Has anyone seen a conversion kit to convert the old style rear lights to LED?

I saw Ecklers had 1157 LED bulbs... I might go this route.

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-Peter Huizinga

I haven't seen a kit per se, but I have tried those bulbs, and in my bravada they were junk, didn't fit right, the one that did fell apart, took them back, and the guy at the store said that was the 10th set he got back, the ones I bought were the apc brand so not cheap, I want to find a good way to do that also

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Yahoo messenger ID archemedes74 feel free to add me
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A freind of mine made his own for his Ranger.Plugged into the stock light socket and everything.

Yah.. I've seen it done for the 67-69's ... nice. Also hace seen it done to an old Ford F150... also nice...

I have tried the LED 1157 bulbs and they don't work properly, because the direction (up) the LED's face when installed limits the amount of light from them. When I put them in, my tail lights were actually dimmer.
The quality of the LED bulb was good, but they are designed to be installed where the bulb will face outwards. I gues if you modify the tail light housings so the LED bulbs go straight in from the rear, then they would work OK.

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70 Camaro Z/28 with 461cu.in. BBC & auto, 3.31 12 bolt posi.

[This message has been edited by wayner (edited October 10, 2003).]

[This message has been edited by wayner (edited October 10, 2003).]

I use the 1157 style LEDs in mine. The only other thing I had to do was buy a low resistance blinker. The LEDs are much lower resistance than the old bulbs, and your blinker wont work. Get an electronic blinker (low impedance) and just plug it in place. Mine are noticeably brighter.

Bringing this up again. Digikey sells the Sunbrite ones, and for a very reasonable price. I just ordered 10 of the little 194's (side markers & instrument cluster) for $8.25. I just went through a current budget, and it looks like we could save between 10 A and 19 A by switching everything over. That's a significant load off the alternator!

Tell me more about the 1157's and 1156's pointing upwards in the tail light housings (70-73). Do you have to make a mirror of some sort, or are they bright enough without worrying about that?

never thought of a mirror.... hmmm

I built a set of led's and they work pretty good, and my total cost including r&d was about 30 bucks, plus I did backup lights, and side marker

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Yahoo messenger ID archemedes74 feel free to add me
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Do your rear light sockets come in from the bottom? or the back of the lights?

bottom, but I'm bypassing them, and going straight to the wires themselves

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Yahoo messenger ID archemedes74 feel free to add me
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<font face="Arial,Verdana" size="2">Originally posted by Brian Callahan:

tail light housings (70-73). Do you have to make a mirror of some sort, or are they bright enough without worrying about that?</font>

Nope. They are noticably brighter than the stock bulbs, and no need for reflection. At best, you could spray some "chrome" paint inside the tail lamp buckets, but actual mirrors would be too "pinpointy" You wouldnt have a uniform glow.
Mike

I'm seriously thinking of doing this myself....and I got some 'inside info' as to there being some HI-POWER white LEDs gonna be out in a while (months to maybe a year, maybe more).

Anyways, besides cutting up a set of light buckets and putting the connectors in the BACK (vs the bottom) or maybe finding a bigger flashlight reflector to put inside there.....something....maybe something from a Impala or something with round lenses in the rear....I dunno, just throwingout ideas. I'm willing to do some work myself and help come to a group conclusion that will make SOMETHING work and work properly how we want it. Wish I could find some lens that would give me a yellow turn lens (besides trying to rip something off from a vette maybe).

http://www.nastyz28.com/ubb/wink.gif

Well, anyone come up with a WHOLE round panel that you just 'fit in' the bucket with LED's in the panel ???? No need for reflectors then. Maybe then you could just run a white rear lens to make it brighter (or would that look too Alteeza?)

Again, just popping out ideas on the fly....

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" Come to the Dark Side....the BBC force is STRONG within us all...."

73 LT 454 and a small touch of giggles....hee hee hee. More good parts are lining up the shelves.....
mailto:rscamaro73@nastyz28.comrscamaro73@nastyz28.com</A>

http://www.cardomain.com/id/rscamaro73

84 4x4 Suburban 'rust bucket'

<font face="Arial,Verdana" size="2">Originally posted by rscamaro73:
I'm seriously thinking of doing this myself....and I got some 'inside info' as to there being some HI-POWER white LEDs gonna be out in a while (months to maybe a year, maybe more).

