Instrument Cluster Rehab

[Tropicalcats]

Just looking for some info on restoration of my instrument cluster. Does the plastic cover on the gauges come off? It looks as if there are pins of sort that just pinch togeather and it will come off. The plastic has a cloudy aperance. What is the best way to make my cover clear again?

[BIGSHCLUNK]

For the plastic cover try NOVUS and a small buffing wheel on a drill. Start with the #3 in the really bad areas then go to #2  then # 1. TAKE you time. This stuff works great on tailites but on clear it takes longer. Be carefull not to exert to much pressure. The stuff is always for sale on E-gag if you cant find it locally.

[Bullitt-]

Be careful if using a power tool to buff, the plastic will melt before you know it...keep moving never set on a spot....try by hand first. Novus plastic polish is good & I read recently that Mequires has a product out that might be easier to find.

[MEK-Dangerfield]

The plastic comes off easy. I count 8 places in your pic where you can use a pair of needle nose pliers to push clips out the front to remove the plastic. I know it can be cleaned and buffed, but I defer to others for advice there.


  Mike

[Tropicalcats]

I see the 8 push pin type things. Thats what I thought they are for but wanted to be sure before I cracked anything,
Anybody know the name of the Mequires stuff? I've not seen any of the Novus products in stores but I know I've seen some things by Mcquires

[hemi68charger]

Pretty much everything you can redo you can get.. I just redid a friend's '71 Rallye dash.. He got a new lens and I replace all the gauge faces... It was pretty easy actually. The hardest part was the new Woodgrain..

To reface the gauges, you could go the expensive way or the budget way of the decals. I went the decal way since the kit was something like $50....

Here's my thread on the restoration of my friend's I did...
C.C. link to cluster resto.

Hope this helps...

Troy

[Bullitt-]

I see the 8 push pin type things. Thats what I thought they are for but wanted to be sure before I cracked anything,
Anybody know the name of the Mequires stuff? I've not seen any of the Novus products in stores but I know I've seen some things by Mcquires

Suppose it's available at auto supply stores
http://www.meguiars.com/?pro-clear-plastic-care/Mirror-Glaze-Clear-Plastic-Polish


Advance sells a Meguires product called PlastX
http://www.partsamerica.com/productdetail.aspx?MfrCode=MGR&MfrPartNumber=G12310&CategoryCode=3312W

Novus for good measure...I have seen at hardware stores, or if you have an acrylic dealer in your area
http://www.novuspolish.com/

[Tropicalcats]

Suppose it's available at auto supply stores
http://www.meguiars.com/?pro-clear-plastic-care/Mirror-Glaze-Clear-Plastic-Polish


Advance sells a Meguires product called PlastX
http://www.partsamerica.com/productdetail.aspx?MfrCode=MGR&MfrPartNumber=G12310&CategoryCode=3312W

Novus for good measure...I have seen at hardware stores, or if you have an acrylic dealer in your area
http://www.novuspolish.com/

Thanks Bullit

The gagues look pretty good. So does the plastic until you get close up.

[MR291]

Hi,

Would you be able to send me a picture of the back of your guages with the wires connected.

I am putting mine back together and a couple of wires I am not sure of.  Just behind the oil/fuel/ohm/temp/limiter would be great.

Thanks.

[FY1Cuda]

If you still have it apart, use a small soldering iron (soldering pencil) to melt the plastic holding the temp/fuel/amp bezel on to the lens.  You can coax that off by melting and pushing the plastic toward the center of each peg.  After you polish that part, you can put the little metal bezel back on and melt the pegs to hold it down.

[Tropicalcats]

Hi,

Would you be able to send me a picture of the back of your guages with the wires connected.

I am putting mine back together and a couple of wires I am not sure of.  Just behind the oil/fuel/ohm/temp/limiter would be great.

Thanks.

e-mail sent

[Tropicalcats]

If you still have it apart, use a small soldering iron (soldering pencil) to melt the plastic holding the temp/fuel/amp bezel on to the lens.  You can coax that off by melting and pushing the plastic toward the center of each peg.  After you polish that part, you can put the little metal bezel back on and melt the pegs to hold it down.

I did wonder about that. Thanks for the tip.

[MR291]

Thanks for the pics.

I had mine wrong.

Jerry

[Tropicalcats]

Thanks for the pics.

I had mine wrong.

Jerry

Jerry

No problem, Glad they helped

Richard

[heminut]

You can probably find the Novus stuff at the local airport flight service area, pilots use it on their windshields. That's where I got mine. Since then I've started using 3M's Plastic Cleaner and Plastic Polish (2 separate products) and like their stuff a lot more than Novus. I use it on the windshield on my old 77 Harley as it tends to start getting cloudy after sitting for a while.