Tuning a VAZ-2114 torpedo with your own hands

Many owners of domestic cars consider tuning a VAZ-2114 torpedo with their own hands to be a pressing topic for themselves. The improvement of the dashboard is carried out in order to improve its appearance and for functional modernization, which is considered one of the important points in tuning cars from domestic manufacturers.

Nowadays, there are a large number of different tuning options. Most often, car enthusiasts carry out minor restyling of the car’s exterior, while improving the VAZ-2114 dashboard is considered a significant improvement.

Sequence of work

Let us highlight the main stages of changing the appearance and features of tuning a VAZ-2114 torpedo with your own hands:

First, disassemble the front panel of your car. Literally every owner of a domestic car should know how to remove this part. There is nothing complicated here. Everything is quite clear, because the dismantling process does not require special knowledge and skills.
Next, modify the torpedo elements. At this stage, you may encounter many nuances. They directly depend on what you want to change and modify in the car. Everything should be thought through very carefully.
At the end of the work, install the already remade and updated panel in place.

Tuning for your pleasure

The main thing in the process of modernizing any car is efficiency. Every owner would like his car to look original and, at the same time, to feel comfortable in it. Oddly enough, the instrument panel is considered one of the favorite parts for tuning enthusiasts. It can be modified in different ways and, thus, distinguish your own car from a huge number of similar machines.

At the starting stage, it is necessary to prepare the material for work. Replacing a VAZ 2114 panel or its original update requires dismantling the standard panel. It will only be necessary to remove the speedometer protective glass. It is important not to break it. After removing the protective glass, you need to “uninstall” the arrows and indicators.

It is important to be careful as the arrows are very fragile. After that, pull out the standard tab. Then you need to change the backlight bulbs. The standard ones were green, but the purchased ones will be blue. We replace standard light bulbs with purchased ones, then check how they work. After that, install a new tab.

All this will look very impressive. At the end we install directional arrows and protective glass. If you modify your car in this way, it will look very beautiful.

Panel painting

An excellent option for tuning a VAZ-2114 torpedo is painting the dashboard yourself. Before you start painting, you need to do the following:

Thoroughly clean the entire surface from dirt and dust.
Sand the dashboard with soft sandpaper to degrease it.
Apply sealant.
Carefully coat the torpedo with paint.

Before painting parts of your car, carefully read the instructions for using paint solutions. Despite the simplicity of restyling, certain skills will still be needed to perform this tuning and, most likely, this work is best left to professionals.

Do-it-yourself car torpedo reupholstery

Reupholstering the front panel begins with its dismantling. This is a rather labor-intensive process. In addition, the pattern of fasteners and clamps is not the same on different car models. There are a large number of wires connected to the panel, and if you are afraid of damaging them, contact a car service center for help.

If you want to do this yourself, do not neglect the car’s operating instructions: all parts and fasteners are described in detail there. Removing a torpedo always begins with disconnecting the battery terminals. Once you have de-energized your car, you can begin dismantling.

Panel cover

Covering a previously dismantled dashboard with natural, artificial leather or carbon fiber involves covering it with a ready-made pattern. It is best to prepare such templates in advance, that is, cut out the elements with a small allowance. Just like the previous version of tuning the VAZ-2114 torpedo, the upholstery is carried out after first cleaning the panel from all kinds of contaminants. The adhesive composition is chosen in such a way that it does not damage the material during the process of application and drying.

Liquid vinyl treatment

Liquid vinyl is a modern product that is successfully used for painting automotive parts. A thin layer of this coating decorates and protects many suitable surfaces. This is a high-tech product of excellent quality. Treatment with liquid vinyl will increase the panel's resistance to sunlight, ice, frost and other harmful substances. The beauty of this stuff is that it comes off easily after prolonged use. And this circumstance does not reduce his strength qualities.

Painting with liquid vinyl is a simple and understandable procedure for everyone. The finished part will be matte and clean. Liquid vinyl is usually sold in cans. Before use, you need to shake it, preferably for at least a minute. The paint and solvent must mix perfectly. Do not touch the liquid vinyl until it is completely dry. Otherwise there will be divorces.

The process takes place in several stages. Entry level - collector. They try to make it translucent. This allows the paint to adhere to subsequent layers. The first layer will dry for about 30 minutes, this time must be maintained. The number of layers applied is up to you. The more there are, the stronger the coating will be. The recommended quantity is five. Distance from container to torpedo: 7 - 9 centimeters. If you did not disassemble the dash and glue the unpainted parts, remove the tape and protective material immediately after painting while the vinyl cures. Vinyl drying time is 3.5 hours. All this time it is necessary to protect the drying surface from dust and other bodies.

Special pads

To modify the VAZ-2114 instrument panel, special overlays are used that have stylized images of the speedometer and tachometer. You can purchase such pads at literally any auto parts store. With this VAZ-2114 torpedo tuning, you can change the color of the backlight using built-in light filters and transparent elements. However, you need to attach such overlays correctly, because the result may be uneven illumination, for example, it is dim on the right and bright on the left, or the factory light bulbs will not have enough power to break through your additional built-in overlays.

Adviсe

When choosing paint, you should think carefully. So changing the tone will be problematic. Matte black paint is often used. A lightweight car can be improved by painting the dashboard white with a light green, purple or blue tint. These are the most popular options. It is not recommended to experiment with flashy colors. It will look provocative and interfere with driving. The dye has a description that must be strictly adhered to.

