bikinkawboy
Well-Known Member
The orange indicator needles on the older Dodges fade over time and if that isn't bad enough, they don't fade evenly on the needle itself or on the different gages. As long as you have a fairly steady hand, you can repaint the needles, making the instruments really jump out.
The paint I used was Rustoleum "Hard Hat" orange marking paint, the bright colored stuff you see when a contractor markes something on pavement. The 2 pieces of clear plastic over the 4 smaller instruments are each held on by 3 little plastic tits that are glued into corresponding holes in the dash. Carefully pry the plactic off with something like a small flat screwdriver. Some of the tits may break off while others may come off intact. You can clean the dust off of the gage face with a small soft paint brush like artists used and a wet rag if needed. The needles are very fragile in their old age, so be very careful when working around them. Cut small pieces of newspaper and slip them under the needle to keep any paint off of the gage face. Squirt some paint in a small container like a bottle cap and gently give each needle several coats. When dry, remove the paper and after cleaning, dad a tiny bit of silicone sealer onto the tit and carefully replace the cover. The speedometer has 4 tits and the top two are kind of hard to get to when prying them off. But just be careful and go at everything very gently.
I had another old speedo of the same age that someone had glued the busted needle together. I checked it out and the plastic needle breaks into multiple pieces if you try to handle it, even gently. So what I'm saying is be very careful when you clean the dial face, slide the paper under the needle or paint it.
John
The paint I used was Rustoleum "Hard Hat" orange marking paint, the bright colored stuff you see when a contractor markes something on pavement. The 2 pieces of clear plastic over the 4 smaller instruments are each held on by 3 little plastic tits that are glued into corresponding holes in the dash. Carefully pry the plactic off with something like a small flat screwdriver. Some of the tits may break off while others may come off intact. You can clean the dust off of the gage face with a small soft paint brush like artists used and a wet rag if needed. The needles are very fragile in their old age, so be very careful when working around them. Cut small pieces of newspaper and slip them under the needle to keep any paint off of the gage face. Squirt some paint in a small container like a bottle cap and gently give each needle several coats. When dry, remove the paper and after cleaning, dad a tiny bit of silicone sealer onto the tit and carefully replace the cover. The speedometer has 4 tits and the top two are kind of hard to get to when prying them off. But just be careful and go at everything very gently.
I had another old speedo of the same age that someone had glued the busted needle together. I checked it out and the plastic needle breaks into multiple pieces if you try to handle it, even gently. So what I'm saying is be very careful when you clean the dial face, slide the paper under the needle or paint it.
John