Anyways, besides cutting up a set of light buckets and putting the connectors in the BACK (vs the bottom) or maybe finding a bigger flashlight reflector to put inside there.....something....maybe something from a Impala or something with round lenses in the rear....I dunno, just throwingout ideas. I'm willing to do some work myself and help come to a group conclusion that will make SOMETHING work and work properly how we want it. Wish I could find some lens that would give me a yellow turn lens (besides trying to rip something off from a vette maybe).

http://www.nastyz28.com/ubb/wink.gif

Well, anyone come up with a WHOLE round panel that you just 'fit in' the bucket with LED's in the panel ???? No need for reflectors then. Maybe then you could just run a white rear lens to make it brighter (or would that look too Alteeza?)

Again, just popping out ideas on the fly....

</font>
the white led's I got are plenty bright I got them through www.partsexpress.com (http://www.partsexpress.com) ( I buy a lot through them for work)


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To err is human; but to really screw things up
requires a computer.


Give blood play hockey!

Well, as I stated, no relectors on mine, and they look brighter, and Im not trying to blind people behind me. I have thought for years that it would be cool to have yellow blinkers in the rear. Ill do this some day, but I just havent gotten around to it yet, but Ill let you in..
Take the rear taillight housings and swap them left to right. Replace the back up light (white) with a blinker bulb (amber) and rewire as necessary. To retain the backup lights, drill in another hole for a white bulb. This way, you'll have amber light glowing through the clear section of the taillight that was normally used for the backup lights. You could do it without switching housings, but I prefer to have the flashing lights outermost to the sides. No one will notice the difference at a glance.
Mike

<font face="Arial,Verdana" size="2">Originally posted by rscamaro73:
I got some 'inside info' as to there being some HI-POWER white LEDs gonna be out in a while</font>You can buy them right now from Digikey. Cheap. With bayonet/wedge bases. Direct replacement for dual filament 1157 single filament 1156, and the 194. If you want, they have replacements for the license plate lights and even the dome light!
http://www.digikey.com
http://dkc3.digikey.com/pdf/T033/1199.pdf
<font face="Arial,Verdana" size="2">Wish I could find some lens that would give me a yellow turn lens</font>Forget a lens, just buy an amber LED. They make them in white, red, and amber. (and blue and green)

<font face="Arial,Verdana" size="2">Originally posted by POS71RS:
...no need for reflection. ... you could spray some "chrome" paint inside the tail lamp buckets</font>I like that idea. I think I'll just buy them and try them out; they're only like $4 each. If they're not bright enough, "rattle, rattle, pssht". http://www.nastyz28.com/ubb/smile.gif

<font face="Arial,Verdana" size="2">Originally posted by POS71RS:
They are noticably brighter than the stock bulbs</font>Mike, do the LEDs you used make white or red light by themselves?

I think the ones that I used produced a white light, but to be honest, I dont really remember for sure. (at work)
I was starting to wonder if people were referring to LEDs where you see the LEDs shine through the lens; there was an ad in Hot Rod(?) where they were selling LED conversion kits for cars, they showed a 50s car and you could see the individual bulbs shining through the lens. If thats the look you are going for, then you would have some work ahead of you to make that look right
In my opinion though... that was just fugly. Mine are 1157 sockets with LEDs instead of a single bulb. Marketed by a major bulb company that was selling for something like $15 per bulb. The ones I bought were some cheap AutoZone ricer manufacturer for something like $10 pair.
Sorry, but youll have to shop the ricer section to find them.

I just tried the Sunbrite 1157 red, 1157 white, 1157 amber, 1156 white, 194 red diffused, 194 red clear, 194 white diffused, and 194 white clear.

Not one of them was anywhere close to bright enough. Side by side with the respective incandescent bulb, each was way dimmer in every case: tail lights, reverse lights, side markers, front run/turn signals, and instrument lights.

Oh well. I guess it was too good to be true.

I posted something like this a while back. Anybody get any new info since this first post?

I tried doing LEDs for my front blinkers and all hell broke loose (pfft). They didn't want to work properly and I gave up on them and put my bulbs back in. But now my drivers side blinker doesn't work. I replaced the relay and the fuses are fine. I have no idea what's wrong. http://www.nastyz28.com/ubb/frown.gif

I wish like crazy that the LEDs would work. I think they'd look really nice. I'm a bit hesitant to try them on my tail lights, I don't want all my lights going kaput.

