Well maybe itll be happy when I'm done. Decided since the rear end is out and waiting for some parts, I'd attack the dash panel. Got the new glove box liner for Christmas, and well, the dash at the other end needed some attention as well. About 3-4 years ago I had it all apart to clean it up and replace the bezel due to some broken mounting studs, as in heater controls and wiper switch. That stuff is a royal PITA to access in place so its just as easy(er) to pull the whole thing out and fix what I forked up last time. The biggy is to re-do the chrome reveal with a chrome MOLOTOW pen instead of silver paint. I also picked up a replacement drivers side AC vent. Dig this: the AC vent is different than the non AC outside air style. No damper and wrong angles make getting the AC hose on impossible. The bezel itself has an A.C. part number on it as well. Is there a difference in those as well? Last time I was in there, I painted the dash bulbs red for the old school aircraft look. Turned out wayyy too dark. The 3 watt (?) bulbs also got hot enough to distort the plastic heater control. Im diving in and re-doing the whole schlemeel with LED's this time. Thats gonna lead to a few questions; Are the LEDs dimmable? I know a few guys have done this with excellent results. Didja go with white or a color? Polarity is an issue and the dash will be proven before the install. Any problems there? Where is a good on line place to by a good fitting exact replacement? Just looking is confusing. I need experience! I want to do the side marker, rear tail lamps and front parking lamps (in amber) too. Theres a brazillion numbers and base sizes and watts etc. Please send help or re-enforcements! The below dash gage pod has the small round pea size bayonet style bulbs. Want to swap them too. Woke up this mornig with a ticket stuffed in the door from the Christmas light cops LOL... Dont get mad; get EVEN! ws
The only thing I have to offer is: I prefer green bulbs. There's a reason most of the factory stuff has a green hue to it. Red was just too hard on (I said hard on) my eyes, and looked "tacky" after a while, like a mid 90s Pontiac. Green seems easier on the eyes, especially in the dark, at least for me, anyway. Maybe it's just my old Fords, but they're all green, even from the factory. Using the Googles, it looks like it's a crapshoot if you're going to be able to dim them or not.
Bill: You are brave. Naw, just adventurous! When yer old and fat, its almost worthwhile to pull the seat out; must not be up to my fighting weight yet LOL... Ive found out that sometimes google is my friend and sometimes I feel like un-friending it. I read about the LED stuff until I was blurry eyed today. Somebody here a while back did his dash in a bluish-white LED that looked awesome. Of course these things are not in watts; oh no, that would be too simple, they need to be in candela. How does a T 347-966-c compare to an 1157. I guess I need to BONE UP (!) on my chinaspeak eh? See Luke, you CAN say hard on here and no one will think the less of you for it LOL... ws
https://www.superbrightleds.com/vehicle/ Should make finding your replacements easier for ya.. I prefer the "cool white" but to each their own.
I hate dash work. I've had the dash apart three times on the Buchev, and if I can find a factory instrument cluster with a tach there will be a forth. I almost always give blood at some point during the dismantling and reassembly process.
I had an '85 3/4 ton suburban with AC and a 2000 silverado loaded and they were both cake walks compared to the BAD LAD. That thing takes a skinny leprechaun to get in there. thats why it was just as easy to pull the whole thing out. Ive reached up inside there with the digital camera and cant see what Im reaching for. Now its leaning against the tub letting the paint cure by the heat vent! I was gonna pull the seat and curl up with a pillow and a blankey, but you know how it is once ya get started! It all just kinda flowwws from there... ws
So Mr.Regal... Does the cool white cast a bluish tint to the cluster? How many lumens are the bulbs rated at? I was on their tech chat thing today and the techie said that their 20 lumen bulb was about equivelent to a stock INC. bulb. They can be dimmed up to 20% so that would make a 20Ln bulb capable of dropping down to 16Ln. They guy said 15 might suit me. Need some input here fellas! Any fully illuminated units on after full darkness? Dont want to do this shatty job again! ws
Ill see if I can get you some good pics of the dash in my 61 with the dash lights on in the dark, might have to wait till the weekend though so I hope you're not in a crazy hurry - I replaced all the bulbs with leds from the website i directed you too with the cool whites -- id say they are "blueish" or a soft white - really easy on the eyes at night but much brighter than the incandescents - as for the dimming I have a feeling the tech meant down to 20% as mine have a very wide range when dimming them from very bright to almost not on.
No hurry at all! THANKS!! Yeah, the 20% thing seemed kinda odd. I doubt the tech ever did much more that change a dial light on a clock radio. Your reply is exactly what I was hoping for! As for numbers, save any of that stuff? I think your '61 has the earlier style sockets with a wire to each and mine ('72) is on a PCB with a bayonet style socket like a side marker light. Thanks again! ws
I think I may still have some of them "loose" in a container on my shelf for spares so I'll take a gander and see if I can come up with any #'s for you. As for the socket type, the dash sockets appear to be the same ( the majority IIRC are 194 type bulbs ) - I've attached a pic of it and it looks like the back of your dash has them too...
