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Old 03-09-2010, 09:48 AM
RedBarchetta RedBarchetta is offline
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Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Yorba Linda, CA
Cobra Make, Engine: SPF w/392CI stroker
Posts: 3,293
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Default Dash Lights upgrade for Superformance and other makes/models

Blas. By day he’s a mild mannered average Joe just like the rest of us. But in the depths of winter, deep inside his Chicago-area basement, he’s a freakin’ electrical God.

A multitude of SPF owners have already benefitted from his detailed wiring schematics (versions for all generations) and remote circuit breakers (for mostly the older cars). And now he has written a detailed instruction manual for anyone that wants to improve the paltry lighting that comes with the typical Smiths gauge cluster.

Obviously Mr. Lucas (aka “The Prince of Darkness”) sold some of his wares to Mr. Smith, because the lighting on these things is a couple notches below dim. Well our good friend Blas has spent countless hours in his personal lab creating the best possible fix for the gauge lighting. And the good news here is that it’s applicable to more than just Superformance owners!

I recently received a gratuitous copy of his Dash Lighting Procedure Manual and it’s simply another home run along the same lines as the wiring schematics and the circuit breakers. I have always prided myself on my mechanical abilities but have shunned electrical stuff (I can see bolts…I can’t see volts!). Blas has a way of clouding any mysteries to this with an easy-to-explain procedure that even I feel comfortable following without other helpers.

Not only does the procedure go step by step for each type of gauge (the small ones as well as the larger tachometer and speedometer), but he also provides key resource references for where to acquire the best parts from the best suppliers for the lowest cost! Everything you need can be purchased on eBay through reputable worldwide dealers and delivered to your door. In addition, the procedure manual covers three (3) different tachometer versions so that several generations of Smith gauges can be retrofitted properly. There are also plenty of pictures to help you follow along (this guy actually acquired a bunch of spare/broken gauges, then took them apart over and over again to test every conceivable option).

So what does Blas get out of this? Absolutely nothing! The cold hard fact is that he is donating the profits from each $5.00 purchase that he receives (via PayPal) toward supporting the charities that drive the annual London Cobra Show.

If you are interested, please drop him a line at SPFWiringDiagrams@Comcast.net.





Blas, thank you for taking the time to assemble something that is value-added to our little cars!

-Dean

Last edited by RedBarchetta; 03-09-2010 at 01:18 PM..
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