Cluster/Speedo Rings

[Mooneggs]

I think I like the thinnest ones with no lip... I don't think it would look right connected... just not what I had pictured in my head I guess

[MazdaManiacMx3]

I would be interested in the seperate rings and the one peice if you don't mind making me 2 sets .
Kris -

[mx3optidrive]

Ya, I like the idea of the 3 seperate rings also. Looks good though

[SmoothMX3]

I'm all for the rings together and I'm definatly into this. I'll be grabbin em off of you soon as your ready to sell.

[Ryan]

Okay guys, they FIT.
The speedo one, where I compensated for the .175 on the radii, almost doesn't need glue.

READ: The one that will go around the thermostat/fuel guages requires some modification. The screws on the face are close enough to the edge that they stop these rings from fitting flush. One will need to mark the location of the screws on the rings, and file out a groove to allow them to fit flush.

Thats about the only problem.
I'll get pictures up asap, hopefully within the hour.
The one around the thero/fuel is actually one of the skinny ones that were a bust. Literally, it was so thin I broke it by accident

[SmoothMX3]

You said "without glue" ... can they stay there by themselfs
or do you need to glue them to get them to stay put?

[Ryan]

Yeah I was thinking about that. You will need a bit of some sort of tacky substance to keep them there, as its not a tight enough fit to hang and handle all the bumps and vibrations a car offers. A few pinpricks of superglue or even something like removable weather stripping would be awesome. I believe even the Ebay ones needed some glueing.

[SmoothMX3]

Sorry, I don't mean to fill up your thread but I have another quick question...
What do you plan on... keeping them clear like that and adding a led close to it and maybe it might innumlate or whatever that word is called???
or do you plan on painting it a certain color?

Painting them won't be a big deal, but we would have to be really careful with them because im sure they will scratch real easy.

[mx3optidrive]

I am in for this, let me know when and where to send the money.

Jeff

[Mooneggs]

I'm having a hard time seeing them because of the angle... I guess they are clear but it almost looks like they overhang over the needle? or maybe it's just my eyes or an illusion of some sort...

I guess it would be easier to see if the pic was taken straight on...

[Ryan]

First off, I am stupid for not taking a peek back here before I reasssembled my cluster. Ugh.

Okay, don't worry abut filling the thread, this is the discussion on them.
I would advise painting them. Clear works, they clean up a bit if you heat them, the flecks of plexi melt and harden clear. Check online for a good procedure on making plexi clear. LED them if you want, I am shipping as is. As for being careful with them, doesn't that go with everything in the cluster? needles, the backings, it all scratches very very easily, or just plain breaks. Toy with your cluster at your own risk .

Mooneggs, I'm sorry I took a bad picture . It was with my mothers laptop using the built in webcam. It was really hard as it was . They do not interfere with the needles. What else could you be asking? The plastic bezel of the dash is 3 mm thick. these rings have two parts. the portion that is INSIDE the guage is 3mm deep as well, and 2 wide. The upper part that protrudes from the bezel is flush on the bottom, it protrudes somewhere between 3-4 mm. It is also 2mm wide, for a total face width of 4mm. The original bezel's 'line' would be exactly in the centre of it, 2mm from each edge of these rings.

If that was only confusing, ignore it if you REALLY want I'll go take some more tomorrow...

[Ryan]

The fruit of 90 minutes.

There is a glitch in the prep stages. I needed to use 'tabs' while machining. These are little bits, 1mm wide, that keep the rings connected to the rest of the plexi. The purpose is to avoid the rings flying off and breaking when the last bit is milled out, like when you open the top of a tin can and the top flys off. Nowadays, this doesn't happen, because the lid is generally held by the opener... but thats the idea (and to save the machine. I broke a bit making the aluminum one.) anyway..
The tabs, since plex is very similar to real glass, break in a very unpridictable manner. Some of them broke in a way that it took some material out of the finished surface. Its like a chip. I'm not sure how one could fix it. Its time consuming and potentially costful to manufacture lots and lots of replacements, as I use a circle of ~10cm plexi, and that leaves lots of waste. so far I'm being allowed to use scraps, but when I run out....
So, I'd like to know how you feel about the chips. Willing to do a bit of repairing? if not, I could send off perfect sets to those who feel its very important, and lesser quality to others... but this Isn't the buy forum yet, because it seems Jeff hasn't gotten around to reading my e-mail yet, and I don't have access. Still discussion

[Ryan]

After a frustrating day, I have fixed all glitches. Tabs no longer cause cracking, as I found a good way to break them. I have 4 tach and 1 speedo rings that are flawed. Now, the tach rings will fit as snugly as the speedo ones, and I changed my machining program so I can more accurately estimate clearances while milling, creating less scrap. Only one tach ring manufactured today, and one broken speedometer ring. Bad stock but it should be smooth sailing now.

[npspears]

what kind of price are we looking at here?

[Ryan]

psh, like 5 bucks total. $2 to the site, some for shipping and prep, and the rest for me Of course I'll take donations for hours of headaches... But truely, its my education. Machining is what I hope to be doing for a few years, untill I take mechanical engineering... So if I make $0 and its costs me nothing but time, thats fine with me.