Thats just what mine look like! However if I read the link info correctly, they come in 2 sizes (OD's). I hafta confirm that. Did you encounter any polarity problems? Im told diodes will only illuminate on a correct polarity. Thats easy enough though; AND it will get a comprehensive bench test before the installation TO BE SURE! Thanks Pal! All the help is appreciated! ws
The D in LED stands for diode ( probably already knew this ) and yes they are pole specific -- you will absolutely have to make sure the polarity is correct for the bulb to light. An LED array, however isn't always polarity specific but that's a thread and subject for a entirely different day and application. Your more than welcome! I'll see if I can grab those pics tonight after I get home from work and the gym.
Here are some pics of the dash at full and at lowest dimmable setting on a 50 yr old light switch, seems like it went dimmer before, maybe the cold?? or maybe I just never really paid that much attention, not sure -- also a pic of the bulbs I'm pretty sure I've got in the dash but don't hesitate to get a brighter one if you think this might not be enough for you... Think it's this one... https://www.superbrightleds.com/mor...b-1-smd-led-miniature-wedge-retrofit-car/204/
I think those are just about perfect! Did you notice any glare off the inside windows or accsy's? I am also guessing that the 1972 style light switch has a higher capacity rating for a more complex illumination design. Id really like to do the F/R/and side lights too. I think we is on the right track. Where in central Illinois are you? I have friends in Peoria, Dwight and Minonk of all places! I was from Lemont before we moved up here (Two Rivers, Wi.) in 2010... So yesterday, just outa boredom (ha) I spent the day laying on 15*F concrete pulling off the lower rear control arms and sway bar. Nuts were pretty tighty and rusty, but I managed OK. The worst part was running the 4 inch long bolts outa the frame and bushings with very little to pry against. Theres about a 1" hole through the frame rail to get an extension and socket into and then it just lines up on the bolt head. The extension was 2 feet long so I could work from the ground OUTSIDE the car instead of underneath. Check out the OEM (OLDs??) sway bar re-enforcing plates. Cruddy pics but the stabilizers look factory. Gonna sand blast them and box'em, then move on...The bar is .800" Is that typically an Olds bar? So then back on to the glove box light (GBL) switch. The switch is a grounding swith much like an interior door light switch in the jamb. Mine is missing the innards that hold the bulb and also the clamp which is all part of the same section of the switch. Check it out Bruno... I think Im gonna need the whole switch. Lastly... Are these worth anything? They are exceptionally clean with one center locating pin broke off flush. Just about zero corrosion and they were glued on by the PO with RTV...
No glare that I'm aware of - I don't do a ton of night driving in this car though, my driving patterns don't really require much of it BUT I couldn't stand not being able to see the speedo and shift indicator when I did - hence the change out. I did all the lights I could on mine - interior domes, instruments, exterior turns, markers, brake lights, & backups - it was crazy how much of a difference the backups made. One thing to keep in mind with the turn signals if you decide to purchase them is you'll need to get an LED flasher - like these... https://www.superbrightleds.com/search/led-products/led+flasher/ otherwise your turn signals will flash crazy fast. We've spoken before ( a ways back ) and IIRC this came up then too but yeah I'm about 15 miles east of Dwight, small town named Herscher. Gotta love those old crusty bolts, nothing worse than dealin with them in this type of cold either -- it'll all be worth it come spring though!
Why box the arms, Bill? The pipes are most likely lighter and probably even more crush-resistant then boxing the arms.
Hey Bill, I'm going to follow this along. The lights on my cars are driving me crazy 'cuz they are not bright enough for my taste. A few things...right...there were 2 socket sizes GM used back then, a large and small, but I think our cars just used the small as mentioned. Across the hall, somebody wrote a lot about improving the lighting on like 70-72 cars (ladynrob?) I'll look later, I have some stuff to do now. There's a lot you can do besides the bulbs to brighten the clusters. I still think the bar is a 78-87 or so GM A/G bar. It should be fine for you. The gb switch...there really are no "innards". The power wire has a weird flat terminal on it that goes inside the black deal, it has like a hook slot that the bulb tit goes into. That's it. The wire may be under your dash with that metal connector on it. If not, you will need somebody to clip the switch with a pigtail of wire to splice. That connector comes out of the black deal, because it's the only way to get the switch in + out of the dash. But it looks like you have the whole switch. Finally, I'm not positive those bulbs will give you what you want in the 70-72 cluster. That cluster might need a bulb that extends a bit more with more than 120 degrees...or not! You have to look at that ladynrobs thread.......
Our eyes pick up green better than any other color (most people). The yellowish green is the "brightest" to our eyes and why dash lights in dark conditions are so "easy" on the eyes. Red is odd, it preserves our night vision, but because of that, we "strain" under it. Blue is a "night sight" killer. (and it's like being half blind, because a lot of your eyes receptors are "missing" information, 'other colors' and that makes your brain wonky.) Stuff I learned in the military and photography a bazillion years ago.
