I am getting some new faces for the clocks on my 1997 wrx dash.
Any hints or tips for changing them?

Thanks

 

Someone must have changed to white dials

 

The needles on both the speedo and rev counter can be removed but are difficult to replace in the correct position after the new dials fitted. Both the fuel & temp gauge needles are not removable and are easily broken if forced. So the original dials are difficult to remove and the easiest way is to cut them off with a sharp stanley blade once the retaining screws are removed. I have a set of white Lockwood dials in excellent condition and willing to accept 10 pounds for them if your interested.

 

Thanks John but im going for the Plasma dials to brighten the interior up a bit

 

what happens if you do break some of them? easy fix?

 

Nope

 

Don't bother..you'll regret it...........Royal pain in the ***

 

I'm looking for some out of an STi at the moment for my 98 car. Mine will be available if I find any, BUT they have an electronic speedo/odometer/trip meter.

Any good to you?

 

the white dials look so much better especially with matching heater surrounds.. really not a worth a try?

 

WHITE heater surrounds?

Whatever floats your boat.

Give it a go: there are replacements available on e-bay if you mess it up

 

Im going for the Plasma dials. I know it will be a pain in the ar$e to do but is any job easy on an Impreza

 

Best of luck: use the thinnest, sharpest blade you can get to cut the dials for fitting. (You can get scalpels off e-bay)
Post up some pics once it's done

 

I'll see you in about 4 months

 

i have removed mine loads of time. easyish setting up the needles again! i fitted lockwood metal faces in ! with the new lockwood ones you dont have to remove the fuel and water temp needles or face. you just slide them over. always best to just cut them though.

if you need a hand or any questions then give me a shout.

 

heres a write up i done on another scooby forum..

Hello classic owners!!

Fed up with your boring dim dash clocks?? dont want to get dissapointed with the still dim but now blue LED mod that most do??

Try this 1!!!

PLASMA DASH FITTING...

Step 1)

get ya self a set of these ...

there white dials i here you say... Wait for it!!

Once arrived.... make ya self a cuppa tea, get a phillips screw driver, a mini phillips, long nose pliers, electrical flat head, a stanly blade, and some insulating tape and go see ya scooby!!

once in the car take a sip of tea!!! your gonna need it!!

locate the 4 screws holding the dash clock surrond in and un screw. (2 under top of clocks, 1 either side of steering wheel near fog switchs)
remove the switch clips on the back of the surround. (i would start from right to left as the hazard switch cables are shortest)

Locate the 4 screws holding the clocks in. (quite obvious to see) remove these and take another sip of your tea.

right now you have 2 options. you can reach round the back of the clocks and disconnect the wires on back of the clocks and take it indoors to do the rest of it or..... you can do what i done and leave them plugged in. in which case you must now....

finish you cuppa.......

unscrew the 2 gold screws on the top of the clocks, this will realise the 2 metal bars ontop holding the "plastic glass see through bit" to the top of the cluster.
run your fingers round the edge of the "plastic glass see through bit" and find the little push clips that you will need to CARFULLY AND SIMETRICLY PUSH to realise the "plastic glass ...."

The "plastic glass see thr....." bit will now come clear of the clocks!! closely followed buy the clock facia! now removed this will show your clocks "naked"!!

now heres the fun bit!

get your new fuel face and slide it over the needle. DO NOT REMOVE NEEDLE OR OLD FACE! its also a good idea to remember where your fuel level was as if ya move it it does not elecronicly reset its self! this will sit in place by its self.

now the speedo... this is the hardest part.......

Text the missis to make ya another cuppa tea, once sent, grab ya mini phillips and unscrew the 2 tiny screws holding speedo face in place, pictured below....

if you slide the new speedo face over the needle you will find you have a problem... the trip mileage bar is in the way. with normal while dials you could make a small splice in face and happy days, but plasma dials have the illumination shizzle behind them.
after itching my head and trying to manipulate the dials over both i relized it could not be done. so...... i tryed to remove the bar..... GOOD LUCK WITH THAT! i could not get it out. so as it was made of metal i thought i would carfully make a small bend in it enough to get it through the little hold in the faces.
this worked a treat and bent right back into its origanal possition no probs. JUST TAKE YA TIME!
Once on, replace the 2 mini screws and repeat the same on the rev counter. (remember to keep ya needle the right side of the little stop nipple)

same as fuel gauge on the temp face sit back and admire your new clocks!! by then ya cuppa should of arrived too!!!