It is recommended to start working with small and ordinary parts. This way you can practice. It is advisable to paint the less visible parts first. And then let's move on to the center console and climate control panel. 60 and 80 grit sandpaper are suitable for sanding. And after the primer has dried, use No. sandpaper. 80 and item 90. The process can be repeated to obtain an ideal surface.

Europanels for VAZ-2114

European-style shields appeared on the domestic automotive market relatively recently. Despite this, they were very quickly able to gain the trust of many car enthusiasts. The main reasons for this are the stylish appearance and the ability to mount this version of tuning the VAZ-2114 torpedo without the risk of damaging the windshield wiper blades.

The main reason for the high demand for panels among domestic buyers is the material from which they are made. Standard factory shields are made of soft plastic that is unpleasant to the touch, which begins to rattle in the near future. The European standard panel is made of softer material, which looks much more attractive. Positive emotions are also caused by the ventilation of the interior space of the cabin with such a product.

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To begin with, the question arises: what is it good for? The old panel was made, to put it mildly, quickly: the steering wheel covers part of the instruments, the “tidy” itself is reflected on the windshield at night, thus turning the road into a computer quest.

Plastic, or rather its quality, does not stand up to criticism. After traveling several hundred kilometers, the entire cabin is filled with an obsessive creaking and terrible roar. Later the glove compartment begins to open. Ventilation is poor and it is cold inside the car in winter. However, all these problems can be solved. However, is it worth buying a car and immediately thinking about repairing it?

Instrument arrows

Another element of a car dashboard that is easy to improve yourself is the arrows of the measuring instruments. As many car enthusiasts have noticed, in the factory configuration the car panel is very similar to a parody of a parrot:

heating device backlight – yellow;
green buttons;
all indicators are orange.

Quite often, such a diverse range of colors interferes with comfortable movement at night, because they all merge into one obscure color. At the same time, it is quite difficult to notice the instrument arrows. To improve the situation, tune the torpedo on the VAZ-2114 by installing red LEDs.

To do this, carefully disassemble the VAZ-2114 instrument panel. Place one LED under each of the arrows and put on special heat shrinks. Lead the wires of each of the devices outside the panel, and then connect them to the heater wiring. Upon completion of work, reassemble the shield in the reverse order.

Preparation

Many craftsmen recommend removing the dashboard before painting. When disassembling, disconnect the negative terminal of the battery, put the car on the handbrake, and unscrew the screws. Next comes disconnecting the wires, removing decorative parts and the steering wheel. The panel is carefully processed, the pattern must match the material of the torpedo. Wash off with soapy water. Then degrease with acetone or another substance. Then the plastic is sanded with fine sandpaper and treated with a special primer for plastic. Then degrease again.

Replacing the steering wheel

The safest is the steering wheel that is installed on a domestic car by the manufacturer. Attaching a new steering wheel is considered an excellent option for tuning a VAZ-2114 torpedo with your own hands. However, it should be remembered that installation of a non-certified product entails changes in the rotation force. This directly affects the car's handling, especially in critical situations.

Therefore, in our opinion, the optimal action in this case would be to install a factory steering wheel with a new braid. The trim can be made of materials that provide better hand contact with the surface of the steering wheel. For example, genuine leather is perfect for this. This “steering wheel” looks stylish and fits better in the hands due to the increased thickness of the rim.

Price

The pricing policy for painting car panels is formed according to a number of indicators. The cost of painting, the complexity of the work, possible repairs during painting work, and the responsibility when painting luxury cars are taken into account. In monetary terms, everything starts from 1500 rubles and above. If there is competition, there is not much difference: a provincial city or a metropolitan car service center.

Hello everyone, dear friends and readers

I haven’t written anything for a long time, I didn’t have time, and finally I was able to do what I’ve wanted for a long time, namely, paint the torpedo in the “Oltremare” color. I took paint and primer to work)))) as usual I take everything. Well, what can I tell you about painting: we disassemble the panel, first clean all the parts to be painted, then degrease, prime and apply paint layer by layer, I didn’t need paint, since this paint is not covered with paint. In fact, the picture was not painted in one day. I dyed my beard on the balcony because the weather at first did not allow it due to the cold, after a week, that is, today I dyed everything else - this is the upper and lower balcony, plus soap dishes and door handles. I’m very pleased with the result, the paint was perfect, when you open the door and the sun comes into the interior, everything sparkles and shines, it’s a pity that it’s hard to see on camera. Now it’s time to improve the acoustics, but that’s a completely different story)))))

Good luck to everyone))) and the implementation of your plans))))) don’t forget to rate)))

Additional on-board computer

The instrument panel of a domestic car has a special opening for attaching an additional trip computer. This nest is closed with a special plug. We decided to use this place for its intended purpose and perform tuning of the VAZ-2114 torpedo. In the photo you can clearly see what the dashboard improvement option looks like.

A route computer, or, as it is also called, an on-board computer, is an electronic device that allows the driver to receive information about fuel consumption, driving mode and other important parameters. In addition, many models of “brains” for cars allow diagnostics of the electronic engine control system. It is important to note that on-board computers are also mounted on cars with carburetor engines. However, in order for the equipment to perform its functions, it may be necessary to install special sensors on the dashboard.

Today there is a large selection of these devices on sale from different manufacturers. While they differ in the number of functions, they can also differ in the location of installation on the dashboard. Sequence of work:

Connect the wiring harness block, which is intended to connect the VAZ-2114 trip computer, to the block on the back of the computer.
Use a separate wire to connect the contact of the computer block to the contact of the diagnostic block.
Insert the device into the slot.

Having done this work yourself, you will receive an updated instrument panel of the VAZ-2114, which has a completely different appearance.