Is there something I did wrong or something I should have done? I'm willing to re-try the LEDs if I get some info.

[This message has been edited by wendy (edited November 02, 2004).]

Wow, this original post is quite old.

Anyway, LED bulbs are available now with the correct orientation, the LED will face the correct direction. Although they are not cheap. Here is a link to site that has them.

http://www.led.net/datasheets/auto_index/auto_index.htm

I believe for our 70-73 cars we would need the right angle 1157 type

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70 Camaro Z/28 with 461cu.in. BBC & OD Auto, 3.31 12 bolt posi.

I didn't answer your question, sorry, but from what I know your blinker/flasher must be an electronic type and not the mechanical type, because I was told LED's don't have enough of an electrical load to trigger them, on the electronic type the amount of load will not matter. Most big auto parts stores should have the electronic type of blinker/flasher, they are easy to change, just unplug and replug in the new type. Then try your LED bulbs for turn signals.

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70 Camaro Z/28 with 461cu.in. BBC & OD Auto, 3.31 12 bolt posi.

<font face="Arial,Verdana" size="2">Originally posted by wayner:
Wow, this original post is quite old.
</font>

Yup. Nice to see is resurected.

<font face="Arial,Verdana" size="2">Originally posted by wayner:
I believe for our 70-73 cars we would need the right angle 1157 type
</font>

Correct... that was the problem with the first LED 1157 bulbs... they faced Up.

I was looking at the tail lights on the new Malibu, they are LED in a circle pattern... anyone ever try a retrofit from a newer car?

<font face="Arial,Verdana" size="2">Originally posted by wayner:
I didn't answer your question, sorry, but from what I know your blinker/flasher must be an electronic type and not the mechanical type, because I was told LED's don't have enough of an electrical load to trigger them, on the electronic type the amount of load will not matter. Most big auto parts stores should have the electronic type of blinker/flasher, they are easy to change, just unplug and replug in the new type. Then try your LED bulbs for turn signals.

</font>


Ahh.. Thanks for info. I'll give it a try. http://www.nastyz28.com/ubb/smile.gif

<font face="Arial,Verdana" size="2">Originally posted by Piet:
Correct... that was the problem with the first LED 1157 bulbs... they faced Up.

I was looking at the tail lights on the new Malibu, they are LED in a circle pattern... anyone ever try a retrofit from a newer car?

</font>

Why, here are 3 links to sites that now sell right angle 1157 LED bulbs that should work in 70-73 camaros taillights, some eevn have the 1156 for backup

http://www.superbrightleds.com/1157.htm

just scroll down to the right angle 1157 bulbs

here is another site i posted earlier that has them also

http://www.led.net/datasheets/auto_index/auto_index.htm

Here is 1 more

http://www.superbrightleds.com/cgi-bin/store/commerce.cgi?product=CAR

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70 Camaro Z/28 with 461cu.in. BBC & OD Auto, 3.31 12 bolt posi.

as a computer modding freek I can shed some help with leds.

nearly every led manufactured in the 3mm to 5mm range uses 40mA at 1.5v or thereabouts, for all colours.
leds are singly available in EVERY colour, including UV and Infra red. (essentially non-visible spectrum)
If you were up to the challenge of shaping a breadboard to fit the inside of your lens you could put as many leds as you liked in there, and could do some VERY interesting things, light effects wise (I'm aware thats more of a ricer thing)
Anyway- if you have the soldering technique, it's a piece of cake to wire up a few hundred leds in parallel.. at say .4 amps a hundred.. thats not to shabby. Super bright leds with a clear lens and a chemical which changes the colour are generally available at 20 cents singly and much much cheaper in bulk, something like 5 bucks for 100.

Just tossing the ideas out there http://www.nastyz28.com/ubb/smile.gif


[edit] sources for uber-cheap leds--

#1 is E-bay for the bulk discounts
#2 in canada is www.adpmods.com (http://www.adpmods.com)
#3 is www.lsdiodes.com (http://www.lsdiodes.com)

I've tried all three, they're all great.

[This message has been edited by Skaal-tel 79 (edited November 04, 2004).]