this would be a good time to replace any warning bulbs as there right in front of you like i did as 1 of my hand break light was out!

the wiring for the plasmas, i ran accross the top of the clocks. you do have to make 4 tiny groves for the wires to pop through or the facia will not sit right when putting it back together! i just used a pair of long nosed pliers pinch and twisted the white plastic on the dash clocks. (NOT THE DIALS)

the mini transformer for the dials, i put inside the dash kinda behind where the elec mirror switch would be. and the dimmer switch i screwed to the steering colom. (will post pics 2morrow)

wire the dials to the illumination circuit of your dash, (so when ya light come on so do your dials)

i wired mine to the illumination wire of my *** lighter. i say this as its the most easyest wire to locate. (my boost gauge also runs off this no prob). CARFULLY use your stanly blade and remove about 3mm of the wire insulation coating all round it. neatly wrap the red (live wire) of the plasmas to this splice and make sure it is tight. tape the cables together NEATLY and they will never move!! EARTH THE BLACK WIRE TO A DECENT EARTH OR THEY WONT WORK!!!

Re-fit the dash the way you took it apart, but.. TAKE YOUR TIME AND BE CALM ABOUT IT, it took me about 4 times to get it right!!

when complete you should have somthing like this....



will post pics up of dimmer 2morrow!



I TAKE NO RESPONABILLITY FOR ANY DAMAGE DONE TO ANY 1S CAR!! YOUR BROKE IT.. YOU FIX IT!! THIS IS ONLY A GUIDE TO WHAT I DONE!! OH YEH... SORRY FOR ANY SPELLING MISTAKES!! LOL

 

Looks pretty good. Your car is a pre-facelift, then?
Are these available for any other models, and what did they cost, if you don't mind saying?

Liked the write up, but expect some flak for some of the "Essex-speak"

 

I have seen them on a Bugeye aswell. They are £39.99 for the classic on ebay

 

That's pretty good, they look

 

I've got these on my blob eye.They are easy to fit (on newage anyway),and IMO worth every penny

 

Got lockwoods on at moment and taking them off to fit these can that be done or do you have to keep a set of dials underneath the plasma ones as the plasma ones dont look like they have the stoppers on the speedo and rev

 

they do have stoppers. dont buy the cheap **** set either, mate did for his vectra and is on his 3rd set.

alcazr: these are avaliable for most cars, they are very bright and clear. mine cost £55 posted over a year ago. as for the "essex speak" i took this write up from another scooby forum that is not so "propper" as SN and does not studdy threads for grammer and spelling!!! lol

 

Yeah im going to get them straight from visual performance i just had a look and if those are yours in the photo at top of page they are the same ones its just with no original dials on my clocks now as i cut my original ones off when i fitted lockwoods and i just sold my lockwoods i currently have no dials fitted so just wanted to fit these on with nothing underneath thats why i needed to know if you get the stoppers to keep the speedo and rev needles at zero with the new dials as in the photo the dials just have a hole do you get the stoppers with the new dials and just push it in the hole thx

 

I used to have them plasma's on my Punto years ago. Soemtimes they were a bit bright, but you can adjust the brightness. Not my cup o'tea anymore though.

 

I don't know about classics but the dials for my blobeye don't have the stoppers,they use the original ones.Just thought i'd mention it so you can double check before you buy them mate

 

Just found out they dont have the rest pins after i just ordered them lol never mind,Cant put my original dials on as i cut them to get them off and ive sold my lockwoods so looks like if i want them i got to buy lockwoods first to put underneath the plasma ones just for the stoppers,Lockwood supply the stoppers so i dont know why this company dont but ill work something out

 

they look amazing!!!

 

ok im confussed... you mean the little pins that the needle sits on when the cars off right? rest pins, makes sence?? i dont understand why they dont have em as mine quite clearly have em on the pics! maybe your all talking about somthing else!??!

 

the rev conuter rest pin so it stays at zero,I have been told these fit on top of the old dials so the rest pin on the old rev counter comes through the hole on the new dials,If you look at the first pic of the dials at top of page there is just a hole,Lockwoods come with just a hole but the little pin is seperate with them so you just clip in thx anyway ive got a new set of clocks off ebay £16 so i can have the original dials off them so i can fit the plasmas,Dont suppose you got the matching plasma heater surround off the same company?