LED dash lights

[harrisrf]

Not long ago I took on a project to make my dash lights better.

I found a web site www.mustangprojects.com that had a kit of led bulbs to replace the dash lights. To do this you have to take apart each instrument and take out the old blue dome because it has turned opaque with age.

When putting in the LED bulbs you have to try them and if they don't burn you have to turn them 180 degress because they are polar senitive.

The one thing that baffled me was how to take apart the heater control.

Tonight I took on that task. It is not to difficult but take patience.

You remove the knob and bend the tab that old the face on ,6 of them. That will take you to the dome which has to be broken out. next you can clean and assemble.

 

[luxstang]

I installed those some time ago and they work fine.

Only thing I don´t understand is that thing about removing the blue lenses. When I bought the LEDs I didn´t find any such advice. Mine weren´t opaque either and the LEDs work fine with the stock lenses. I got the white LEds and it gives me a nice shade of blue on the gauges.

 

[Flatback72]

I installed those some time ago and they work fine.

Only thing I don´t understand is that thing about removing the blue lenses. When I bought the LEDs I didn´t find any such advice. Mine weren´t opaque either and the LEDs work fine with the stock lenses. I got the white LEds and it gives me a nice shade of blue on the gauges.

I put the white LEDs in too and left the blue diffusers in and the difference was remarkable. But I really want them even brighter if it's possible so I've bought some blue LEDs of the same type off eBay - when my kph speedo turns up from Berlin I'll pull the diffusers out and put the blue LEDs in at the same time as the speedo swap and see if that gives even better results.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/10x-194-W5W-168-T10-5-LED-BLUE-Wedge-Car-Bulb-Light-/200677659115?hash=item2eb95211eb&item=200677659115&pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&vxp=mtr

 

[luxstang]

I put the white LEDs in too and left the blue diffusers in and the difference was remarkable. But I really want them even brighter if it's possible so I've bought some blue LEDs of the same type off eBay - when my kph speedo turns up from Berlin I'll pull the diffusers out and put the blue LEDs in at the same time as the speedo swap and see if that gives even better results.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/10x-194-W5W-168-T10-5-LED-BLUE-Wedge-Car-Bulb-Light-/200677659115?hash=item2eb95211eb&item=200677659115&pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&vxp=mtr

Get some sunglasses while you´re at it!

 

[Flatback72]

I put the white LEDs in too and left the blue diffusers in and the difference was remarkable. But I really want them even brighter if it's possible so I've bought some blue LEDs of the same type off eBay - when my kph speedo turns up from Berlin I'll pull the diffusers out and put the blue LEDs in at the same time as the speedo swap and see if that gives even better results.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/10x-194-W5W-168-T10-5-LED-BLUE-Wedge-Car-Bulb-Light-/200677659115?hash=item2eb95211eb&item=200677659115&pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&vxp=mtr

Get some sunglasses while you´re at it!

....and nay shall I rest until my cluster does issue forth the light of ten-thousand suns...

 

[Totalled]

I don't think those will get you there. I put the green WLED-xHP6-AC LED T10 Wedge Base Bulb from superbrightleds.com in my '73 F-350, which also had the dim 70s ford gauges, only it was worse, since the whole cluster used two bulbs for illumination. I ended up with this:

My Explorer has cool white, and my BroncoII has green:

I like the green illumination and I am debating changing the Mach1 over to it. The non wedge base bulbs for the heat controls and switch bezels make it a challenge though...

 

[TheJ]

Here's what I did to my gauges.

http://www.7173mustangs.com/thread-gauge-lighting

 

[will e]

Last night is my first drive in the dark after replacing my bulbs with LEDs. WOW what a difference. I seriously couldn't believe the difference. I left the diffusers in.

 

[Totalled]

I've updated other threads about them, so I'll update this one.

I did change the Mach1 to green. I pulled the diffusers since I was changing color. Except in the clock, heater controls, and switch bezels.