Hello and thanks! :tup:

I honestly do not know about the bulb sizing and type. You can measure the bulbs and approximate the size of bulbs available on the website. If the info is not available, you can call them in and provide the measurements so you can get the bulb closest to your application. It's clip in, so you should have some flexibility.

Disassembly isn't too bad. The most tedious is desoldering the rotary switches for the HVAC and lining it back up through the PCB. The gauge cluster removal isn't too bad after doing it the first time.

This is going to require quite a bit of spaghetti wiring and masking of original pads. You can get 4-pin PLCC2 RGB LEDs. One pin is ground, and the other is positive for each color. Wire all the LEDs to your microcontroller/driver circuit. I guess you can program roughly 255 shades for each color. If you can pull this off, you'll be the LED god. :tup:

SUBscribing. I need to get on this.

WoW where do you get the guts to tryout sumin like dis.:gtfo2:

It takes lots of thinking and planning (i.e., need down time). I did the same work with the 350Z, and it was easier than the 370Z. However, putting the needles back on with the 370Z is so much easier because I didn't have to drive the car while putting the needle back on. The only thing left is the triple meter, but I've decided to replace those with aftermarket gauges.

wow,... all i can say is. wow. thats some nice work there. thats a clean clean interior:tup::tup::tup:

How much would you charge?

PM'd.

Oil Pressure and Battery Voltage Gauge Cluster
 

The oil pressure and battery voltage uses 2 PLCC2 LEDs (per pod) for the back light and 1 PLCC2 LED (per needle). The clock uses 6 PLCC2 for the back light (similar to odometer).
http://www.the370z.com/attachment.ph...1&d=1297231592

Black Cat Custom will print the custom gauge faces, and it should be available for purchase soon. Stay tuned for completed pictures of the custom gauge cluster.
http://www.the370z.com/attachment.ph...1&d=1297231592

Where are the black and white wire clips in the pic above?

How did you remove the triple guage top covers?

Sorry for the late response. Removing the triple meters is something I've not done yet, but will have another shop work on instead. The ones I modded was for another member.

DIGI, finally got my other parts (hood & side skirts) in from Japan! Will be dropping the car off soon I hope and will then get that triple gauge installed. I haven't forgotten, I promise! :tiphat:

Combination Meter: Part 1
 

The LEDs are PLCC with 3 cathode and 1 anode pad. The LEDs I used had a single anode and cathode, so I had mask off one of the pads to prevent a short causing the LED to not light up at all.

List:

• Fuel and Water Temp LCD = 9
• Gear Selection LCD = 3
• SRM LCD = 1
• Trip Meter LCD = 6
• Odometer Gauge= 3
• Tachometer Gauge = 5
• Needle = 2 LEDs per needle
• Function Buttons = 1 on each side

1. Removing the combination meter does NOT involve removing the steering wheel. With the vehicle running, turn the steering wheel to reveal the screw cover behind the steering wheel. Pry the cover, and remove the screw. Do the same for the other side. Turn off your car and remove the 3rd screw underneath the steering wheel column. Pry the lower steering column cover. Note the lip of the cover can be squeezed out of the steering wheel.
http://www.the370z.com/attachment.ph...1&d=1297230328

2. Underneath the steering column are 4 bolts to remove.
http://www.the370z.com/attachment.ph...1&d=1297230328

3. Carefully pull out the combination meter, and note the lip of the upper cover can be squeezed out of the steering wheel. Disconnect a couple of wire harnesses. There are 2 wire clips (black and white). The white one is easy to remove. The black one is difficult, but is held down by the electric tape. It can slip out of the tape and pop off after removing the meter, and then it can slide back into the electrical tape. Follow the service manual guidelines to disassemble the gauge cluster. The following pictures can guide you through the disassembly process.
http://www.the370z.com/attachment.ph...1&d=1297230328
http://www.the370z.com/attachment.ph...1&d=1297230328

METER HOUSING FRONT
Mark the home position of the needles. Use a couple of butter knives to pop off the needle. Use business cards to prevent scraping the face. When putting the needle back, push the needle in AWAY from home position. Gently move the needle towards home position until it stops. Simply nudge the needle until it slips into home position.
http://www.the370z.com/attachment.ph...1&d=1297230328

