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I put in a LED dome light replacement for the bulb and really enjoy it. Bright off the bat when door opened and not running.
Been thinking about replacing the front signal bulbs and rear brake/signal/parking bulbs. Perhaps the side marker lights as well.
Has anyone done this? Like the result? Find an affordable outlet for the bulbs? General search yielded a pair of 1157 replacements for $15 and found a site where each bulb is $15
Might start with the important rear signal/brake bulbs as those are the lights you want people to not miss...
First, do not get the cheap LED bulbs that look like this:
The stock reflectors are designed for incandescent bulbs that radiate light in all directions. These LED bulbs that have the LEDs all pointed in one direction make a "hot spot" in the center of the lens and virtually no light from the rest of the reflector.
I've had really good luck with bulbs like these, where there are LEDs on the sides as well as on the end:
The LEDs on the sides make a big difference in how the light illuminates the stock reflector.
More recently, I've used bulbs like these for the tail/stop lights on my 67 Delta. The brightness increase is amazing.
Expect to pay upwards of $20 apiece for high quality LED bulbs, but they will outlast the car. Also, if you replace both front and rear turn signals, you'll need an electronic flasher module. The LEDs don't draw enough current to heat up the bimetallic contact strip in the original mechanical flasher module. And of course, be sure you replace the flasher for the turn signals, not the one for the four way flashers.
are the good quality LED's available at most parts stores or do you have to go online to buy them? Is there a certain manufacturer name to look for? Thanks
are the good quality LED's available at most parts stores or do you have to go online to buy them? Is there a certain manufacturer name to look for? Thanks
I get mine from a vendor at the Carlisle Swap Meet. I'll see if I can find his card.
Yeah, that's true. I've only put LEDs in the rear so far, and with the incandescent front lamps that's enough for the mechanical flasher to work.
A electronic replacement flasher for LED lights is needed when replacing all 4, unless you like really fast blinking lights. But as Joe said, I used the front focus LED lights and it looked like light spots in the lenses on the Olds powered 4x4.
The LED bulb with LEDs on the end and sides was the one I was going to shoot for in the rear tail light housings. That one with a halogen on the end and leds around may be a spot light look in the large square rear tail lights of my 76.
Are those relays hard to come by, if I should replace the rear brake/turn light bulbs
I would be interested in your source to Joe on the LED source. I think the bulbs in the two instrument clusters are the same as the side marker lights. Can see how those would definitely be enhanced with LED s !
Last edited by 442fanatic; Jan 3, 2018 at 12:19 PM.
The LED bulb with LEDs on the end and sides was the one I was going to shoot for in the rear tail light housings. That one with a halogen on the end and leds around may be a spot light look in the large square rear tail lights of my 76.
If you are talking about the third photo I posted, that's not a halogen, it's a high-power LED with a lens over it. I've got those in my D88. They don't make "hot spots" on the lens. Check out this thread for comparison photos.
One thing to consider that gave me a major problem, was the shape of the old 1157 compared to the LED 1157.
The LED's like Joe's second pic in his reply wouldn't fit my '71 Supreme taillight socket. Look at the shape of the old bulb, it gently tapers from the diameter of the metal into the size of the bulb. The LED's have no taper, but instead have a 'ledge' on them. This ledge wouldn't allow the bulbs to go all of the way in in order for the tabs to lock it in place.
If you have this same problem, you will need to replace the stock sockets. You will need a socket with with the ground wire already connected internally to the socket.
I used black RTV to help hold the new sockets in the housings, hence the ground wire. The RTV will not allow the socket to ground to the housing like the stock ones did. It worked like a charm.
I wish I would have taken pics of these kinds of projects for times like this. I need to keep better records....
Here are the sockets I bought. I had to bend the little tabs over and install them from the inside of the housing rather than thru the back. I RTV'd the back of the socket and 'MacGyver'd' a method to clamp them over night to allow the RTV to set up. http://www.wiringdepot.com/store/p/5...CABEgJVXPD_BwE
First, do not get the cheap LED bulbs that look like this:
The stock reflectors are designed for incandescent bulbs that radiate light in all directions. These LED bulbs that have the LEDs all pointed in one direction make a "hot spot" in the center of the lens and virtually no light from the rest of the reflector.
