I'll try to help this a little...
The whole Idea for the blue background and red needles came from my friends VW Jetta. It really looked good in there, and knowing the Denali/Escalade had the blue background, I was halfway there.
Prior to doing the clearing, I had various needle styles in there, from Ford Truck, to Pontiac Aztek...(in fact, I just completed a set of special measured and cut Aztek Needles for this cluster which will go in soon) Here is a link to my write up on clearing and painting the needles...Color choice is up to you...
Clearing Lexan Needles
This is what I started with...Standard Denali Cluster from 99-00.
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During the day, the red needles really look good in my opinion...Red just looks better than the standard orange...
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And even better at night. I did NOT use LED lights. I went and bought 6 - 2825 bulbs and used them. Old trick from the Monte SS forum...Significantly brighter...
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And finally, this is the first experiment from the aztek needles... I didn't like the cuts, so I scrapped those out. I have since made new ones and when it warms up, I will install them..
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Hope this, and the write up helps!
Shawn