Background:

Summary:

Disclaimer:

Materials:

• Glass Paint in the color of your choice. I don't know what the difference between glass paint and any other paint is, but I used it because it was suggested on a few threads at Miataforum.com. Delta CeramDecor / PermEnamel brand "Red Red" (as opposed to "Red-Orange" and whatnot) results in a deep red color, and I'm very happy with it.
• A very small paintbrush.
• One expendable wire coathanger.
• Wire cutters.
• Phillips Head Screwdrivers - large and small.
• Small Flat-Head Screwdriver.
• Soldering iron and solder.

Procedure - Instrument Cluster:

I'd recommend disconnecting the battery. I didn't actually do this, but probably should have.	(Click on any image for a larger version.)
Now remove the plastic top cover from the steering column. Gently pull straight up, and the top half will come right off.
Next remove the instrument panel cover. While sitting in the driver seat, simply pull it straight toward you. I found it easiest to do one side at a time. Pull firmly but gently, and the clips will eventually let go. This may seem a little scary the first time, but it will come off without a problem.
Once you've removed the cover, you'll have access to the four black screws that hold the cluster in place. The red arrows in the picture at right indicate their position. Remove all four screws.
The cluster will move freely once the screws are out. Unclip the three wiring harnesses from the back of the cluster.
Check out the back of the instrument cluster. Remove all of the large lights with dark blue backs, and the single smaller light with the dark green back. To remove the lights, gently press down as you turn them about 90 degrees clockwise.
Gently remove the green cover from each light. I kept mine just in case I wanted to go back to green. Once all covers have been removed, carefully paint each light. I originally didn't paint all the way down to the base, but realized I'd get much better results when all of the exposed glass was painted. The lights on the right are actually from the HVAC controls, but you get the point.
After the paint dries, put everything back in the opposite order you took it apart. Pretty easy, huh? Don't worry, the HVAC and radio portions will be more exciting! If you went with red, your instruments might look something like the picture at right.

Procedure - HVAC Controls:

First remove the center storage tray. Others swear it'll come right out with enough pulling, but I carefully used a cloth-covered screwdriver to pry each side out of the console. Next remove the small black plastic tabs on either size of the HVAC controls. They're about only 3mm wide; I used a cloth-covered screwdriver to gently pry them out of the console. Now make your removal tool: take the clothes hangar and cut the "shoulders" off about four or five inches from each end. You should now have two peices of sturdy elongated "U"-shaped wire.
See the holes that were covered by those black plastic tabs? Insert your newly made removal tool into each side of the HVAC control piece. There's a trick to getting them to go in correctly; take your time, and you'll eventually feel they're in the right place. Once in, they should not come out easily. To remove the HVAC control block, push the tools either toward each other or apart from each other (either way probably works) while pulling them toward you. The block should easily slide out a few inches.
If the HVAC controls don't slide out far enough, you'll have to disconnect the three cables (one for hot/cold, one for air direction, and one for air source) from the back end of each control under the dash. Follow the black cable shrouds to the lever for each of the controls; one is on the driver's side, and the other two are on the passenger side. Unhook each loop at the end of the cable, then unclip the black cable shroud from the black clip that holds it in place. Sorry about the bad description; you'll know what to do once you see it. The picure at right shows the end result. The red arrow indicates where the end of the cable used to be looped, and the green arrow shows where the black cable shroud used to be clipped into place. It's real easy once you see it - I promise.
There are only two lights to change; you can see them in the picture at right. They come out just like the instrument cluster lights - push in and turn. It's a tight fit to get fingers back there, but not impossible. Remove the green covers, then paint the bulbs. After you're sure the paint is dry, put 'em back in and reassemble everything in reverse order. Note: if you're going to remove the Airbag Lettering light, don't put the HVAC controls back in yet. Fun, huh?

Procedure - The Radio:

I warned you before, but I'm gonna do it again: this part is hard. I sure don't know how, but you might want to find a better way to do this section. Everything went back together and works fine for me, but don't say I didn't warn ya if you don't have the same luck.
The radio comes out just like the HVAC controls. Remove the tabs, then use your super-special coathangar tool to pull it out of the dash. Once it comes out a little, you can unplug the two wiring harnesses and antenna lead, then pull it straight out.
Remove the single screw on the top of the unit near the back. Remove the top cover from the radio. Next remove the two screws on the side of the unit that hold the front face of the radio. The faceplate will then come right off. To gain access to the front of the circuit board, remove the three screws marked in red, then unclip the three clips marked in green.
There are six lights on the front of the circuit board; five are really easy, and the sixth is a real pain. While I wasn't smart enough to think of this beforehand, do the hard one first; it'll be easier to go back to stock if you change your mind. See the metal box on the front of the board? Two metal extensions go through the board to attach it - they're marked in red. Twist the two parts that go through the board so they're parallel to the slot they will fit through. To twist them, though, you'll first have to use your soldering iron to remove all that pesky solder put there by the factory.
After removing the metal cage, you'll be able to bend the white plastic below the LCD up. Do NOT try to remove it; it's held in place by the row of metal pins that go into the LCD glass. Carefully bend the white plastic up from the bottom of the board. I used the radio knob to secure it in place so I could use both hands to access the light bulb underneath (illustrated at right). Don't bend the white plastic/LCD glass any more than you absolutely have to. Remove the green cover, paint the single bulb, then bend the plastic/glass back into place. Reattach and re-solder the metal cage.
Remove the green covers from the five remaining bulbs and paint. Reassemble everything in reverse order after the paint dries. Note: if you're going to remove the Airbag Lettering light, don't put the radio back in yet.

Procedure - Airbag Lettering:

The Results:

• The interior light level dial to the left of the steering wheel is still green. I don't see it while driving, so it doesn't bother me. Unlike most of the other lights, it's a cover-less bulb that shines through a green plastic piece. I can't figure out how to remove this green plastic, so I think I'll just leave this light green so others can see the original color.
• The radio and odometer are red-orange during less-bright parts of the day.
• The blue part of the hot/cold AC temp control now longer lights up at night. Red light + blue filter = no light. This is the only negative I've yet found.
• Notice the high-beam indicator in the dash is much dimmer than stock. You can find instructions on how to do this on my 1999 Miata High-Beam Indicator Dimmer page.

Comments? Questions? Feel free to e-mail me.

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