The glare from the clock surround just has to go, and while I'm there installing a couple of warning lamps in the space between the speedo and tacho.
Before for reference:
Brushed Stainless
Temporary tool created from scrap to ensure the sandpaper runs square on each pass:
The process: clamp one end of the dash surround and then straight passes with the tool using the edge of the bench as a guide. Just have to be careful to always drop the sandpaper on to the piece completely vertically for each stroke.
Reflections from my garage lighting now looking suitably reduced which is the effect I am after.
Offered up with clocks re-installed.
The red LED will be a shift light, and the blue a secondary brighter turn-indicator tel-tale. There is an indicator lamp in the tachometer - its just too small and dim to see when driving and really easy to leave indicators on.
Happy with that - relatively simple process and hopefully prevents or at least reduces spot/sun reflections with the diffused finish. I'm undecided over lacquering the panel - now it is brushed and notwithstanding it's stainless steel it is probably more susceptible to rusting - I may just leave it and see what it does through weathering.
Loom additions for new warning LEDs
Adjusted the stock GBS plug and play loom to drive the new warning lamps - spliced in the needed 4x lines. The shift light signal switches on ground and the indicators on 12v. The indicator feed is already joined with diodes to prevent crosstalk - so spliced into the loom after the diodes to get a single 12v feed for whichever indicator is lit.
Clocks loom is a bit of a spider - opened up - adjusted - and re-bound as neatly as I can.
No dropper resistors for my LEDS since they have them built in - their current draw at 12v checked at 15ma.
New loom branches:
Shift light: Red = 12v, Blue = Shift
Indicator light: Yellow = Indicator, Black = GND
Tested the indicator circuit which works fine, it will need a daylight test to check on brightness need to tweak the ECU shift light setting to test that.
Update -
Initially set the shift light on a conservative 5,000 revs, well short of the 7,000 redline/cutoff.
During one acceleration test I lit the shift light, and checking on return (Emerald ECU has a max revs memory feature) the tacho showed about 6,200 max rpm. So shift light on somewhere between 5,000-5,500 is probably about right for my road driving.
Has to light in time for me to shift up
before hitting the redline otherwise its pointless.