Black Stingray

Hello,
has anyone tried to repaint gauge faces (small gauges for example) ?
Repainting the background of the faces is not the problem,
but the numbers and lines !
I tried to paint the numbers using a very small brush. You may know what happend.
I donīt want to use any overlays offered at the auction site. The faces should look like original after repainting, with white or light green numbers.
Are there any templates available to spray the gauge faces ?
Thanks Uli

Easy Mike

Not to my knowledge. The originals were screen printed.

7T1vette

Bad idea. No way to keep the lines straight enough to look right with a brush.

Best idea is to just replace the dial faces...but you have to remove rivets and put new ones back in. For the amount of trouble it is, you may just want to buy new replacement gauges.

Curious: Why did you need to repaint the numbers/faces?

Vette5.5

I've made some speedometer faces, using rub on dry transfer lettering. I started clean, by sanding and painting the face satin black. Then the numbers, followed by satin clear. Dug up the number sheets, and have some made by Woodland Scenics, Mecanorma, and Datak Corp. Some Datak's I have, are even full face gauge patterns, minus the numbers. I used to find these at graphic supply stores and hobby shops, but not many of these around any more. Surely, you can locate some on the internet.

Black Stingray

Some faces are rusty and numbers are peeling off. Thatīs the reason I want them "restore".
Uli

BOSTONCAMARO

send them out, have them done....plenty of companies that do it

Black Stingray

Using rub on dry transfer lettering seems to be an idea, thank you.
Uli

Black Stingray

O.k. I have to look for those companies.

Alan 71

Hi uli,
I'm sorry, but I don't think there's anyone who can reface the gauge faces to look like the originals unless they have silkscreens set up to do all the different faces. If they have that ability, they're going to want to sell you new faces, not fool with yours.
Regards,
Alan

gkz

Whitegauges sells overlays. I used the stock color. They can do minor custom work (ie: Different redline on tach)

http://www.whitegauges.net/products/...ce-Gauges.html

Legacy Stables

OK the only way to get it to look decent is to take a square toothpick and use that instead of a brush with a lot of practice it will look good enough that some one sitting in the seats will never notice. cut the tooth pick any way you want that will make this easier. This is commonly used on model cars to paint the tiny gauges, radios, and other small details. as a side note, so much as touching the original white paint on our gauges will smear it.

MacVette86

I used the white overlays from whitegauges.net and the quality was very good.

oldgto

I`m not saying this will work for you, or for smaller gages.... I just want to offer it as an alternative that worked for me a few years ago.
Sorry I do not have any pictures to show how this was done.
I was working on an old Pontiac, on which there were no re-pop gage faces available. The faces were a dull gun metal gray with white lettering, in very bad shape.
I took them to a shop that does laser engraving. He took high res pics of them, and put the dial patterns in his computer.
I then sanded them down, re-painted them, (but had to wet sand them to remove the gloss, so they looked more like the original).
I returned them to the shop, and he applied a sticky back film. Then, he lasered the design into the film.
I took them back home again, sprayed them white, and removed the film when the white paint dried.
They turned out great!

jon68l79

Do you have any pics of your white gauges? I'm interested in doing the same thing.

Clubby99

It would look ugly. I think you can buy new faces from most vendors.

Black Stingray

Never seen anyone selling new faces for the "small gauges".
I saw faces to buy for speedo and tach.

Black Stingray

Pic is from their shop :

Black Stingray

Sounds very good.
But I think those patterns made by the shop will be expensive !?

MacVette86

jon68l79, here is a pic I took.

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jon68l79

Thanks for the pics! Looks I think it might liven up my all black interior a little bit. Any complaints with how it turned out and would you do it again?