Speedo paint

Includes seating, upholstery, door trims, dashboard and heater.

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Blacky
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Speedo paint

Post by Blacky »

Ever since I got my km/h speedo I have wanted to redo the numbers as some of the paint has peeled out of the numbers.
I tried speedo restoration places all over the country and had no luck at all with finding anyone who could replace the paint with the original type of luminescent paint.
I had a look at some American websites and found a mob that sells both green and orange luminescent paint so I bought some and gave it a shot on a broken speedo face as a test run
First up I used a can of oven cleaner to remove the old paint, I masked the HOLDEN off to use it as a comparison
Image
As you can see the numbers are quite a bit darker than the HOLDEN letters but pretty close to the green ring around the outside of the lens so have they faded over the last 60 odd years? Logic would say yes ……
Image

Held up to the light - reckon I will paint a set up and give them a go .
Image


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Harv
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Re: Speedo paint

Post by Harv »

Watching with interest.

I followed Matty Martin's process and painted my backgrounds cream and the plastic indented numbers red. Looks good in the daylight, but cannot see them at night. Suspect that is the red LED backlights I put in though... they need to go.

That paint doesn't make you glow in the dark afterwards does it? Mebbe check the label for Mururoa or Maralinga :shock: :lol:

Cheers,
Harv
327 Chev EK wagon, original EK ute for Number 1 Daughter, an FB sedan meth monster project and a BB/MD grey motored FED.
Blacky
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Location: up in the Perth hills

Re: Speedo paint

Post by Blacky »

I grabbed a set of lenses out of EKMart this arvo and hit them with oven cleaner, first attempt was less than spectacular Image so I did them again . Better but still not good enough so they are soaking overnight- see how they are in the morning………..
Image
Image
Image


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When you're faced with an unpleasant task that you really don't want to do, sometimes you just have to dig deep down inside and somehow find the patience to wait for someone else to do it for you.


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Blacky
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Re: Speedo paint

Post by Blacky »

Third time lucky-
Image

Still no good Image hit it again and wrapped it in gladwrap to see if that helps , if not time to buy a new can of oven cleaner- this has been in the shed for years - it doesn’t burn my fingers when I use it so it may have lost its punch …….


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When you're faced with an unpleasant task that you really don't want to do, sometimes you just have to dig deep down inside and somehow find the patience to wait for someone else to do it for you.


Foundation member #61 of FB/EK Holden club of W.A.
Blacky
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Re: Speedo paint

Post by Blacky »

Well the glad wrap trick did the job Image. Gave them a coat of paint tonight, when they are dry I will chuck them in the ute and see if it makes any difference
Image
Image
Image


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Blacky
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Location: up in the Perth hills

Re: Speedo paint

Post by Blacky »

Put them in tonight, here’s a before shot -
Image

Pretty hard to read.


Removed the dash , replaced the lenses in the fuel and idiot light gauge and replaced the speedo with the newly painted one-

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It’s VERY green - not sure I can live with that amount of greenness if that’s a word

But by the lord Harry it makes it easier to read the gauges at night ImageImage

Image

Will leave them in for a bit and see if I can put up with the colour……


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When you're faced with an unpleasant task that you really don't want to do, sometimes you just have to dig deep down inside and somehow find the patience to wait for someone else to do it for you.


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In the Shed
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Re: Speedo paint

Post by In the Shed »

Awesome Blacky, looks great!! 😊. Can you post up the paint you used and the cost?
A day in the shed beats a day at work!
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Errol62
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Re: Speedo paint

Post by Errol62 »

Nice job mate!


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Blacky
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Re: Speedo paint

Post by Blacky »

In the Shed wrote: Tue May 02, 2023 10:09 pm Awesome Blacky, looks great!! 😊. Can you post up the paint you used and the cost?
Bought it from this mob a few years ago - $2.95 for a tin which would probably do 4 or 5 sets I reckon - but the postage will be considerably more than the paint these days ...... https://www.hipoparts.com/fluorescent-s ... ion-paint/
I just ordered 2 tins of green, a tin of white - will try mixing it with the green to see if it calms it down a bit - and a tin of blue for further experimentation. It works great but the colour is a bit much ...........

Total cost was about $50 Aus , if anyone wants a tin of green I am happy to sell them and bring to Echuca if they get here in time .......
When you're faced with an unpleasant task that you really don't want to do, sometimes you just have to dig deep down inside and somehow find the patience to wait for someone else to do it for you.


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Harv
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Re: Speedo paint

Post by Harv »

That looks awesome under lights.

Cheers,
Harv
327 Chev EK wagon, original EK ute for Number 1 Daughter, an FB sedan meth monster project and a BB/MD grey motored FED.
Blacky
Posts: 12171
Joined: Tue Jul 20, 2004 8:58 am
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Location: up in the Perth hills

Re: Speedo paint

Post by Blacky »

Yeah - am hoping the blue works just as well- it appears to be a mid blue in the pics so should tie in with the colour of the dash much better than the green
Image


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briby
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Re: Speedo paint

Post by briby »

"a tin of white - will try mixing it with the green to see if it calms it down a bit", what i was thinking, looks good though.
Briby
A place for everything and everything in it's place, just can't remember where that place is.
Blacky
Posts: 12171
Joined: Tue Jul 20, 2004 8:58 am
State: WA
Location: up in the Perth hills

Re: Speedo paint

Post by Blacky »

Got a package in the mail today …. Image


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When you're faced with an unpleasant task that you really don't want to do, sometimes you just have to dig deep down inside and somehow find the patience to wait for someone else to do it for you.


Foundation member #61 of FB/EK Holden club of W.A.
Blacky
Posts: 12171
Joined: Tue Jul 20, 2004 8:58 am
State: WA
Location: up in the Perth hills

Re: Speedo paint

Post by Blacky »

So here we go again, cleaned another set of faces up - in the laundry because it’s cold in the shed, only got to 24 here today ImageImage

Image

Painted them up , this paint is pretty watery compared to the green and the containers are smaller - only gave the speedo one coat so I have enough for the kms one if this works

Image

Will fit them up tomorrow night and see how they look


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Errol62
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Re: Speedo paint

Post by Errol62 »



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