METER HOUSING REAR
Remove the metal bracket to get to the tachometer PCB. The needles are controlled by a stepper motor. The motor assembly is serviceable by popping off the housing. Inside are a couple of gears: one connecting from the motor output, and the other to the shaft of the needle. If there is a situation where the the shaft slips from the gear when pulling the needle, you can put it back in the gear and align the needle.
http://www.the370z.com/attachment.ph...1&d=1297230328

FLEX CABLE TACHOMETER
Carefully pry each end of the connector to release the cable.
http://www.the370z.com/attachment.ph...1&d=1297230328

FLEX CABLE FUEL/TEMP
The LCD back light power connector is next to the flex cable. There are 4 smaller screws holding the LCD assembly. Remove these screws AFTER removing the mainboard.
http://www.the370z.com/attachment.ph...1&d=1297230328

Combination Meter: Part 2
 

MAINBOARD
Here you can change the LCD, needle, and function button back light.
http://www.the370z.com/attachment.ph...1&d=1297231122

TACHOMETER PCB
Be extremely careful with the pins of the gear selector and SRM LCD. Tape a card over it to prevent bending it after removing the PCB. When placing the PCB back in place, make sure these pins line up. As a guide, the pins will be visible through the holes behind the PCB.
http://www.the370z.com/attachment.ph...1&d=1297231122
http://www.the370z.com/attachment.ph...1&d=1297231122

ODOMETER BACK LIGHT
Notice the masking tape used to mask off one of the pads.
http://www.the370z.com/attachment.ph...1&d=1297231122

DISPLAY ASSEMBLY FUEL/TEMP
Be extremely careful with the flex cable. Pry 4 tabs to release the silver bezel. Then pry the tabs of the black cover to release it from the diffuser housing.
http://www.the370z.com/attachment.ph...1&d=1297231122
http://www.the370z.com/attachment.ph...1&d=1297231122

BEZEL FUEL/TEMP
This picture shows the three tables that hold the bezel in place. There is no need to disassmeble the entire combination meter to re-insert this bezel. Therefore, the meter can be reassembled while the bezel is out for modifications.
http://www.the370z.com/attachment.ph...1&d=1297231122

LIGHT DIFFUSER AND LED ARRAY
The surface of the diffuser is delicate so be careful not to scratch it by wiping it. There are 2 tabs holding the LED array PCB. I had to mask off one of the pads because it would short with the (+) pad (see next photo).
http://www.the370z.com/attachment.ph...1&d=1297231122

Combination Meter: Part 3
 

Here are some pictures of the finished mod (minus the fuel/temp face):

http://www.the370z.com/attachment.ph...1&d=1297231432
http://www.the370z.com/attachment.ph...1&d=1297231432
http://www.the370z.com/attachment.ph...1&d=1297231432
http://www.the370z.com/attachment.ph...1&d=1297231432
http://www.the370z.com/attachment.ph...1&d=1297231432

man that looks good

Thanks! :tiphat: I ran out of space to store photos in my album, so I ended up embedding the photos all over this thread.

Can someone confirm this: are 194/168 are the same bulb sizes? Plus the map lights, license plate lights, and hatch lights all use this size bulb?

168, 194, and 921 (smallest diameter to largest) use the same socket.

good job, thanks for the posts

Awesome job, great write up! I'll probably do the same with my buddy's Z34 if he would be interested in doing so.

I remember you had done the trunk light mod; do you still have it lying around someplace? I'm getting tired of my dim little incandescent in there.

Mine was improvised, so it wasn't worth writing a DIY. However, you can still make your own using the following:
Endor Rebel Star (single LED) or Tri-Star (triple LED)
350mA BuckToot LED Driver
Small heatsink
Soldering iron
(Optional) Empty 194 LED wedge

Mine uses a single LED, so it is plenty bright.

Hello DIGItonium,
I really liked your idea and your detailed DIY post(s) regarding the Interior LED Color Change, it was very helpful. I did something similar and figured I would share. My notes are not as detailed as yours and hope it is enough to assist if others are thinking about it.

