Anthracite Tachometer Ring
Ever since I bought my MINI, I've loved its anthracite dash. But from the start I felt that the tach ring should have been anthracite also, instead of the standard silver. So while in Pep Boys one day, I looked at the spraypaint shelves and found what I thought would be a close match. The brand was Plasti-kote, and the color code was 1006 DARK GREY M. I think the M stands for "metallic". I wanted to put a coat of lacquer on the top to both protect it and give it a shine, so I also picked up a can of Plasti-kote 349 CLEAR. Here's the result:
Not a bad match, eh? Looks even closer in person. The camera flash exaggerates the diffference in the paints.
Here's how I did it:
1) Remove the tach from the steering column. First lower the steering wheel to its lowest point. Looking down from above, you'll see 2 torx #25 screws:
Remove the screws, lift the black cover, and you'll see a green connector. Squeeze it on the top and bottom and pull it out of the tach:
Remove the tach. Here's the detached green connector:
Put the tach face down on a smooth surface. Remove the 2 phillips head screws from the back:
There's a sticker on the bottom of the tach. You'll have to remove it to reveal a clip that will enable you to disassemble the tach.
You can try to preserve it by using a razor blade, but I quickly gave up and tore it off:
Gently pry the black square up off the white tab to remove the back of the tach:
To remove the trim ring, there are 3 grey clips around the outside edge that need to be released. Here's one of them:
Voila - the trim ring is removed:
Now for the painting. First I sanded the trim ring with 220 grit sandpaper so the new paint would have good adhesion. Then I wanted to be able to spray from all angles, so I suspended the ring inside a cardboard box with trusty duct tape:
It's always better to use more light coats than fewer heavy coats - runs are less likely. Just be patient and try to cover all angles, waiting a few minutes between coats. Once you're satisfied with the color coverage, let it dry for at least 1 hour before applying the clear lacquer. As with the color paint, apply the lacquer in thin coats, rather than thick ones. Then let the lacquer dry for as many hours as possible (at least 4) before touching it. Here's some pics of the paint and lacquer for reference:
Here's another pic taken through the steering wheel:
Not a bad DIY project!