Kimnach's 1988 IROC-Z

Reverse Glow Gauges

2018  This page is is as originally written with the exception that images were resized and the videos re-encoded to mp4 in order to be HTML5-compliant.

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Since I had torn apart the interior to wire the carputer and audio system, I decided to install a 145mph speedometer (had a 115 originally) and a set of reverse-glow halo gauges from Streetracerparts.  While I like the look of the gauges, the folks who designed these may not have had a Camaro instrument cluster (IC) handy while doing so.  The power tab on the battery voltage gauge, in particular, is problematic.  Although they warn against bending the tabs--almost anything can be bent, if done properly and carefully--I decided to bend it instead of cutting the white IC housing.  In spite of having applied a spray adhesive to both the original gauge face and the back of the white gauge, the leverage caused by the bend would slowly cause detachment.  I then dremeled a hole through the IC and all is well.  (The power tab and wire nearly touch the steering column, and that is why I wanted to avoid doing this.  But it's not noticable.  C'est la vie.)

The inverter is mounted under the dash pad, and a hole is drilled through the top of the IC housing for the gauge cluster harness.  The 12Vdc power for the inverter is tapped from the car's light switch harness.  I also used a  nibbler to remove the lip on the factory gauges so that the white face gauges could sit flush.  The controller is adhered to the top of the cigarette lighter pod, which required that I dremel a slot along the adjoining portion of the dashboard.

I have painted the white needles a florescent orange.

Pictures are worth more than words, so that's all you get for now:-)

Interior Removed


Headlight Switch Power Tap

12V & ground.  12V from the headlight ON wire (yellow)

Nibbler and Nibbling of Gauges for Power Tabs


The battery volt meter is the most troublesome of all the white face guages.  In spite of using 3M spray adhesive, it continues to detach from the original guage.

Battery Gauge Tab and IC hole




Bench test

The digital converter/controller gives you the option of many color and intensity combinations.  Since the car is already storted for winter and since the IC is removed (the battery guage detached again), I will not be able to take pictures or videos of it in action 'till spring.

Inverter and controller
 
Use right angle attachment to drill hole through the top of the IC mount in the dash.  The white IC housing also has hole drilled, obviously.


Inverter fits just right....


The controller above the cigarette lighter pod.

First a bit of paint...
I figured that while the IC is out and based on the darkness of the needle while bench testing it, I'd paint the needles florescent orange.

 

 
 


Then Install


And now a night shot


Now, the glow guage control allows the driver to alter the look of the guages significantly.  Not only is intensity adjustable (as expected), but so too are the colors.  Here are some pictures showing some of the possible combinations.

Questions, broken links, comments, concerns?

e-mail me, Greg Kimnach (non-hyphenated American)

You have to keep busy. After all, no dog's ever pissed on a moving car.
--Tom Waits