I found some LEDS in Red & Blue at local electronics place (FRY's Electronics). For now i only did the speedometer and tachometer and am debating to tackle the rest. They are made by Linrose, Linrose Electronics Inc.. Each strip cost about $20 bucks and they come with 26 LEDS with SMT current limiting resistors, no extra stuff required. The led flex strip comes with adhesive tape on the back so you can just apply to the inner space underneath the gauges and tie to 12V (key on). You can add a potentiometer as a dimmer or tie into factory dimmer. All factory LEDS left in place, just added the new ones. Soldered on some wires to the strips and ran to the fuse box to a 10A "ignition on" circuit lower left driver side. I made note of where the instrument needles were "at rest" so they are not out of calibration when I returned them. I used a fork to pry them off with a microfiber cloth to avoid touching the overlay. As long as you go slow they will come off, they are on tight and the secret is to apply pressure evenly when removing them (go straight up) and watch that you don't bend the needle side ways when lifting up on them. Try not to touch the inside of the clear plastic covers either. If you do then clean them and look at them from all angles to ensure the cleaner did not leave any haze. Total cost was 40 dollars and install took about 2.75 hours. The only thing I noticed when I was done was that the passenger airbag warning light was blinking and the center console was indicating it had been turned off. This was a result of disconnecting the instrument cluster. To resolve this I had to reset the computer by following a procedure another forum member posted. Search for key phrase "reset airbag" and you will find the post. Resetting the warring indicator is very easy to do, 20 second procedure. Removing the battery cable does not reset it.

http://www.the370z.com/members/370z1...ter-night2.png

http://www.the370z.com/members/370z1...bin-night2.png

Regards,
370Z1

Impressive, most impressive.

Added some pics of a single SMT red LED i added next to the stock orange ambient interior led. I just tied the led to the existing +12 & GND with a potentiometer which acts as a dimmer. It illuminates the center console area and can be turned off if needed. I picked up some plastic snap plugs at NAPA auto parts then drilled a hole in the center. This is the rubber piece covering the hole in the center.

Hey what size PLCC LED's are you using? I could pull it apart and measure one but I'd rather wait till I have all the lights in hand.

IIRC, PLCC2 2.8x3.2 mm. Most are 4 terminals, but you can mask off the pads and offset the LED mount as shown in my DIY.

Thanks for the response, I kinda figured those were the ones so I went ahead and ordered them anyway. I really appreciate the response. Your post is great. I've done this on 2 other cars before but its nice when someone else has already done the leg work and made it easy for the rest of us.

No problem! I'm glad you are able to work on them. There are a few indicators that will require 0603 or 0805 SMT LEDs like the key fob slot and S-Mode switch.

Fuel/Temp Gauge Face Modification
 

This is probably the most economical solution to modifying the fuel/temp gauge face.

The gauge face is painted clear plastic, so paint thinner is used to strip the paint from the plastic. The new overlay can be custom designed to order from Black Cat Custom. The back of the overlay has a 3M adhesive.

1. Follow the DIY procedure below to remove and disassemble the combination meter.
http://www.the370z.com/933463-post54.html

2. Mask the display window to prevent it from getting scratched and keep paint from away from it.
http://www.the370z.com/attachment.ph...1&d=1303791480

3. Use paint thinner to remove the amber markings. I messed up this process since I tried to use a dremel to strip the paint, and it melted the plastic. I had to use epoxy to fill it back up and sand it smooth.
http://www.the370z.com/attachment.ph...1&d=1300662926

4. Mask areas that does not need to be painted. The overlay will reveal some of the silver paint, so it is best to paint the display area first. Optionally, you can apply the overlay, mask it, and then paint it to prevent light leakage.
http://www.the370z.com/attachment.ph...1&d=1300663570

5. Here is a test of the overlay and masking tape removed.
http://www.the370z.com/attachment.ph...1&d=1300662926

6. Here is the finished product.
http://www.the370z.com/attachment.ph...1&d=1303791480

Installed Pictures:
http://www.the370z.com/attachment.ph...1&d=1302674441
http://www.the370z.com/attachment.ph...1&d=1302674441

:tup:

+1 rep! :D

Updated Fuel/Temp post with installed pictures!

amazing thread. Good job Digi!

Amazing! Great job on all of it!

Big ups for all this hard work!

Any hints on how to remove the plastic cover without destroying and scratching it?

Long fingernails haha, or you can get a flat blade or flathead screwdriver and wrap it with masking tape. The goal is to pry toward the plastic lens from sides and out to pop it out. That way you don't scratch up the visible parts.