How-To: Change The Color Of Your 99-02 GMT800 Gauges.

[ScottyBoy]

Here are step by step instructions on how to change the color of the guages in your instrument cluster in any 99-02 GMT-800 (NBS) truck or SUV. This is a very quick and easy mod, as no soldering is involved and it takes less than 30 minutes start to finish. Here is a list of all the supplies and tools you need to accomplish this:

6- size 194 or equivalent wedge base LED bulbs of your color choice.

Here are the bulbs I used:

6 - twist lock bulb bases for a 194 size bulb. You can buy them at most auto parts stores for like 2 or 3 bucks each. I ordered mine off ebay.

They should look like this:

 

-a 7mm nutdriver or 7mm socket and ratchet with at least a 6 inch extension on it

-a flatheaded screwdriver or nylon pry/trim removal tool

 

 

First, remove the instrument cluster/radio dash bezel. This plastic trim will pop off with your bare hands, no tools are needed to remove it. You will need to move the gear shifter all the way to the right (preferrably with the engine off) to get the bezel offf of the dash. Now use your 7mm socket or nutdriver to unscrew the four 7mm screws holding the instrument cluster in the dash. Now lift out the cluster and unplug the harness from the top of it. Now you need to pry the back off of the cluster to get the bulbs out. Just use your screwdriver and work your way around the cluster release each of these tabs.

 

once you get the back cover off of the cluster it should look like this:

The 6 black bulb bases you see will actually be gray. (I took the picture after I replaced the bulbs) Simply remove your 6 stock gray bulbs and bases by twisting them a 1/4 turn and popping them out. Now replace them with your 194 LED bulbs with the twistlock bases. Here are my LED bulbs and twist lock bases compared to the stock bulbs:

Now put the back cover of the cluster back on, but don't pop all the tabs back on just yet. Go plug it in to your dash and test it out. Turn on the parking lights and see if all your LED's are lit up. If not, take out the ones that areant and flip them around. LED's are directional, so they will only work if installed with the polarity one way. Once you verify they are all functioning properly, re-install everything the reverse of removal.

Here are some before and after pics of mine.

Before:

After:

And here are some more after shots to show how they match the rest of my blue interior LED's that I did:

 

The write ups to the rest of my interior LED's can be found at the following links:

LED door switch mod

 

LED AC control panel mod

[gregrocks89]

Thats sick man, im gonna change mine to red

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I changed the color of my needles to red and put red bulbs in mine.

[gregrocks89]

throw a pic up. i got red underglow on my floors in the front and the rear seats

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Pic of day and night. Camera wouldn't take a great night pic for some reason, but you get the idea.

[gregrocks89]

that aint bad at all. i may do that. i might have to go to crappy tire here and grab some

[[email protected]]

that aint bad at all. i may do that. i might have to go to crappy tire here and grab some

 

I took my needles off, sanded the paint off the back, then took paint and a brush and painted the back red.

[gregrocks89]

I took my needles off, sanded the paint off the back, then took paint and a brush and painted the back red.

 

that looks good man. I think im just gonna do the red dash lights. maybe do the window switches to if i get time and dont feel to lazy.

[Quazi81]

Anyone done this on a 2003 and up is it the same? do i use the same resistors or different ones?

[ScottyBoy]

Anyone done this on a 2003 and up is it the same? do i use the same resistors or different ones?

 

 

I've donethis on some 2003-206 clusters as well. The process is not as simple as replacing bulbs like on the 99-02 clusters. The 03-06 cluster have small bulbs soldered directly onto the board. You have to unsolder them and solder in an LED and resistor in place of each bulb. I'll be doing a write up for the 03-06 clusters soon.

[txab]

Link to his '03 - '06 thread.

 

 

http://www.gm-trucks.com/forums/index.php?...=120885&hl=

[MATTRUX]

Anybody done this on a 07-11? I am really getting tired of all the green lights in my 10.

[demonte1997]

I want to try this on my 2002 SD. Those lights appear greenish on the cluster stock so I don't want to change that too drastically but rather just want them brighter. So figure 6 white 194 LEDs as are shown in the picture? I assume there is a green film on the cluster itself that makes the bulbs light up that color.

 

Something like this?:

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/6-Pack-White-PC194-Led-instrument-Panel-Dash-Light-Bulb-Auto-Twist-Lock-Wedge-/291012230202?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item43c1ae3c3a&vxp=mtr

 

 

 

Or would I be better off with bulbs like this: http://www.ddmtuning.com/Products/194LED-5x5050LED194-5-x-5050-LED

 

Thanks in advance.

 

-Rick

[Chris]

Find that link in the GMT-800 thread and use what he shows you

 

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S4 using Tapatalk Pro

[txab]

Already contained in his other thread.

 

http://www.gm-trucks.com/forums/topic/155002-2002-sd-instrument-cluster-bulbs/