Jeep Wrangler Forum banner

2000 - 2005 TJ LED Dash MOD

35K views 57 replies 28 participants last post by  On A Mission 
#1 ·
Ok so I've read all about the LED dash mod, and how to do it and where to get the bulbs, but no where I have I read any detail about this on a post 2000 TJ, with the red needles on the clusters. Im really thinking about Blue LED's but Im not sure how it will look and if I will no longer be able to see my needles, which are rather vital when you think about it. Can anyone shed some light onto how this looks, or works out. Thanks

Im rocking a 2002 Sahara for what its worth...
 
#4 ·
What all does a project like this intail? Looks real good

-Bud 05 TJ 6-speed, Dana 44 Rear, 3" Zone, 1.25"BL, 33" Duratracs on Dick Cepek DC-2s
 
#5 ·
From reading, you'll need about an hour of time, $25 dollars, and a screwdriver. I hear that VLEDS.c o m is a good place to order from. Im no expert on dash removal but I hear its not too difficult, hopefully someone can post to help me with that also.
 
#7 ·
superbrightleds.com. 19 bucks shipped for instrument cluster lights and hvac lights. Took me 30 min for both. If at first the bulb doesn't work, take it out and rotate it once more. One of the easiest coolest installs ive ever done. The Hvac lights are an icy blue whereas the dash are more of deep blue. During the day, they do look purple haha. Superbrightleds.com has alllll sorts of awesome stuff btw...U can still see ur needles, though it does take a brief second for your eyes to adjust to see them. Very brief. Do it, you wont regret it!
 
#10 ·
Do you have their part numbers on hand for hvac and dash?
 
#9 ·
I have 2006. The dash is not completely put back together, but you'll get an idea. I sanded the orange off of the MPH and RPM needles. Also, I took paint thinner and elbow grease to take off the layer behind the numbers to get a true blue color and not a purplish tint (yes I am a perfectionist lol) You can see the difference it makes in the pics below. Also, the blue is very even, my phone just didn't capture the light correctly...but you can see how much more blue mine looks compared to ones who didn't do this. Just sharing to give ya ideas :)
 
#13 ·
So since you have a picture of you holding your gauge panel, you obviously pulled all your needles off. How did you line them up to reinstall? I have been thinking about either removing the red or very carefully painting the red portions white so they will really pop. Please advise. Thanks
 
#12 ·
I ordered all from superbrightleds.com

5 - 74-xHP (74 LED Bulb - 1 SMD LED Wedge Base) for Gauge Cluster

6 - NEO4-x (NEOx LED Bulb - Instrument Panel LED) 3 for HVAC controls and 3 for switches under HVAC (Hardtop Wiper, Defroster, and O/D Off)

2 - 4410-x9 (578 LED Bulb - 9 LED Festoon) for dome lights in speaker pods

2 - 921-x12 (921 LED Bulb - 12 Wide Angle LED Mini Wedge Base) for courtesy lights under dash that light the floor when doors are open

1 - WLED-x5 (194 LED Bulb - 5 LED Wide Angle Wedge Base) for automatic shifter. Requires some widening of the stock opening

x=color, for me it was G for green

Super easy mod to do...took about an hour to do all of them.
 
#17 ·
I ordered all from superbrightleds.com

5 - 74-xHP (74 LED Bulb - 1 SMD LED Wedge Base) for Gauge Cluster

6 - NEO4-x (NEOx LED Bulb - Instrument Panel LED) 3 for HVAC controls and 3 for switches under HVAC (Hardtop Wiper, Defroster, and O/D Off)

2 - 4410-x9 (578 LED Bulb - 9 LED Festoon) for dome lights in speaker pods

2 - 921-x12 (921 LED Bulb - 12 Wide Angle LED Mini Wedge Base) for courtesy lights under dash that light the floor when doors are open

1 - WLED-x5 (194 LED Bulb - 5 LED Wide Angle Wedge Base) for automatic shifter. Requires some widening of the stock opening

x=color, for me it was G for green

Super easy mod to do...took about an hour to do all of them.
Thanks for posting that...I couldn't find my invoice or my lil pink baggies they come in that I put my originals back in :banghead:
 
#22 ·
Hello!


I'm thinking about taking my gauge needles off my 04 tj and was wondering if performing a reset by holding the trip reset while turning the key would be enough to reset the needles to zero?

I want to go from red to white needles. I don't have a GPS to gauge my mph so I don't want to get stuck with messed up needles. Lol

Sorry if this is the wrong place for this just thought it was relevant to the conversation.
 
#24 ·
Oh wow, I should have thought of that. Well that makes me feel a bit better. But anyone know if the gauge reset will fix the needle issue without having to stand on one foot and cross my eyes to get them put back on?
 
#29 ·
If you buy an elm327, get it from newegg. My ebay one came DOA with a "software" disc that was loaded with Trojan keyloggers. I contacted the seller and filed a paypal claim, only to be told to send it back to china before a refund would be issued. It was not worth the trouble or cost to recoup my $17.

But the new one from newegg works great, and i use the tourque android app.


FIREHOUND, looks great! I decided against doing the hvac, but your pic has changed my mind.
 
#28 ·
Thanks for the advice! I'm feeling a bit more confident, just thumbed through the billion page led change thread lol... I'm pretty excited too, going to get my blue CD player, blue dash lights, probably stick with white dome lights, and blue floor lights. Gonna be awesomesauce!
 
#31 ·
So I have been thinking about this -- dangerous thing, thinking. The cover for the gauges is very easy to open, just a couple tabs. Wouldn't it be just as easy to carefully paint the needles white using an artist brush? Maybe a flat white paint? Anyone tried that with good results?
 
#35 ·
The needle itself is clear. The red/orange is on the back/bottom surface. I'm not sure if it is a sticker or paint. I scraped it off but in the end I think mineral spirits may take it off. Any white coating will do. I used a paint pen to apply the white. The orange extends onto the round needle center. I just painted that black.

(on the clear needle near the center, there was a small section of orange I could not get to to remove the orange. I painted the top of that black. You'll see and deal with it however works)
 
#32 ·
If you want blue lights in the dash but still want to see the needles then just scrap off the red sticker from the needle.

I have not done this on the jeep yet. I did it to my cbr1000rr dash. I 1st did the mod then put it all back together. Once it got dark my needle was almost not seen. I had to take it all back apart and troubleshoot. In the end i took a sharp knife and scraped off all the color of the needle. In the end the needle was clear.

Now it is blue like the rest of the dash.
 
#33 ·
I just looked at the needles of my 03. They have a sticker/pait on the back side. You need to scrap that off. Also they have the same coating on the top but just in the center. Once this coating is off the light in pass through the clear needle lighting it up.


this is my cbr dash. the needle was once orangeish red

2008 CBR1000RR custom backlighting - YouTube
 
#34 ·
Note my needle lights up in white due to the leds in that area were changed to white.
 
#36 ·
I ordered mine on Sunday and already received them! Superbrights is the way to go! Im usually pretty leary when I hear something is easy especially tearing the dash apart but this really was easy. Took about 1/2 hour for gauges and HVAC. Just make sure you have needle nose pliers handy.
 
#37 ·
I received mine today and got them installed! Going to wait till dark to see how it looks through the gauge needles. I may still mod them but pretty happy with it so far!
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top