lamp sockets factory instrument panel

[Raider L]

New light placement.

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Well, this is kinda ****-eyed look at the new light but basically in the same place as the other one. But, I suspected that I'd have to mash it some. We'll see. This photo was taken looking up from the floor. You can see that the tube is looking at the gear indicator, that little orange thing is the base of the needle. I'm looking at zip tieing the tube to something up in there to make it stay in place. It's not moving but i'd just like to know it won't move. You know, harmonic vibration.

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The instrument panel is placed back in, in the above pic. where the light is, is okay, kinda cocked but still pointed at the gear indicator. Now, I'll have to wait until tonight and after dark I'll turn the panel lights on and see where the light is shining. To get the shield to lay a little flatter I did mash the end of the tube down a hair and that let it point better. Of course I have no idea how much light will come out of this sucker, it's placement may be fine.

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After I mashed it down a bit. Yeah I know it doesn't look any different than it did. It's mashed down some, trust me.

 

[Raider L]

Before the light is all behind the panel I have to fix this. It's where a piece of the instrument panel was broke off when my truck was broke into. I didn't know this piece was in the pieces from the alum. column parts that the criminals broke off when they were using a hammer to beat the column to bits. I didn't miss it until after the trash was picked up. So I'm going to have to make this piece out of some scrap plastic I have.

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See, it's the piece that has the "hook" on it that locks that bottom trim piece in place. It would be the hardest piece to make. It won't be hard to curve the piece, it's getting this "hook", "lock" whatever, right and in the right position so it will hook into the mating piece that's in that bottom trim part.

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I've got this piece from a roll around thing, it's one of the sides that with the others makes a box you carry stuff around in. The texture is pretty close, not perfect but close. If you won't tell, I won't. I know the lines I drew on this aren't an exact copy, but it's a basic shape, larger. I'll have rough it out and then take my Dremel tool with that drum sander on it and make a good copy of this piece. It's that hook, that will have to be on the money or it will either not latch into that mating part in the bottom trim piece, or it will be okay but out of position and push the bottom trim piece away from the panel. Either way it will be some sculpting I'll have to do.

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Here's a better pic of that hook I'll have to duplicate on the broke out piece. It's large enough so I can get it close and it'll be okay. I have a way to heat up plastic so that I can do whatever I need to do with it. That curve won't be much problem.

 

[Raider L]

Here's what it looks like at nighttime. I think I need to set my camera up for nighttime because there was a lot more light shining on the indicator from my new light.

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Welll this came out to dim. Believe me when I say there was a lot more light.

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This is a little bit better. And there's not any light shining on the floor like there was. So my little light worked. I just need to reposition it under there a bit more. And once I get the lower trim piece back in you won't be able to see any light coming from under the instrument panel. That's the way it should be, no other light other than where it's supposed to be coming from.

 

[PunH2O]

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I put blue LEDs in

 

[Raider L]

@PunH20,

Wow! Those are beautiful. I really like that color blue. Now, where does your gear indicator get it's light? I see you have an '87, does the instrument panel in that year have a hole for a bulb near it? Mine doesn't, '74, and I don't know what year GM started putting a place for a bulb, if it did. Your's sure is bright. That's what affect I'm trying to get with a bulb right up in there near the indicator.