BE ignition and high beam jewels...

[Whitephrog]

... are like socks in the mashing machine. They mysteriously disappear. I'm not sure they really ever existed, only a myth.

Last week I installed my NOS tach in my dash when I noticed that there was no jewel in the high beam slot. The tach came straight from an undisturbed Smiths box. I had a few tach and speedometer spares so I went to get a jewel from one of them. None there either!

Is there a source for these jewels? If not, what have others done? I'm considering using red LED bulbs in those slots but would prefer to have the jewels.

 

[dklawson]

I believe Jack Laird recommends taking those colored plastic tabs off of office supply notebook dividers and using a hole punch to make disks to use as jewels. I think he just glues them to the back of the gauge face.

As for the LEDs, I don't remember if you have a generator or alternator on the Bugeye. If you have an alternator the charge warning lamp can be an LED but it's a bit more complicated than simple indicator lights as used for oil pressure, turn signal, etc. If you get to that point I'll be happy to elaborate on what's involved.

 

[Whitephrog]

Using a generator, would the LED work for the high beam and ignition indicator slots?

 

[jlaird]

yep, that's what Drew and I did, works fine and you can not tell difference after installed.

 

[jvandyke]

I was playing with these just last night. I took apart my tach and speedo to drill another hole to add another bulb for better night lighting. The highbeam warning jewel separated from the back side, I think the faceted jewel part can come off the rest of the "lens" leaving it in the back. There's a white tube thingy that connects the "lens" to the black tube/bulb holder. I painted the inside of this tube silver (better light out the front?). I hope to just carefully glue the jewel face back on. Doesn't help much does it? I'd be looking through my daughter's old dolls and toys looking for a bit of costume jewelry, sometimes get lucky, troll cheap junk toys at the dollar store?

 

[bugimike]

Look in craft stores for plastic beads of the right color...they can be melted and formed...I did that for my turn-signal indicator and it worked out pretty well!

 

[Whitephrog]

Does anyone have a photo of one of these mysterious creature appropriate for a BE?

 

[jvandyke]

Look in craft stores for plastic beads of the right color...they can be melted and formed...I did that for my turn-signal indicator and it worked out pretty well!

Great idea. Craft stores have tons of weird things. Am I right that the front part, the jeweled faceted part is connected to the rest of the colored part and not supposed to be separate? I don't have picture but I'll make one a second.

 

[drooartz]

The Bugeye ones did not have faceted jewels, just a little red dot. Punch it out of the binder plastic, and then sand it down so it's press fit into the holder. Us the head of a nail to pop it into place. No glue needed.

Nice and simple. I don't have a picture handy, it looks like it should.

 

[jvandyke]

Okay, sorry. BE is not the same as MK1 Midget or MK11 Sprite in the warning light area.

 

[KSIS]

I had the same issue in a 62 VW bug. I used the folder method. The only issue I had was to double it up to make it darker. I was also missing the jewel in my Spitfire. I went to Jo-ann Fabric and found a bag of beads. Wouldnt you know they had the exact jewel I needed I bought a bag of twelve.

I would like to see a pic of what your jewels (the ones in the dash) look like. I found one from a spit and a midget in my parts bin.

 

[Sarastro]

I've replaced these a couple of times with plastic "jewels" from a craft supply store. I bought a bag of assorted ones for a few bucks, and found some that were close to fitting. I just sanded off the metal coating on the flat side, epoxied it to a wood stick from a q-tip, which worked as a holder for sanding the edges down to size. Then, broke off the q-tip stick, cleaned it up, and epoxied it in place with clear epoxy. Looks nice, works fine.

 

[tweety]

I'm known in my local Micahel's and Joann stores for having the most off beat uses for the things I buy. Now I have a new one