...no not really I cant back that one up...

but...here it is....
I love amber interior lighting....or red interior lighting for a gabazillion raised to the googolplex power reasons....so there....
so in light of my new car (to new to rip out dash...yet) I had a random neat creative solution....
use red transparent plastic sheeting over the illuminated instruments/gauges and displays....(I dunno if its ever been done, especially on individual clusters...if so then sorry for the post...boooo )
I am an SFX model maker and sculptor and have random plastic always laying around... (I dont remember where I got it...but one could probably use any film (somewhat rigid and thick like a business card was used)
Red film looked the best from what I could tell, and it was the most sexy...but try whatever might float your boat (yellow did make me gag though!)
It is really easy to do.....but... I will post up an illustration later if anybody wants/needs one.

I am giving you guys pics and a template to go off of with instructions on it.

It is a bit ricey but believe me... It actually seems dead sexy in person!
-do not use any addhesive...
-clean thoroughly clean surfaces first (film and gauges) so they dont scratch...I forgot to do this on one of them and there is a barely noticeable scuff (i can probably get it out...but its not a biggie)
-use tape to hold the "displayed" side of the film for ease of application and removal
-experiment with the film/sheet you choose to see if one side has less glare
-visibility of displays is only slightly reduced for night viewing, but daytime viewing depending on certain situations there is a bunch of glare...having said that though I have alway been able to see everything but it is more difficult when there is a heavy glare...(lucky our gauges are always lit...making it easy)
-I am still injured so this is the only thing I have done (the JDM tails are still sitting in a box )
-If anyone has a question please ask! I cant post everything here (its already tooooooo long)
-my computer and internet fight alot....so I have to post things seperately and be very resourceful when I do (hence small cramped pics...I can post bigger later)
-If I forget anything here I will update it...in this here post...
-rep me if you think I deserve it...
-thanks everyone for looking and letting me learn how to do this forum thingy....I really appreaciate it
- have tested this for about two weeks to see if anything bizzare happens or if it got annoying...nope! I love it to death!!!!
-soooo sorry this is sooo long....
-OOOPSp I forgot about the radio display...well its easy to do just measure it out...I will post more later

WARNING- I DO NOT ENDORSE THIS NOR DOES FITFREAK.NET OR ANY OF ITS AFFILIATES (heehee) IF THIS MOD IS TOO DIFFICULT FOR YOU TO DO, THEN SEEK PROFESSIONAL INSTALATION (OOOPs I mean help...haahaaa) THIS MOD DOES NOT ACTUALLY GET YOU THE "GIRLS"!!! GIRLS-THIS MOD DOES NOT GET YOU THE "GUYS"!!! IF THIS POST HURTS YOUR SENSIBILITES PLEASE LOOSEN UP AND JUST REMEMBER TO BE COURTEOUS AND RESPECTFUL...

a one and a two and a three *crosses fingers* please work......

 

 

 

 

 

Sweet! this is so awesome!

 

Wow lol, its very creative and looks kinda cool.?!?
I really like my blue though!

Tyler

 

ehhhh... i don't know how i feel about this. i really like teh blue gauge colors. red or amber makes it seem old. or outdated.

 

It looks pretty nice in person too! Thanks again!

 

I love the blue too...but I really like red...the nice thing is THIS IS SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO easy to change I can literally take them out at a stop light with a piece of tape if I dont like it! Or if I really want to feel like my car was brand new again! instant OEM swap!!! HAHAHAAAA

 

It certainly isnt as flashy thats for sure...but I do think its sportier and retro (old) I love RETRO autos...

 

Nice work. Some creative out of the box thinking going on ... but your posts lean that way anyway.

 

Thanks claymore....I am going to take that one and run with it.....

thanks for looking...

 

o

my

god.

haha what an ingenious idea!
nice execution looks good!

 

just change your hvacs to red leds,
and use a sharpie on the AC, airbag, and deff indicator light bulbs, and youll have the whole thing done- theres only 4 leds (bulbs from factory) in there anyway

 

Thanks so much! Your post in the "Amber Lighting" thread was sooooo
perfectly timed!

 

also one last thing!
i just noticed this the FIT in the tach lights up!!! what the hell- thats gotta be the coolest thing ever (since i dont have it) it prolly gets overlooked when you see it everyday

 

Thanks for the info (I have the service manual but not everything is in there)
I work alot with LED's (even custom shapes and shavings) electroluminesence, fiber optics, and grain of wheat/rice bulbs. So I will give it a try...thanks.....but I have to wait until I am more healed...It was in pain just trying to remove the shift knob...
but you have me excited now!!!
thanks so much!

 

The "RED" now Fit logo shows up a little bit better because there is not as much diffused light in there now, so you REALLY notice it, since its immediate surroundings are darker!

OOOH! When you are out of your vehicle now at night the security light (one big bright LED in the center speedo) lights up the "whole" gauge now when it flashes....IT'S SOOOO COOL!!!

 

alright last post of the night for me (its 125am here in Ct)
ya you might wanna wait on the lights bc you have to pull the radio and those clips are like super clips, i will take no fault in breaking you.
there are 4 leds that light the dials, but i added 2 more that shine down through the lenses, there are completely inside the unit tho bc there are 2 holes in the inner housing that fit a led perfectly with just a push clip ring thing ( i forget the technical name), and you can splice them into the wires already there for the other lights

im gonna have to play with your idea too- would gels work for studio lights? i wonder. hmmm.. even though i have all blue leds in my dash to match, i might have to make them some other random color to be different now,

also .. (making this post good since i wont let myself back on the comp till 2moro) i was think the red needles have a seperate red bulb and not just a white one lighting up red paint, it seems there is a red glow from just below the needle where it comes out from the dash, and i bet there are white bulbs for the numbers?.. i know theres a mix of leds and filament bulbs as you can see when they turn on some are slower than others and they dim differently, (just the small things between leds and incan)