FREE EASY MOD!!! i just switched color in a/c panel! - Ford Motor Forums

LoneRanger22 · #1 (**permalink**) 02-18-2003, 09:27 PM

ok... here's what i did.

i just came in from the garage, where i switched the a/c control nest color from green to blue (thanks jasfrmn for the help.)

you need
a flathead screwdriver (small-average size)
a 9/32 socket wrench
a flashlight
plastic-y blue clear paper (the kind in dividers, you know what i mean, if not, ask, and i'll help explain better)
a hot glue gun
and about an hour if you have all of the parts.

here's how you do it....
1. find and remove the two hex screws from underneath the stereo, right above the controls. (a 9/32 socket wrench will do it, you may have to pop off the control bezels, as they are in the way)
2. pop off the whole panel, carefully, as to avoid disconnecting anything.
3. it should pull far enough out that if you have a manual, you can set the base of the dash on your stick, (in 3rd gear). if you have an auto, have a buddy hold it for you.
4. remove the four screws anchoring the a/c nest to the car. (still 9/32 socket)
5. pull the a/c nest out of the dash, carefully again, you dont want to disconnect anything.
6. pause: what you should be looking at now is the a/c control panel, which should be a black face attached to a white plastic 'brick'.
7. you will be looking at 4 holes where the black face clips into the white brick. take a flat head screwdriver (a smaller one is best) and stick it in the first hole (start at one of the ends). twist the screwdriver to push the black tab down and pop it out of the brick (this will take a little more force than feels comfortable.
8. repeat step 7 on the top and the bottom of the panel.
9. once you have removed the black face, place the white brick back in the dash and step out of the car, with the black face.
10. from the black face, remove the piece of colored plastic. take your clear blue plastic and tape the green plastic to it.
11. carefully cut the blue plastic (i stacked 4 peices together) to match the old green style.
12. trim all un-necessary plastic away, and then proceed to fit the new blue plastic into the black face. this may require some extra trimming.
13. hot glue the new plastic down in the corners, but be careful to keep glue away from the transparent parts of the face.
14. once the glue dries, clip the face back into the brick.
15. remount the reassembled control panel
16. at this point, turn on your lights and make sure that the panel lights up to your satisfaction.
17. secure all bolts.
18. carefully remount the dash assembly
19. secure hex bolts on dash
20. clean up and enjoy!

hope this free mod works out as well for you as it did for me!
if you need any clarification or help, let me know...

LR22
thanks again to JASFRMN for the tips.

scuba1954 · #2 (**permalink**) 02-18-2003, 09:50 PM

Sounds easy enough. I bought a silver AC panel overlay for my Ranger from nu image. It already had the blue in it. I just removed the green pieces that the factory had put in. I cut the center section (white/clear) out and put that back in the AC panel, it helps to diffuse the white light nearest to the bulb.

LoneRanger22 · #3 (**permalink**) 02-18-2003, 10:45 PM

oh ya, go ahead, rub it in!!! dammit, there i go, work all hard and feel proud, and then $#%ing scuba tells me he did it in 5 minutes. !#@% #@%% % ^$^%^& #$@#@$!!!!

haha, just kidding... thanks for the info, tho... next time i'm going to rip my dash apart, i'll remember that...

LR22

edgeninja · #4 (**permalink**) 02-19-2003, 10:40 AM

I think that it took me about 30-40 min or so, but I have taken apart my dash a few times

LoneRanger22 · #5 (**permalink**) 02-19-2003, 10:47 AM

cool, i hadn't before, but it only took 3 minutes to put it all back together...

jasfrmn · #6 (**permalink**) 02-19-2003, 12:34 PM

It looks sweet as hell with my reverse indiglo gagues!!! I highly recommend this mod if you are running gauges that are not green anymore.

Also since I am not going to buy a aftermarket head unit for a while I am going to do the radio from green to blue so I will tell how when its done

LoneRanger22 · #7 (**permalink**) 02-20-2003, 12:36 AM

need to get my guages, i get paid tomorrow, i'll have to order some...

FordRebel172 · #8 (**permalink**) 03-12-2003, 01:43 PM

can this mod be done on gen 3 rangers....aka like a 94????IF so, someone let me know how!! Before i rip apart my dash only to find out it won't work.........oops! too late...any ways...let me know

jasfrmn · #9 (**permalink**) 03-12-2003, 03:04 PM

Not sure...sorry

LoneRanger22 · #10 (**permalink**) 03-12-2003, 03:51 PM

yes it can. we did it on my friend's 96.....
he wanted green, his was blue already.

SCrew · #11 (**permalink**) 03-12-2003, 08:33 PM

I've got blue gauges and a/c panel...wish there was an easy way to change factory stereo to blue!

FordRebel172 · #12 (**permalink**) 03-12-2003, 10:00 PM

well how is it done on a gen 3 because i got the front of it off and couldn't figure it out from there.. I was lost because od that little light defractor deal....

LoneRanger22 · #13 (**permalink**) 03-13-2003, 01:39 AM

screw, i think jason knows how, wether or not it's easy remains to be seen....

as far as i know, fordrebel, it is the exact same as i posted on my how-to... if you are working on a 94, i believe it has the same body style and dash as my friend's 96, correct? i believe those two trucks are in the same make. where exactly do you refer to when you say "light defractor?"

FordRebel172 · #14 (**permalink**) 03-19-2003, 11:01 PM

it's this clear plastic...uhhhhh...thing....it's on the bak of the a/c face plate and it attached pretty well. I don't really know how to explain it.. That is about as best as i can describe it....it looks like something that would be used to light the whole face plate evenly...

jasfrmn · #15 (**permalink**) 03-19-2003, 11:10 PM

Talk to me about the Radio Screw...

FordRebel172 · #16 (**permalink**) 03-21-2003, 11:13 PM

any ideas on this yet??? i want to do this for when i get my guages

Waldo0506 · #17 (**permalink**) 03-21-2003, 11:57 PM

all of my gauges and AC panels (cept the middle part) and light switches are all white!

I am legally color blind (though I can see some bold colors, like i know this page is accented in blue, and i can tell that my truck is blue, but all colors look the same in the sky and in the ocean, all font colors look the same on a white background etc.) so all of my gauges and stuff are actually green but I cant see red and green very well so they look white to me

LoneRanger22 · #18 (**permalink**) 03-22-2003, 12:05 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by FordRebel172
it's this clear plastic...uhhhhh...thing....it's on the bak of the a/c face plate and it attached pretty well. I don't really know how to explain it.. That is about as best as i can describe it....it looks like something that would be used to light the whole face plate evenly...

is your problem that you're missing it?

it should pop right off.....

FordRebel172 · #19 (**permalink**) 03-23-2003, 08:53 PM

i don't know.....when i got the black face plate off there was this clear thing....and i tried getting it off but it didn't want to come off very easily...i may try again here soon....if i could or someone else could post some pics it might make this easier to describe and or figure out

LoneRanger22 · #20 (**permalink**) 03-24-2003, 10:29 AM

hmmm... i had taken pics, but i accidentally deleted them.. did you pop the black face off the white brick thing?

if the clear thing is still stuck on, try wedging it off w a screwdriver... worse case scenario is you crack the clear thing and have to glue it back 2gether....

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