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73-87 Chevy _ GMC Trucks => Interior & Equipment => Topic started by: 1979C20 on December 11, 2010, 04:19:54 pm

Title: gauge cluster lights
Post by: 1979C20 on December 11, 2010, 04:19:54 pm
So, I pulled the bulb out of my tach to make sure it worked, and I began thinking.... Could I put 12 volt jumbo LED bulbs from radio shack in the bulb holders behind my dash bezel for my gauge lights? And inside my tach? I was thinking of how cool it would be to have different colors then white. My gf would go nuts if I put ultraviolet, she loves purple.
Title: Re: gauge cluster lights
Post by: Da67goatman on December 11, 2010, 04:43:01 pm
I back lit my gauges with blue LEDs over a year ago, and now there are much brighter ones for less.
Title: Re: gauge cluster lights
Post by: 1979C20 on December 11, 2010, 04:45:32 pm
Did you just pull the bulbs out of the holders and replace them with LEDs or how did you do it?

Title: Re: gauge cluster lights
Post by: 1979C20 on December 11, 2010, 05:54:10 pm
Well, just got back from radio shack. Thought I bought 12 volt leds. I thought wrong. Haha. They're under 4 volt. Just burnt 2 up. Need resistors. dang.
Title: Re: gauge cluster lights
Post by: Da67goatman on December 11, 2010, 06:13:23 pm
I got mine from Ebay, just type in the bulb number and LED in the search box.  I had to do a little fanangling with the leads from the LEDs to get them to make contact, but now I think they are all plug and play.  Remember LEDs are polar, they have a positive and a negative lead they are not reversible.
Title: Re: gauge cluster lights
Post by: 1979C20 on December 11, 2010, 06:17:09 pm
Yes, I know. The longer lead from the bulb is the positive. Does anybody know where I can buy 12 volt LEDs? I can make/modify a dash bulb plug to fit an LED.
Title: Re: gauge cluster lights
Post by: Grim 82 on December 11, 2010, 06:26:55 pm
http://www.superbrightleds.com/cgi-bin/store/index.cgi?action=DispPage&Page2Disp=%2F1157.htm

The ones I got plugged directly into the OEM sockets, no modification needed. Get the right ones though; mine were dimmer than the stock bulbs so I took them back out.