Replacing the Plastic Gauge Lenses on the Suzuki GT Models by Len Klajda
I didn't take any short cuts to this project, because I wanted it air and water tight when I was done, and I wanted it to look like a factory job. I was also concerned that, if I smashed out the old lenses without removing the gauge mechanisms, I might screw 'em up, and I was NOT into spending $250.00 for new ones. I removed the gauges from the cowl. The mechanisms are melted into the PVC case, so I chipped off the plastic holding it in, all around the base.. just the melted stuff holding the metal in. It has a locktite kind of sealer/paint on it, just crack off that melted stuff with an Exacto. Work carefully, as these PVC housings are pretty breakable. More on that in a sec.... The speedo has some tricks to it. The trip odometer has a rubber boot which you need to carefully work loose, otherwise it will tear. Good luck trying to find that replacement. Removing the speedo mechanism is also like a Chinese puzzle. After working at it for 5 minutes and getting frustrated, cussing and swearing and just knowing that they had to get it in there SOMEHOW, I tipped it sideways and it practically fell out. Turns out the metal base has to extend over the edge of the plastic housing before it will come out, then it co-operates easily. Now you have these plastic cases with the old lenses intact. I took a hammer and wooden dowel to get it started. Placing the white PVC housing in between two wood blocks, lens down, I cracked the majority of it out of the center. Removing the rim of the lens is truly tricky, and not for the faint of heart. If the resilience of this crummy lens is strong anywhere, it's strong at the edges. There is also a recessed lip (see pic) that keeps it in place and helps to keep the housing air and water tight. You'll have to carefully pry it out and do your best not to crack the housing or the lip below it. Bad news is that it is practically not possible. Good news is that the white plactic PVC housing is a very easy plastic to repair. I used Oatey PVC cleaner (yeah, just the cleaner) to reseal fractures, and Oatey all-purpose PVC Cement for the broken parts. You can find these products at any Lowes/Home Depot. This plastic has such an affinity for this glue that, when repaired, it's like it never happened. Good thing too, as there will be some small pieces (watch where they fly) to glue back into place.
Now that the old one is removed, I took the housings to a local glass guy, who turned out to be really helpful. He cut two pieces to shape for me out of 1/4" glass. I didn?t thing about having it anti glared, but that?s a great idea, if you choose. Now, there is only one issue. The recess for the glass is 3/16", and stock glass is either 1/4" or 1/8". I wanted it stronger so I had him bevel that 1/16" off of the 1?4? glass stock for me. An added benefit to beveling this way is that it also hides the plastic edging and the glue job underneath. With a flat edge glass, when you glue this into place, you will see imperfections through the glass around the edge, making for a sloppy appearance. Beveling hides the gluing. It also looks really nice when it's back in the cowling. He also ground the edges of the new lens, so that it would take gluing well. I left the housings, and he took the time to make it a tight fit. The cost was $15.00, plus tax for the both. When I got them back, I did a trial run, assembling the parts, and I discovered just one little problem. The old plastic glass was domed for a reason. Replacing the domed glass with flat glass restricts the movement of the needle, and prevents the mechanism from fitting back into the housing. To solve this you will have to build up the base. Alternately, you can also build up the base under the glass, but it won't look as good when it's finished. I cleaned the base up, cutting out the remains from the factory melted in mounting with an Exacto blade.
I cut a ring for each gauge out of flat stock PVC to raise up and out the metal base of the gauge mechanism, and allow for the clearance needed to free the needle. I used .080 flat stock PVC and after allot of trial and error, found that using a routing bit on my Dremmel was the best way to cut out the shimming circles. The metal gauge base plate will sit on this ring, creating the clearance needed for the needle operation. Glue it in place with Oatey Cement, making sure to apply enough glue and pressure to get a tight seal with no gaps.
I glued the new glass lenses into the housing with a clear, high strength, slow cure (90 minute) epoxy, applying it to the plastic base, not the glass. If you?re careful with the glue (I used a toothpick, but liberally applied the glue to assure a seal,) you will have a perfect adhesion all around, no mess. This is also a great time to lube the gauge mechanisms with a quality lubricant, like sewing machine oil, or lock oil. Resist the urge to turn back the odometer. That would be illegal. I also took this opportunity to sand the cowl with a plastic pot scrubber to get off any scuffs, and painted it with Rustoleum Premium Satin black spray paint. It leaves a perfect matte black finish, and it?s a very resilient paint. Clean the inside of the glass carefully. Clean the metal mating surface of the gauge mechanism well, and carefully epoxy the gauge into place. When dry, I applied a second thicker coat of Epoxy to the entire mating edge to assure a tight, waterproof seal. The gauges look like new, and with real glass, they will stay that way, for a long time. Email me if you have any other input, or questions. This was really easier than I thought it would be. Don?t be afraid to charge in? just proceed carefully, and you?ll have a like-new gauge cluster!
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