After a couple of attempts of converting my speedo/tach cluster to amber, I finally settled on getting amber bulbs from Autozone. I tried Superbrite LEDs, but the incandescent bulbs were the hands-down winner. The LEDs just don't have the spread of light required to uniformly illuminate the cluster. There were several dark spots that drove me nuts. LEDS were maybe half the brightness of the incandescents, so I could barely read the KM/H markings on the inner circle. Here's a pic of the cluster after I used the Autozone bulbs:



The color, btw, isn't this light...it's much more orange than it shows up in the pic.

Next, I turned my attention to the climate control. The first time I pulled it out, it took me about an hour to wrestle it out. Several tries (and several hand scars) later, I've gotten it down so I can get it out in less than 5 minutes.

I had two choices:

1. Buy a JDM cluster and swap the face plates and amber bulbs. I had seriously considered this, but there were two things that bothered me. First, the graphics for the push-buttons are different between the two. There is no graphic for the floor-defrost setting that the USDM version has...that would become the AUTO button. Not a big deal, but not clean either. The other thing that bothered me was the cost. If I'm going to drop 70-120 bones for a JDM climate control, I want it to work like the JDM model. Which means paying more for the whole climate control setup, which I'm not prepared to do.

2. Convert my USDM climate control by putting in amber bulbs. Two problems there:

I've been having a terrible time finding amber incandescents to fit the climate control. I tried LEDs (even frosted them using a dremel like another poster did), but were dim and had hot spots. I could paint my bulbs amber, but I've read over and over on this forum that paint fades eventually and you have to go in and touch them up. I really don't want to deal with that.

The other thing that bothered me is that the blue/red temperature graphic looks terrible with an amber light behind it. I've seen several pics of people with amber USDM climate controls and they all have this problem.

So how to convert the display to amber without affecting the temp graphic? This brings me to my 3rd option.

3. This came to me after reading a writeup on how to convert your defrost/fog light switch to amber. Rather than put in amber bulbs and screw up the temp graphic, why not put in white bulbs? Then go to Autozone and get a signal lamp repair kit for $10 and use the translucent AMBER plastic in the kit and attach it to the inside of the climate control face.

The kit comes complete with double-sided tape, so I was able to measure the face area to be covered with amber and put tape down in between each graphic (where the light doesn't shine through). I avoided covering the temp graphic with amber, of course. Here's a pic with the areas I wanted to convert to amber installed:



The ring around the buttons, as well as the temp/fan control levers were a problem as they still shined white. If figured out that levers (being clear plastic) pick up the light through a 1/8" gap that runs the length of the bulb-socket area on the bottom, back beneath the light bulbs. I attached 2-3 thin pieces of amber plastic cut to fit face down, completely covering the gap with amber. This took care of the levers.

The ring was illuminated by another gap towards the front-top of the bulb-socket area, close to the buttons. This was a little trickier to cover as it has the strips have to be installed a 40 degree angle. Once this was done, the entire display was amber...EXCEPT for the temp guage.

Here are pics of the completed climate control:





fm

 

Nice man any more shots?

 

I can get them as long as I don't have to pull the climate control again. What do you want to see?

fm

 

No its ok. I was wondering if you had pics of how you did the button area?

 

Or does that piece of amber you did in that one pic also illuminate the button trims?

 

that looks real nice. I think I might have to try it.

 

Looks great, add this mod to my "to-do" list

 

Thanks all! Yeah, I'm really pleased with the results. It's subtle, but the defrost and defrost section of the combined floor/defrost graphics are a little darker amber than the rest as they are tinted amber already. The other graphics have a blue tint on the opposite side, but the blue doesn't come through at all with the amber sheet in place.

JDMCRX, no, the amber sheets I used to light the button area are inside the climate control, not on the face. I wish I had taken pics, but when I was doing this it was already dark (so I could verify the effect...hard to see the amber lighting in broad daylight).

I just knicked a pic from the web of an open climate control and added my notes to it...I hope it helps illustrate it better. The upper part where you do the ring is the most difficult to illustrate, but if you stick the plastic up there and move it around, you'll see the effect it has on the ring, you'll see what I mean. Here's the pic:

 

Oh, hooray! Someone else taking the time to do elaborate write-ups. Great contribution.

You got your heater control out in ~5 mins? Do tell how, too.

EDIT: Another thought: Part numbers for the bulbs from Autozone you were finally happiest with? How many required? Do mine eyes deceive me or are your needles red?

 

DeSchlong,
For the climate control, I just used the stock blue bulbs but I pulled the blue condoms off of them. The speedo cluster bulbs are amber bulbs from Autozone, but I don't remember which ones. I've got the open packages at home...I'll check them after work and post again. I had to go to 3 different Autozones to get them as the stores only stocked 1 or 2 packages each. Kragen doesn't carry amber bulbs in that size.

Yes, my needles are red...I painted those with flourescent marker paint (purchased at Kragen) when I swapped my stock speedo into the tach cluster (wanted to keep my mileage). I imagine AZ has it too. I just sprayed some into a bucket and used a good brush (read: Windsor & Newton) to paint them. You want something that you can get a really fine point on...a crappy Testors brush isn't going to cut it unless you like marker paint on the hubs. :p

fm

 

Any more night shots? maybe of the whole dash/climate from the backseat?

 

Nice work! Glad to see there are good amber bulbs for this cluster. I'm gonna try it out this weekend. Rep oh wait this aint d-series

 

im actually doing the same thing with my EK climate control.

 

OK, the bulbs I used for the speedo cluster were 24NA's from Auto Zone. As I stated before, I used the stock bulbs for the climate control, but I pulled the blue condoms off of the bulbs.

I'll try to get more shots of the cluster/climate control from the back seat tomorrow.

fm

 

Any thoughts yet on converting your dash switches to amber? Seems like the amber plastic idea might be effective there, too.

 

What # bulbs were used in the climate control?

 

wow looks great man

 

I'll answer myself lol #74...


I just did all of the above this morning, including my cruise and defroster switch... The cluster looks bangin but there's just not enough light showing through the cruise and defrost. The taillight repair thing I got (all autozone had) was ribbed or whatever so the climate looked like crap.. I took all that out now so I'm back to square one with just an amber cluster and dim switches

 

Your amber lens repair kit was ribbed? Weird...mine wasn't...it came with photocopied patterns that you're supposed to match up with the pattern of your lens. I'll find out who made them and let you know. As requested, here's what the whole lot looks like from the rear seat.

fm

 

looks great

 

looks very good

 

Thanks! The tail lens repair kit I got wasn't from Autozone, but from Kragen Auto. Here's a link to it...it's called "Fix-a-lens" by Cargo Chemical. There's a huge sheet of red and clear, and a small sheet of amber...more than enough to do your climate control.

I'm not surprised that the defrost/cruise switches are too dim...those tiny bulbs don't put out much light and the back of the graphic is already tinted blue. My defrost hasn't been done yet, but I've got a JDM switch coming in the mail. The clock is JDM as well.

fm

 

back from the dead... I actually found that the switches are just bright enough to see at night... But i still plan on doing something about the climate control and such... I'll have to check my local advance auto (equiv to kragen) for the lens repair... I also plan on changing my JVC stereo (white fluorescent lighting) to amber with the repair kit... here's a pic of my cluster anyway

 

Excellent write-up Props to fungus mungus(aka my neighbor) for helping me convert my cluster and climate control to amber. I am very satisfied with the results and enjoy driving at night now that I switched to amber lights. By the way "I just saved a bunch of money on my car insurance by switching to geico!"

 

Looks awesome. Props