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Installed McNord gauges today...

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Old 12-14-2008 | 07:44 PM
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Default Installed McNord gauges today...

I installed 2 today (mine and Dave's) and it is super easy. If you even have a rough idea where the needles were they basically WANT to go back where they are supposed to be, it is weird.

Anyway, checked both against a laptop and they were great Here's some of our pics...

Dave has a Granatelli Signature Series Camaro 1 of 3 (was supposed to be 1 of 5 but only 3 ended up being made). He got permission to put the signature on the face..













Here's mine... Made to look like my Cobalts (which I didn't have them I'd have done the above color IN A HEARTBEAT, it looked SOOOO good ):







I'm really considering changing mine up completely by going back to a stock trans-am bezel and possibly ordering different color and getting different gauges...
Old 12-14-2008 | 07:53 PM
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Those look awesome man.
Old 12-14-2008 | 08:43 PM
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They look killer

Is that the "silver" color on the first one? Looks great

Last edited by Ls1CamaroGuy87; 12-14-2008 at 08:53 PM.
Old 12-14-2008 | 09:47 PM
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Awesome! Any lit?
Old 12-14-2008 | 09:55 PM
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They look nice. Glad to hear that the bleeding light issue has been taken care of.
Old 12-15-2008 | 12:26 AM
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No lit pics yet but it looked awesome (on mine, haven't seen Dave's). I'm going to be stuck on a set for the majority of the next 48 hours so you fellows are going to have to be patient...
Old 12-15-2008 | 11:48 AM
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Ya last time I changed my overlay my needles never worked right again. . So be careful guys when you remove the needles.
Old 12-15-2008 | 11:52 AM
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Looks good

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Old 12-15-2008 | 12:08 PM
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the gray ones are mine. they dont have the "silver" effect to them, i didnt want it.

as for night shots...not yet. i just ordered a white LED set from Brian. I would say that its almost a requirement, as the stock bulbs are yellowish, and still have the same bright/dull spots that the LEDs leave. i also think that since i got gray, its not as dark as the black, so some light comes through. im going to try to use some black paint (if possible) to darken that up a bit.
Old 12-15-2008 | 01:49 PM
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Originally Posted by bjamick
Ya last time I changed my overlay my needles never worked right again. . So be careful guys when you remove the needles.
I just installed my Mcnord overlay as well. Very easy, but definetly be careful with the needles. I didn't make note of where the needles were because they all moved around when I took the guage out. Now I know that is normal. I had to put the guage in (without the cover), turn on the car, and pretty much estimate where all the needles should have been. The speedo is off, so I'm going back in to fix that soon.

On a seperate note, I tried to install LED's while I had it out, but none of them would come on. I wound up putting the old lights back in. All but one came on. Not to highjack, but any ideas as to why this is?
Old 12-15-2008 | 02:09 PM
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if the LEDs didnt work then you should have tried to reverse the polarity, LEDs are polarity biased, standard bulbs arent. so if you reverse + and - on LEDs they wont work, on regualr bulbs it doesnt matter, they work either way.

if one standard didnt come on, it might be burned out. try swapping it with another one and see if its the location, the bulb, or maybe it wasnt in right.

on another attempt to hijack this thread, Mark, i don thin you installed the voltmeter gauge or the gas gauge properly. last night i filled up with 12 gallons of gas but it said i was jsut under 1/2 tank when i pulled into the station. it also said that i never got above 13 volts, but usually im just above 14. ill adjust the voltmeter, but the gas gauge ill just watch for now. i clock the miles anyways.
Old 12-15-2008 | 02:22 PM
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^^^For your gas guage, next time you fill up, set the needle where it usually goes when you are completely full. Same with the volt meter, turn on the car and let it warm up. Then put the needle where it typically goes when you are warm. Not exact, but it'll have to do. Unless anyone has any better ideas.

Back to the hijack, damnit, I'm sorry. I did reverse the polarity (if by this you mean turning it 180* and trying "backwards", if you will).
Old 12-15-2008 | 02:36 PM
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oh, and they still didnt work? damn. did you try moving that dead bulb around?

i can use my multimeter to get the right volts on the gauge.
Old 12-15-2008 | 02:57 PM
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Very Nice....

