1972 Cutlass interior lighting

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Old May 7, 2022 | 10:09 AM
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Patmcg59's Avatar
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1972 Cutlass interior lighting

I am considering switching my gauge bulbs and under dashboard bulbs to all LED, leaving the dome light as is.

My question is is that too much of a draw?....Because the instrument panel fuse is only 4 amp, I'm not an electrician or a mathematician, just looking for someone who has any know-how in that department, those LED bulbs aren't cheap but they sure are bright.

Thanks in advance.
Old May 7, 2022 | 10:19 AM
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Led's draw less current than incandescent bulbs.
Old May 7, 2022 | 10:27 AM
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Originally Posted by oldcutlass
Led's draw less current than incandescent bulbs.
Hey I didn't know that. I had one LED laying around and I plugged that one in and so much brighter than the regular bulbs.
Old May 7, 2022 | 10:36 AM
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Originally Posted by Patmcg59
Hey I didn't know that. I had one LED laying around and I plugged that one in and so much brighter than the regular bulbs.
If you decide to replace turn signals, you'll need a different flasher.........LED's don't draw enough juice to make them flash. Some people have left half the incandescent bulbs in so they will work with the original flasher.
Old May 7, 2022 | 11:01 AM
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Originally Posted by OLDSter Ralph
If you decide to replace turn signals, you'll need a different flasher.........LED's don't draw enough juice to make them flash. Some people have left half the incandescent bulbs in so they will work with the original flasher.
Thank you.
For now, I'm just going to change out the instrument panel bulbs, the few underdash bulbs clean up the sockets a bit.... I just had the impression at the LEDs will put a strain on the amperage cuz they're quite a bit brighter.
Old May 7, 2022 | 11:43 AM
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Originally Posted by Patmcg59
Thank you.
For now, I'm just going to change out the instrument panel bulbs, the few underdash bulbs clean up the sockets a bit.... I just had the impression at the LEDs will put a strain on the amperage cuz they're quite a bit brighter.
to calculate amps , you divide the wattage by the volts. So for a 10 watt bulb, you would divide that by 12 volts = 0.83 amps. Then just sum up all the amps you calculated for your circuit. The led's will list the actual wattage they consume (use that number, not the equivalent incandescent wattage) You will see they are very low wattage.
Old May 7, 2022 | 12:48 PM
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As Pat has already provided, two key triangles I find extremely handy which can be put to memory or kept in your folder somewhere:




Old May 7, 2022 | 02:02 PM
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I should of also added to my post: two specifications for bulbs that should be looked at:

Brightness is measured by lumens, the higher the number the brighter they are.

color or color temperature: the higher the number the whiter it is (and harsher), 5000k was common in the first led's and is that white almost looking like a fluorescent bulb. 3000k is similar to what came in your car oriinally and is a bit more yellow. Getting closer to 2000k is like the amber street lights.
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