Fuel/Temp Gauge Removal

[Deanj]

My '60 Fuel Gauge has 4 tiny black painted slotted or hex fasteners. These come out with a slotted screw driver I would assume? It doesn't look like a phillips head unless my eyesight is that bad. I have read in this forum these are phillips head screws.

My reason to remove the cluster is to replace the ignition/headlamp bulb.

Also, the clock doesn't illuminate as well as the fuel gauge, and so I am considering going from a #57 to a #1895 which is about .4 or .5 watts more. Same for the ignition/headlamp and lighter/wiper pods.

Dean

[jopizz]

I'm pretty sure those tiny black screws are slotted and not phillips. At least on my '59 they were. Maybe during the '60 model year they changed them. Anything's possible.

John

[JohnG]

the clock might only have one bulb . . . not sure. That doesn't help matters so a little more wattage could. An adventuresome person could drill a second hole in the case and add another bulb (while the purist is appalled).

If your plastic lenses are scuffed up, that doesn't help. You can cut new ones using the old ones as a template, and improve things.

At least you have white faces in '59 and '60 ! The black background in '58 was no asset.

(all the screws on my '58 were Phillips head. Putting them back probably a little easier with a slightly magnetized screwdriver. I have dropped them on the floor more times than I want to admit.)

John G

[Deanj]

The screws look slotted. Different from the ‘58. I wanted to go LED, but it seems very white. My wife likes the rosier look. The clock has 2 bulbs and because it is an enclosed unit, it is dimmer. The fuel gauge is open and brighter, thus why I thought the brighter bulbs just the solution to both the fuel gauge and lights, lighter, headlamps, ignition switch illumination issue. I will confirm.

Dean

[JohnG]

to get more light (again , the '58 with the black faced gauges), I went with #1893 bulbs which are the same base as #57s, but 4.62 Watts instead of 3.36 Watts for the #57s.

Physically they are longer than the #57s.

[Frango100]

You can buy bright white LED's and use a colored varnish to give them the color you want. No heat build-up but more light.

[Deanj]

You can buy bright white LED's and use a colored varnish to give them the color you want. No heat build-up but more light.

Is that varnish as in nail polish? The LEDs would have been nice except for all the different Ks those come in. K meaning more Ks mean a whiter-blue light and less K are more yellow.

I just want to illuminate the switches and the clock better, then leave all the bulbs working fine alone-if that's possible.

Dean

[Frango100]

No nail polish. I used some yellow varnish on my headlight sealed beams, but also on other bulbs.
It is a kind of epoxy resin, very durable and fixes very well on glass surfaces. Here they have many colors available. You can just put on one layer, or several if you want to have more color.

[Deanj]

Good and disappointing results with new 1895 bulbs. All dash components are original, I believe.

First, the new 1895 bulbs were just the trick to make the clock illumination appear the same brightness as the Fuel and Speedometer gauges appear with 57 bulbs.

These new bulbs did nothing to improve the brightness of the Cigar Lighter/Wiper switches. Mine are green and the light really isn't getting through the bezels.

Even worse on the Ignition/Headlight switch bezels. It took until darkness to see some illumination of "Run" on the Ignition switch bezel. The Headlights bezel is as dark as the night.

I think green phosphorescent paint might work. I'm kidding, but there must be an explanation such as these always worked badly.

Dean

[sidewalkman]

I bought green LED off ebay, replaced every bulb behind the dash, in the radio and on the shift indicator and heater control. Looks really cool at night especially. Lots of light because of the white gauges.

[Deanj]

I'll bet those look like that's how it should have been by 1960. Those incandescent bulbs appear dated on the gauges. it's a choice of stock vs some very slick LEDs that make the cluster look more modern.

There are so many choices of LEDs with the B9 base. I wish the sellers would explain more about brightness.

Dean

Here's a good site for car LEDs: https://www.superbrightleds.com/