Any for LT1's?
Old 12-15-2008 | 03:01 PM
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Originally Posted by fast01z28
oh, and they still didnt work? damn. did you try moving that dead bulb around?

i can use my multimeter to get the right volts on the gauge.
Haven't tried yet. I'll do it in an hour or so when I get home from work and give an update
Old 12-15-2008 | 03:06 PM
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A lot of these are popping up lately. Looks good!
Old 12-15-2008 | 07:08 PM
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Originally Posted by dankl
I just installed my Mcnord overlay as well. Very easy, but definetly be careful with the needles. I didn't make note of where the needles were because they all moved around when I took the guage out. Now I know that is normal. I had to put the guage in (without the cover), turn on the car, and pretty much estimate where all the needles should have been. The speedo is off, so I'm going back in to fix that soon.

On a seperate note, I tried to install LED's while I had it out, but none of them would come on. I wound up putting the old lights back in. All but one came on. Not to highjack, but any ideas as to why this is?
Yeah, you have to turn the car on and note where the needles are before you ever start to pull them out...

Now here's how to fix it if you didn't do that and don't have a computer....

At idle your oil pressure should be 40 or just below, your water temp should be 210 (if the car is 1999+ and warmed up) voltage is usually 13.2 but you can check that with a cheap/free (if you go to AutoZone and rent it) voltmeter.

Fuel gauge, as said fill it up and install needle on full...

MPH you just put the needle on so it reads 0mph (which you have to measure or imagine since the gauge's lowest reading is 5mph...

RPM is hardest if you didn't mark where it was before. You need to buy a cheap tach and tap it into the computer to get a measurement. Or just put it where it "should" be at idle (I don't know what a stock car idles at though)...

Now, it sounds like this will be off because they are just guessed BUT it isn't. When you go to put the needle back on in the general area it is SUPPOSED to be in (my references above) it will actually grab itself and put it where it really ORIGINALLY pointed to.

They aren't keyed but from where or whatever they do self align to an extent. This is not something I read and can confirm, just something I know from experience on multiple cars (installing this way and checking against a laptop later and verifying they are accurate)..
Old 12-15-2008 | 07:10 PM
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Originally Posted by fast01z28
if the LEDs didnt work then you should have tried to reverse the polarity, LEDs are polarity biased, standard bulbs arent. so if you reverse + and - on LEDs they wont work, on regualr bulbs it doesnt matter, they work either way.

if one standard didnt come on, it might be burned out. try swapping it with another one and see if its the location, the bulb, or maybe it wasnt in right.

on another attempt to hijack this thread, Mark, i don thin you installed the voltmeter gauge or the gas gauge properly. last night i filled up with 12 gallons of gas but it said i was jsut under 1/2 tank when i pulled into the station. it also said that i never got above 13 volts, but usually im just above 14. ill adjust the voltmeter, but the gas gauge ill just watch for now. i clock the miles anyways.
I may have messed up the gas but the volt meter is dead one (check against George's laptop).

From the factory they always read wrong, yours must have read high because unless you have a higher amp alternator is shouldn't have been above 14...
Old 12-15-2008 | 07:12 PM
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Oh Dave, just remembered... For the gas you HAVE to do it when it is full. Our stupid shaped tanks make it read funny (hence when you fill up it stays full for days then when it drops it drops rapidly).

It was at 9 gallons and I put it just over half which with our screwed up gauges I should have put it closer to 3/4's or more...
Old 12-15-2008 | 08:28 PM
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Be careful when you install them. If you snap the bezel back on a certain way it causes the overlay to bunch and pull up a little (I know from experience). Easy fix though...

If you look at the top left of the overlay (with the bezel off) you will see the top left tab made to align the overlay (you stick it on the guide peg at this point). This is where it gets pushed down on causing it to bunch up.

Some bezels are rounded there and it has a sharp corner. Most fit in fine but you have to make note of that when you install it or it bunches up as I have learned myself...


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