I've had really good luck with bulbs like these, where there are LEDs on the sides as well as on the end:
The LEDs on the sides make a big difference in how the light illuminates the stock reflector.
More recently, I've used bulbs like these for the tail/stop lights on my 67 Delta. The brightness increase is amazing.
Expect to pay upwards of $20 apiece for high quality LED bulbs, but they will outlast the car. Also, if you replace both front and rear turn signals, you'll need an electronic flasher module. The LEDs don't draw enough current to heat up the bimetallic contact strip in the original mechanical flasher module. And of course, be sure you replace the flasher for the turn signals, not the one for the four way flashers.
If you are talking about the third photo I posted, that's not a halogen, it's a high-power LED with a lens over it. I've got those in my D88. They don't make "hot spots" on the lens. Check out this thread for comparison photos.
I have these for my 1969 Cutlass brake lights, and they are amazing. I tested fitted them in the front turn signals and they won't fit, just like midrange & cdrod said. I may have to look into replacing the socket so I can install the orange/amber LED's up front. They really are that good.
I have these for my 1969 Cutlass brake lights, and they are amazing. I tested fitted them in the front turn signals and they won't fit, just like midrange & cdrod said. I may have to look into replacing the socket so I can install the orange/amber LED's up front. They really are that good.
Nick: I have the exact opposite situation, the WCCC LED bulbs fit the 71-72 front sockets just fine but they won't fit in the tail light sockets. I have some rusty tail light housings that I'm going to try flaring the socket to see if I can get them to fit. If it works, I'll come back and post my solution.
Rodney
More recently, I've used bulbs like these for the tail/stop lights on my 67 Delta. The brightness increase is amazing.
Hi Joe, thanks for the info you posted with the pictures of the LED bulbs. Maybe, I missed it somewhere in the thread, but do you have the name of the company that makes the ones you use on your '67? On our '66 Ninety-Eight, the tail lamps are quite big, but only the center section acts as a brake lamp, and is a ridiculously tiny size. You can see by the picture, brakes obviously not applied, but you see what I mean! I have even been thinking of a way to modify the backlit section surrounding the lamp with bulbs that have stop lamps. One has to wonder what manufacturers were thinking, because by 1966, there were many high speed roads in North America. Sigh.
Tiny brake lamp area on 1966 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight.
Other than the plasma in the front, are the towers really brighter? I just replaced my dash bulbs and am very impressed. Now I want to move on the exterior, but I am getting stumped on lumens.
The 1157 LED listed here https://www.superbrightleds.com/more...fit/2625/5699/ shows the amber with 70/280 lumens. The standard Sylvania bulb is 28/302. The LED gains quite a bit on the low side, but loses a little on the high. I am not sure which is on the low, the park or signal. My goal is to get the park lamp brighter.
Anybody know which electronic flasher unit works in a 69 Cutlass when using the SuperbrightLED.com front (amber) and rear (red) 1157 turn signal bulbs (4 total)? I used their 2 prong CF12ANL-01 flasher but these do not produce a flashing light (only a solid bright light), even after reversing the wires in the harness. Other CO posts on LED lights refer to a 2 prong flasher with a separate ground wire hanging out, but was unsure what year those were applicable for.
FYI, The light bulbs themselves make a huge difference in brightness, but obviously need them to flash. I did have to file down some of the solder on the bulb base to get it to fit properly.
Just about any flasher unit from a car built in Germany should do the trick. Seems they are required to meet Germany's TUV regulations.
Roger.
Don't know anything about German flashers, but any electronic two prong flasher module with a separate ground wire coming out of the case will work. There are many on the market. They all work the same.
Considering a switch to LED for the rear tail lamps.
Which tail lamp LED bulb will fit the 70 Cutlass.
If you switch just the rear tail lamps to all LED, do you need to swap out the turn signal flashed..
Thank you
