Focus Fanatics Forum banner

How To: Change SVT Gauge Color

71K views 97 replies 34 participants last post by  WCI-Mike 
#1 ·
I did this write up to help any svt owners who hate the stock green color of their gauges and odometer. I went with red but any color could easily be used. Materials used are 1 white sheet of printer paper size 8.5 X 14 inch and 1 colored transparency sheet of equal length. Tools needed are Phillips screwdriver, flat head screwdriver, 7mm socket wrench, T-10 socket,razor blade, scanner, photoshop(or equivalent photo editing software), and a printer. I am not responsible for any damage to your vehicle. This how to covers the steps for the main instrument cluster. The same steps apply towards the small gauges on the right.

1. Remove the 3 screws holding the trim piece covering your gauges.


2. Push in the two tabs on either side of the steering column. This releases the trim piece connected to the gauge cover.


3. Disconnect the hatch release button.


4. Use the 7mm socket to remove the four bolts holding the instrument cluster in place.


5. Remove the clip on top of the instrument cluster(this is the power source that lights up the gauges.) Separate that piece from the gauges by pushing a flat head under the plug and sliding to the right


6. Remove the main harness located on the back of the cluster. Slide the black bar all the way to the left and pull out.


7. Separate the black cover piece from the white gauge housing by lifting up on the four tabs(two on top and two on bottom)


8. Remove the 3 black plastic tabs that hold the tach needle and speedometer needle in place when the vehicle is turned off. These pieces pull straight off. Also remove the needles by pulling directly up.


9. Remove the 3 torx bolts holding the gauges in place. Once these are removed the gauges lift straight out.


10. Remove the plastic piece that interacts with the odometer from the underside by squeezing it together and pushing it out.


11.You then separate the gauge face from the back white part that actually lights up.


12. The gauge face is what you scan. Using a photo editing software edit the gauges to whatever you want them to look like. I enlarged the svt logo and deleted the kph. Also you need to delete the background(the gray part of the gauges) so when it is printed all that prints out are the numbers and lines. The gauge is larger than a normal piece of paper so use 8.5x14 inch paper.

13. Using the stock gauges as a template cut the new printed gauges out including all holes and the rectangle where the odometer is seen.

14. Use the stock gauges again to trace out that same shape onto the transparency sheet of your color choice (I went with red to match my seat inserts.)


15. You will have to cut your stock gauges to install the High beam light, abs light and traction control light. Once cut from your stock gauges install them directly on the white part of your gauges that light up. You will also have to cut away these sections from your new gauges and transparency sheet.


16. Install the new gauges on top of the transparency sheet and then those two pieces go on top of the white part of you gauges that light up.

17. Now you can put everything back together in reverse order.

18. to calibrate your needles use this. http://www.focusfanatics.com/howtos/needlecalibration/

Thanks, I hope everything goes well. Soon to follow will be how i did my odometer.
 
See less See more
13
#33 ·
Hey question, I have the how to on how to put the needle back on calibrated, but why do they need to be calibrated? When you take the battery of it's terminal the needles go down to the stop points, so could you just put them back on at the stop points and it would take off where it left?
 
#46 · (Edited)
I am now taking orders. Pricing is $20 plus shipping. Kit would include custom white gauge face for main cluster and small oil cluster. Also included would be your choice of color underlayment to change the color of the gauges when the lights are on. Also included is a kit to change to color of the odometer. I can also add something to your gauges like last name or whatever you wanted for a $5 extra charge. Pm me if you are interested
 
#51 ·
so i did this today and was able to get the tach and speedo needles almost perfect (they were way off to begin with) but i cannot get the fuel and temp to work right it doesnt matter where i put the needle it just drops down a little bit and when i turn the car off they dont move back down on their own and they are not rubbing i dont think, and if i push them down to off position when i turn the car back on they barely move at all

did i screw them up or what?
 
#53 ·
Tjboston. Make sure you don't push the needles down too far. Also in the test mode when you hold down the odometer needle sweep the gauges and make sure they move all the way. Like miragesmack make sure the tank is full and run the car a while and put the temp needle in the middle. How do the gauges look?
 
#52 ·
On temp, I think if you have the needles off, and let the car warm up to operating temp, that needles shoot be positioned straight up and down in middle of gauge.

On fuel, fill the tank to absolute full, then place the needle to absolute full.

If that doesn't work, someone smarter needs to chime in.
 
#55 ·
I have auxiliary gauges in my dash pod now, but since I have a non SVT Zetec, I can't hook them up. They still look better than the coin tray though.

I would like them to match my silver gauges though, is that something you could do? Or maybe down the road, I plan on getting new faces all together, just not sure which route I am going ye.

lemme know on those silver aux gauges.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top