 yrs ago.... Even with the sharp decline of the last 2 years I am still ok.
so I painted the switches and then got a white paint pen to put the arrows and the L and U. They look better although I think I will keep my eyes open for a pinstripers at a show or something. I am sure it would not take them more then a couple of mins to make them look better then stock.
The panels came out really really nice and I had to smile a little when I turned on the new blue dash lights and noticed that they reflected off of the shiney newly painted shroud. The door pull also feel nice now with a couple coats of wax on them and they certianly look better since they are not scratched up. ya know what I am bored, and my camera is in the car as I type I'lll go take some pics and update the site. Look forward to the comments.
ttocs on 03/23/2008 17:42:40
I updated it now. Page 10 is the doors/kicks. Cardomain.com ride# 2395420. Now the only part of the door that I am unhappy with is the black perferated section, directly to the right of the newly painted piece. It doesn't match anything so I am considering covering it in a the same material I covered the factory sail tweeters with as it has a little bit of a shimmer to it. I sound like a chic matchin her shoes to her purse huh?
I also updated page 11 with the rear package tray cover as well as added the pg power source I added. I only have a little more to do on the fitment of the cover, but I need to disconnect and drop the box to do it and I am still enjoying it playing too much. I also have a pic of a usb port that I molded into a factory mustang coin holder for a guy on my mustang forum so he could use his jump drive easily. Came out perty slick....
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