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LED lights for dash?

moparfanUSA

moparfanUSA

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Has anyone seen or used LED lights on a rally dash? I don't want to put the 158 bulbs back in the dash. They were never that bright when they came out of the factory.
 
moparfanUSA said:
Has anyone seen or used LED lights on a rally dash? I don't want to put the 158 bulbs back in the dash. They were never that bright when they came out of the factory.
Click to expand...
MFU, tried some in my 64 bel and could not get them to burn, messed with them one day for a couple of hours and never did get them to even glo?? I kinda thought it was because of the voltage reducer. they would work on the battery on the bench but not the dash, all the old incadesnt bulbs burn but the leds wouldn't, ????? gave up after a couple of hours and moved on. Dave
 
Where did you get the ones you have? I know I have seen some somewhere, but I don't remember.
 
Some types need a resistor added in series, check carefully before you buy...they are nice though
 
I'm not familiar with your specific dash, but LEDs are cheap - buy some on feebay and experiment.

I experimented with various colors and styles of bulbs and I ended up using 'warm white' bulbs (see link below). The warm white simulates regular incandescent yellow light. When lit, the overall color of the gauges is very close to stock, but is significantly brighter (my pic does not show it very well though). The regular (cool white) LEDs saturated everything blue - I didn't like them.

Also be aware that the LED bulbs don't dim much, and they are polarized, if they dont light up, remove, flip it 180 degrees, and re-install.

Lastly, since one of my dash bulbs were the bayonet type, I had to jury rig one of the bulbs on a cut down bayonet base to get the LED to fit.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/8X-Warm-Wh...916113?hash=item3f5578be91:g:kHEAAOSwfsFZcEj2

IMG_3962.JPG IMG_3965.JPG
 
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SDCoronet said:
Also be aware that the LED bulbs don't dim much, and they are polarized, if they dont light up, remove, flip it 180 degrees, and re-install.
Click to expand...

definitely good info you shared, but I wanted to point out that flipping a bulb 180 won't flip the voltage polarity applied to them
 
I used blue ones from fleabay on my 67 x and I like them they look cool did not care about the stock look they are polarity specific had to flip them 180 I saw another member with them and had to have them
 
I recently replaced the dash in my d100. While I had disassembly, I took the time clean the instrument panels real good and replaced all of the little bulbs with new. Much better now and funny how a package of ten bulbs was cheaper than a package of two.
 
furyus said:
So, what else is needed to use these lights? Do they dim?
Click to expand...
I bought a set of LEDs off ebay and put them in the Rallye cluster of my 74 Roadrunner. Just unplugged the light sockets, replaced the bulbs with the LEDs, plugged the sockets back in and voila.
 
Bruzilla said:
I bought a set of LEDs off ebay and put them in the Rallye cluster of my 74 Roadrunner. Just unplugged the light sockets, replaced the bulbs with the LEDs, plugged the sockets back in and voila.
Click to expand...
Thanks. I don't mind doing the extra work if it was needed. I just don't want to do the job twice.
 
Super Bright's has a great selection I changed all my ralley gauge lights with the (super bright's) they fit and I do like the whiter color over stock, the older you get the better you want things... I also have changed the map light, a wise improvement since the original one is so hot it eventually melts the plastic lens on the map light and turns it yellow, also the glove box, and dome , that was the best change for me that dome light bulb gets so hot too, so when you are working on the car. Now I wont have to worry about it, The trunk bulb can now stay on all day at a car show and I wont worry about draining the battery the drain is almost nothing. And I like to have it for when its dark out. The glove box ash tray and shifter console bulbs too, to me brighter is better and less drain on the alternator and you won't have to be a contorsionist trying to change some of the ralley gauge bulbs. for the ash tray it is a bluish color to mimic the factory color they had.
 
Want to upgrade my '68 dash with LEDs too (standard dash with column shifter).

Would you recommend warm light or natural type? I want to have a stock look (no blue shift or so).

What would be the right LED for the ignition lock light?

What brightness (lumen) do you recommend?

Thanks!!
 
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