We offer a variety of gauge needle paint colors to satisfy the purist as well as the customizing “restomod” crowd. To assist customers who are trying to determine the correct colors for the gauge needles in their vehicle, we have prepared the following information about the color match of our products. Please note that our product is designed for non-illuminated gauge needles, which are typically found on vehicles manufactured in the mid 1980s and earlier.

Our HiPo Parts Fluorescent Red Gauge/Speedo Needle Restoration Paint is a custom blend of red/orange that is specifically designed to match the factory color used on nearly all Ford vehicles built in the 1980’s and earlier. This color is found on nearly all Ford vehicles including Mustang, Torino, Fairlane, Ranchero, Thunderbird, Truck & Bronco, Maverick, Pinto, etc.. In addition, this color was also used on Lincoln & Mercury vehicles such as the Cougar, Cyclone, Marauder, Zephyr, Capri, Town Car, and many, many others. If your Ford, Lincoln, or Mercury vehicle has gauges needles that appear red or orange, then our Fluorescent Red paint is a match to the color that was on them when they left the factory decades ago.  There are a few exceptions, but this color matches nearly all Ford vehicles of that era.

For those GM owners restoring instrument needles, our Fluorescent Red may be close, but is more red than the colors found on Chevrolet, Pontiac, Buick, and Oldsmobile instrument needles. GM used a number of shades of red/orange for their needles.  As a result, the only way to get an exact match is to blend the red and orange paint to match the needles in your vehicle.  We recommend a mixture of 2/3 HiPo Parts Fluorescent Red and 1/3 HiPo Parts Fluorescent Orange as a starting point to match the red/orange color found on early General Motors vehicles.

For customers restoring the instrument needles in a Chrysler vehicle, our Fluorescent Orange is much closer (than the Fluorescent Red) to the colors typically found on most Dodge, Jeep, & Plymouth vehicles.  However, much like GM, Chrysler used a number of different shades of red/orange on their instrument needles.  To obtain a good match we recommend a mixture of 10-15% HiPo Parts Fluorescent Red to 85/90% Fluorescent Orange as a starting point to obtain the correct match.

If you are insure about the original color of the gauge needle found on your instruments, we recommend that you disassemble the gauge cluster to expose portions of the needles that would not be visible when the cluster is assembled. These hidden portions of the needle are often very close to the original paint color used on the needles. They may exhibit some fading and discoloration, but will provide a much more accurate view of the original color. As you can see in the photo below, the lower portion of the needle was behind the gauge bezel and was shielded from the damaging UV rays that faded the exposed portion of the gauge needle. 

In addition to the primary gauge needles, many manufacturers used a variety of other colors for instruments such as clocks, that can have more than one color gauge needle.  Many clocks and similar auxiliary gauges, use green, white, and/or yellow needles to clearly identify a hand used for one purpose (like the second hand) in contrast to one used for another (such as the minute or hour hand.)  HiPo Parts offers a variety of gauge needle paint colors to accommodate people restoring gauges to original appearance.  In addition, you will find a wide selection of custom colors for those who wish to set their gauges apart from their normal factory appearance. 

Click here to see the selection of Gauge Needle Restoration Paints that we offer.