I need to touch up the white paint on a few of the raised letters in my insturment cluster. For example the white paint on the word "Fuel" is missing half of the letters. (I suppose someone had these apart and cleaned them at one time, inadvertantly removing some of the paint.) This paint looks to have some phosphoresense (sp?) properties as opposed to plain white paint. Can anyone point me towards the correct paint? Thanks.
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What about a replacement guage face plate?
Hi Mike,
First, keep in mind it was a greenish-white up thru 71 and 72+ was white lettering. When I say green - it's a very feint greenish hue that at a glance can be mistaken for white. Sorry I can't help on buying the paint or repainting these yourself though I suspect it will be tricky and involve detail work perhaps w/ an airbrush or silkscreening technique or at least carefull masking...?
I'm not sure it is a special phosphorescent paint but it could be. Is it possible you have a pre 72 and what you are seeing is the greenish hue to the white they used instead of just a white? Even if I never attempt to paint my own guages - purely out of curiosity I'd like to know if it is a special paint and if it's available.
Another option for you might be for you is to purhcase just the guage face IF it is AVAILABLE. I have seen some face plates available for C3s as separate items from DrRebuild if I recall. I want to say Fuel was one that was available. But I don't know how easy it is to replace these even w/ the guage out of the infamous center bezel. Yet.
My only concern about replacing just an individual guage face plate here or there would be that it might still not be an exact match compared to the older original faces if for no other reason - just age/exposure. Then of course someone could replace them all but that's not something I'm wanting to jump into.
BTW if anybody knows of a source for a GREEN AMMETER guage FACE PLATE - please let me know! I've not found it at DrRebuild or anywhere else yet. That's the one I need!
Anyway I'm sort of into the same or similar project you are Mike. Most of my guages are 'OK' - just need to address the white Ammeter vs the rest that are green. A few of my guages are slightly faded or have a slight smudged look but I'm just going to leave them other than a very light wiping and that's it before re-assembly. -
Oh and what about needle paint?
If your guage lettering is aged - may want to look at the 'fire red' needle color condition...?
When at the HW store just today for other items - I looked at a can of 'marking' paint (Rustoleum) that was red and I guess similar or close to a flourescent red and might fit the bill. It was a very bright red but I don't think it was quite flourescent. At least for '70-'72 it looks to be more or less a bright, almost flourescent red perhaps an orangish-red. The judging manual simply describes them as "fire red".
Some time back I thought I had seen some catalog or other that advertised a special needle paint but darned if I can recall or find it now.
Oh and my radio dial indicator looks to be more orangeish - I'm not sure if it would have matched the guage needles perfectly when new or not.
Anyway if anybody has a good recomendation for a readily available paint to use for re-painting the needles on the guages (or radio dial?) - I'd be interested in hearing any recommendations and perhaps Mike you would too w/ your project?
I'm a little on the fence about what I'll use otherwise and may just go back and reconsider that red marking paint. All the needles and radio dial would at least be consistent and hopefully close.
thanks,
PS: - I did a search thru the archives and found almost no reference to or suggestion regarding need or guage paints. Usually the archives are a great asset for little tidbits like this. So if you havent' looked already you may not find any info there. (if you do, LMK)Comment
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Re: What about a replacement guage face plate?
I saw a couple of correct ammeter gauges listed on ebay today.Comment
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Yep - the old ebay swaparoonie - thanks!
Hmmmm, that's a thought! I don't see gauge face plates but there certainly are full gauges. I could just buy the darn guage and swap it out and sell my old white 72+ guage on ebay for something in the same ballpark and hopefully come out close enough to call it even.
Now why didn't I think of that? - Thanks for the suggestions!
PS: My old broken record still says it would be nice to have a little ol' add'l forum within our BBS here just for buy/sell/trade in addition to the paper Driveline a few times a year.Comment
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Found some needle paint - but...
OK I did just now find some needle paint while thumbing thru my CCentral C3 catalog listed with guages. All it says is 68-82 "Flourescent Orange" bottle. Maybe others carry it too - dunno.
Hmmmm, then again...
Honestly is this the kind of thing folks, judges etc get into on guages? Is the mail order stuff reeeeealy the correct color of paint or can one do just as well or even better getting a good match at the hobby shop? I mean if the needle color is consistent amongst the guages and they don't show fade from base to tip...?
Anyway I'm thinking of taking a needle w/ me when I get to that point and dropping by a local hobby store (hey I love large scale slot-cars anyway!) and matching some paint to one of the less faded areas of the needle and going w/ that.Comment
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Re: What about a replacement guage face plate?
Todd,
Thanks for the feedback. My car is a 72 built in September of 71. The guage coloring looks to be white in the daylight, but at night they have a very slight greenish color. After reading your post I am wondering if this is the "greenish" color that you were talking about, and if so, then perhaps they used some 71 guages in the 72 cars. Does anyone know how to tell the difference definitively?
Concerning the actual paint application: I am a model builder, and I know that, with a very tiny "00" size brucsh, one can paint raised lettering quite effectivly without masking, etc. At any rate it would look better than the smudged/partial paint that I have now.Comment
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Re: Found some needle paint - but...
I would go to a model hobby shop. Usually you can find a gauge that has a section where it is not faded. I would match it to that. It comes out nice. Not hard to do. If you go to a some place that does radio control airplanes, you will get the best selection and be able to get it right. I have mixed colors to get it right. Look closely at your needle. I know radio needles on some cars were bright orange and then they painted over it with white to reflex the light (They were painted from the back side though). TerryComment
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Re: What about a replacement guage face plate?
Two responses:
First to Mike: to our knowledge, no '72s cames with the green '71 gauges. My own '72, which is a September car, has the white ones. We judged a low mile
original at our chapter meet that had a low 200 SN, and it had white.
To Mike: Some repro gauge faces are available in green, but beware. Paragon lists a warning in the catalog that theirs do not attach with rivets as originals did.Comment
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Re: Found some needle paint - but...
Thanks. Yep a good hobby shop should have a good RC section and plenty of paints in my book. ...and I know just the place.
My radio dial is a little different. It is however out of another year but instead of a solid opaque painted needle - it is clear plastic w/ a distinct orange painted on the backside - it's definately more orange than the guage needles which have more of a reddish-orange look. BUt like I said it's a - it's a slightly later radio by a couple of years.
thanks,Comment
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Re: Found some needle paint - but...
Testors makes the exact paint. I just can't remember its name. Those bright colors are popular so you can see your little airplane off in the distance. TerryComment
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Re: Yep - the old ebay swaparoonie - thanks!
Unless you are extremely careful, removing the guage needle usually breaks the shaft that it attached to. Better to send it to a restorer or buy a correct unitDick WhittingtonComment
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