like the title says, i won http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...RK%3AMEWN%3AIT those gauges. I only found a decent writeup on how to install "custom" gauges on a 81-83 first gen (or maybe 79-83, i don't remember). Anyway, once I get them I'll see if I can do a nice little write up with pix to help out those of us who have not already gotten these spiffy new gauges in our cars.

and for those of you who HAVE already done this, what do you recomend I do as far as wiring goes... should I run a brand new wire to the switch thing it comes with, or should I tap into other wires... personally, I like to just run a new wire alltogether with a fuse and a switch that I can control and debug better. let me know what u guys think about this, thanks!

 

I want to say Congrats! on the won, those were the ones I was looking at and thinking about getting for my car but, I wasen't sure if they do fix on a 1st gens so wasen't sure about it.

I hope someone post some info so I can take a look at it.

 

Nice... those guages look real nice

 

you will have to notch out a place for the new wires to go thru, and I just tapped the power from
interior lighting bulb, as I have no dimmer.

 

Hey Max7, where'd you get those? That's the first good-looking white-face gauge I've seen for our cars. What's it look like at night? How about those needles?

 

eBay they are blue/light blue/green/ light green. and about 6-8 levels of brightness.
I replaced the 3 factory bulbs with Red 12V LED's from eBay and it now has a red glow
at the edges with red glow needles, I'll try to get some pix sometime this weekend.

 

I dunno if I can part with my red stock gauges. I did go through a lot of trouble to find a head unit that matches... heh.

 

Max, are those EL Gauges, or Reverse EL Gauges?

Whaddaya mean you have not dimmer? The set comes with its own dimmer that
you have to use - or does it?

I have a set of the silver/reverse indiglow ones that I need to install, I just
haven't gotten around to it.

Do I smell a Max7 writeup?

 

The are EL gauges, reverse face I asume means white instead of black?

Factory dimmer went dead, I never replaced it, the gauge faces have the dimmer.

A writeup eh? I've done it twice now with the EL gauges and 3 time with old skool white gauges.
So I got a pretty good idea how to do it, getting out of the dash being the hardest.......

Oh and thanx DF for the eBay link to the 12V red LED's they rock! put them in the Autometers too!

 

Hey Bouis you can get them here so far this is were I found them at. PCP

 

Yeah, they do rock!

A Max7 writeup would be cool, even though I have read a couple of them that were okay.

I am going to be doing a cool little writeup soon, on another new little toy that I am adding
to the 7.

 

Another Toy? let me guess, replacing the stock panel between the 2 taillights with one of
those scrolling LED displays, so you can have it read " Haha, you just lost to a 20 year old car"?

I'll have to see if I can find another car to do a pic writeup as I'm doing them for a writeup, and find time.
I've got a few projects I need to get done first.

 

i want a new set of gauges, i wish they came in red instead of blue though.

carl.

 

for anybody who is interested, it's cheapest to buy these through e-bay, and they are almost always up (both styles). just search "rx-7 gauges" or "rx-7 euro" and that should find them... I've never seen anybody get out-bid, kinda an unwritten e-bay rule to just bid on the next auction down and wait an extra day or two for your particular auction to end.

hopefully I'll get them by next weekend.

Max7, if you go ahead and make a write-up... then I won't have to

 

If I may make a reccomendation - take a knife and scrape the white backing off your needles, then take a red sharpie marker to them and color the front, sides and back. They'll perfectly match the red lettering and lighting, plus you'll be able to atually SEE them during the day. That's what I did, and I loved it.

http://www.cardomain.com/id/crit_7

 

Is this the write-up?

http://home.bak.rr.com/rescobedojr/gauges_pg_01.html

 

Do you guys think i can PROBABLY use these same gauges for my 82' GS...or is that a bad idea???

 

no, that is actually not the writup I found...

and i don't have the link on this computer, it's on my laptop... but that writeup is pretty good, thanks!

 

np. I *knew* I'd seen a writeup somewhere.

 

I've done 5 clusters without removing the gauges from the cluster, its a bit more work but it can be done, just take your time.

 

I feel like once I have the cluster off anyway it's only a few screws and bolts... I also want to put in red LED's so I think I'm gonna have to take off the gauges... am i right about this?

and where do I get LED's that will fit...?

 

They just replace the bulbs in the sockets at the back of the cluster.
got them thru eBay -> http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...category=34207
as long as they say direct swap with Autometer gauges, cause thats the same bulb in factory 84-85 clusters.

 

Re:
Do you guys think i can PROBABLY use these same gauges for my 82' GS...or is that a bad idea???

Assuming you mean the replacment covers only, then no, because you have a tach in the middle, not the tach and speedo together. But if you mean the whole gauge cluster is what you want to replace, then, um, don't know! I've seen the older guage covers that have exactly the same aesthetic style as these on ebay before, though.

 

79-80, 81-83 other than having the 85mph speedo, 84-85 the 84-85 cluster is shaped diffrent than the 79-83 so if you swap the dash top from a 84-85 into your 79-83... and the lowwer dash center console dash frame sure it will swap over