LED Changeover - 1970 to 1972 Skylark & GS

Discussion in 'Sparky's corner' started by knucklebusted, Jan 16, 2018.

  1. knucklebusted

    knucklebusted Well-Known Member

    Sure, you can make it a sticky and and change the title to LED Turn, Brake and Interior Lights or whatever works for you.
     
  2. TrunkMonkey

    TrunkMonkey Well-Known Member

    I put LEDs everywhere but headlights, and use a solid state flasher and picked up everything from superbrightleds.com.

    The flasher has three blades two blades connect to the fuse block terminals for the OEM flasher and I added a ground pigtail for the ground blade. (the fuse block has a "cut out" where the ground blade fits). And it "clicks".
    CF13GL-02 LED Bulb Electronic Flasher
    https://www.superbrightleds.com/mor...f13gl-02-led-bulb-electronic-flasher/782/836/


    Works very well. Maybe 20% faster rate, but it is about what most signal flash rate is on current cars.
    They also have a variable rate adjustable and it is not 12v dependent, and will operate on lower voltages.
    CF13JL-AR LED Bulb Electronic Adjustable Rate Flasher
    https://www.superbrightleds.com/mor...electronic-adjustable-rate-flasher/1920/4480/

    As also mentioned in the thread, I used the "colored" LEDs, for the lights I replaced.

    Red LED for tail/brake and yellow for front turn signal, and the bright white for reverse.
    I also used the brightest lumen rated I could get and they are much brighter than incandescent.

    I also used LEDs for the internals, all the indicators and the "UV" work well in the speedo cluster.

    I don't have videos, but can get them or answer any questions.
     
    Harlockssx likes this.
  3. Mark Demko

    Mark Demko Well-Known Member

    I like the difference of the LED's
    MUCH more brilliant:D
    I wanna do my dash lights
     
  4. knucklebusted

    knucklebusted Well-Known Member

    I've got several left over that I'm thinking of doing the dash next time I have to do anything. If you do, I'd love to know how it turns out if you beat me to it.
     
  5. moleary

    moleary GOD Bless America

    Did I miss the map light LED replacement here?
     
    Mark Demko likes this.
  6. knucklebusted

    knucklebusted Well-Known Member

    No, I didn't do that one, nor the glove box nor the cigarette lighter one either. They are all different. One is grounded center, the other is grounded edge and the map light is not one I've searched for because I know how it mounts.

    If you do, document which ones work.
     
  7. Mark Demko

    Mark Demko Well-Known Member

    The one in the rear view mirror?
    Id like a bulb too:D
     
  8. moleary

    moleary GOD Bless America

    I've done all but instrument lamps...so far pleased. That mirror map light would be nice to convert to LED. I'll keep working on it . May take a little conversion work....
     
  9. knucklebusted

    knucklebusted Well-Known Member

  10. moleary

    moleary GOD Bless America

    Yes, they would fit for the map light, but the mounting tabs on the map light fixture would have the lamps facing / casting light front or back not down. Maybe they would be so bright in there that it wouldn't matter? Factory has a litle hood that coervs the bulb and reflects the incandescent light downwards.
     
  11. Brett Slater

    Brett Slater Super Moderator Staff Member

    So, if I'm reading this correctly: swapping the bulbs that work the brake/turn signal can't be achieved with regular white LED bulbs - they have to be red?

    Even though the tail lense itself is red?
     
  12. TrunkMonkey

    TrunkMonkey Well-Known Member

    The "white" LEDs will work in the tail/brake light, but the "red" LEDs look better

    You don't have the washed out hot spot.

    Any lights that are reverse polarity/grounded, like glovebox, use the "AC" LED, thay are not polarity specific.

    I changed everything except the headlights to LED on my '64 Sklark.

    superbrightled.com, has them.
     
    Brett Slater likes this.
  13. knucklebusted

    knucklebusted Well-Known Member

    You can use white lights but as trunkmonkey said, they look a tad pinkish. If you use red it works a lot better. Amber up front is better than white too.
     
    Brett Slater likes this.
  14. Brett Slater

    Brett Slater Super Moderator Staff Member

    Got it! I guess just the flasher needs to be changed? No?

    Looks like all the outside bulbs are pretty much plug & play with the exception of the headlights.

    Didn't you change yours and have to make minor modifications? Am I wrong?
     
  15. TrunkMonkey

    TrunkMonkey Well-Known Member

    Yes. I have a digital flasher "with click". The one without click will plug right in and work, but you need to run a ground wire to the third blade on the "with click" flasher.

    In 1964 fuse block, there is a "cut out" area in the top corner where the flasher plugs in, so I was able to make a ground wire with a PAC-65 Spade and a "serrated star" terminal and used a bolt in the steering mast firewall cover.
     
  16. knucklebusted

    knucklebusted Well-Known Member

    Yep, the ones at Auto Zone, Advance Auto listed at the top work fine or you can order the one from Amazon with the additional ground wire.

    Yes, I did my headlights with LEDs. That is another sticky in this same Sparky's corner as H4 Conversion.
     
    Last edited: Jun 17, 2018
  17. matt68gs400

    matt68gs400 Well-Known Member

    Those brake lights from Amazon and the flasher from Autozone don’t work with the headlights on in my car. I have no brake lights on my 68 with that combo. Only brake lights when headlights are off.
     
  18. knucklebusted

    knucklebusted Well-Known Member

    Did you test the sockets to be sure you were getting a good connection?

    What do you get for parking lights, are they on the low setting when parking lights should be on?

    Have the sockets been replaced? A standard bulb will work if wired incorrectly but the LEDs, since they are light emitting DIODES, will only work one way. Positive must be on bottom leads and ground must be to the side.

    The flasher has nothing to do with the brake lights. On one or two of my sockets I was getting intermittent connections and I had to take a 90° pick and prick the two springy bottom leads that connect the bulb up a bit.

    I tested all of mine with the emergency flasher running as it will flash all the bulbs so you can troubleshoot it.
     
  19. matt68gs400

    matt68gs400 Well-Known Member

    I mean the running lights work. The bulbs blink. But when i press the brakes, there’s no brighter light. It’s just the running lights. The brake light work when headlights and running lights are off.
     
  20. knucklebusted

    knucklebusted Well-Known Member

    Mine definitely have a dimmer running lights and much brighter brake lights. That sounds like something is not wired up correctly or the supplier changed something with the bulbs.

    I would check the sockets to be sure you are getting 12V or at least the 9V they list the bulbs working at. I pulled my lenses out and plugged them in that way to be sure they worked before I put the lenses back on. That's when I discovered I had a few sockets that were a bit loose.
     
    matt68gs400 likes this.

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