Instrument light level improvement - my story

[rhdowns]

So I found this nifty article:
http://www.73-87.com/7387garage/interior/dashlights.htm

Decided to give it a try since I needed to lube my speedometer cable to stop it from making an annoying noise when it was cold.

The dashpad in my truck had been redone so I ended up having a few issues with it and found that one of my screw in spots on my instrument clusters was missing.

Anyway got the front plastic panel off, then the clear plastic part then couldn't figure out how to get the dash out. Finally figured out it was the speedo cable holding it in so removed the left vent and the duck so I could reach up in there and push the tab and unhook it. Then the entire cluster came right out.

I removed the bulbs all of which were original and some of which were burned out. I had issue at Wal-mart trying to figure out which bulbs I needed. The computer called for 161, 168 and 194. The only difference in the 3 are the watts rating. Autozone had no better answer so I just bought all 168's because they were the highest watts. I later looked close at the bulbs I pulled out and most of them were labeled 168 no matter if they came from the turn signal or just the regular back lighting area.

Next issue was I could not find chrome paint - the krylon and rustolem metallic is not shiny like the lid as he says in his article and do not produce the affect you are going for. Autozone didn't have any and two Walmarts had none in Hardware or Automotive. I ended up buying Scotch tape that was metal reflective. That ended up being a huge pain and took a couple hours to cut and paste in all the pieces of tape to cover all the areas needing covered but I needed to get my dash back together so I went with it.

Couple tips - when taking the bulbs out I was like how am I going to get these ones down in the holes out - I have skinny fingers but come on....then I had my ah-hah duh moment and figured out the thing that holds them in unscrews from the back of the cluster. Second tip bend the dumb metal frame to make it easier to get the cluster in and out - I broke one of the clips trying to get it in because it was caught just below the water temp gauge on the metal frame of the truck. It is alluded to in one of the articles I found on the web about replacing your gauges and just bending it a tad made a world of difference for me.

When I got everything back together I have noticed it is brighter - not like super awesome brighter but better.

One issue I found that may be related to the bulbs I got - when my head lamps are on and I turn on my turn signal they blink kind of slow. If I turn the lights off the turn signal speeds up. I'm guessing it is drawing too much power when all the lights are on?

I'll post some pics tomorrow. I'm a tired puppy.

[rhdowns]

It is not quite as bright as this picture lets on - this is in the garage with only headlights and these interior lights on and a 1 sec exposure.


Full album with large size photos can be found here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/rhdowns/...eat=directlink

[Rons86]

I did the same thing to mine and it improved vastly. I have since read that if you paint the cluster white it actually works better than chrome paint (reflects more light than chrome). Have not tried this, but would like to hear from some that have.

[monte0185]

Originally Posted by Rons86

I did the same thing to mine and it improved vastly. I have since read that if you paint the cluster white it actually works better than chrome paint (reflects more light than chrome). Have not tried this, but would like to hear from some that have.

I haven't done one of these but I have done one in a 67-72 and it made a huge difference. Need to tear mine apart to change the temp gauge so i planned on doing the same thing to this style to see how it works.

[Jonboy]

I used white and 168 bulbs, and it is noticably better than stock.

[kelsfine69]

I left the body alone and painted the backside of the reflector that goes around the gauges white...freshened it up nice.

[SCOTI]

White paint works as good or better than the 'chrome' paints & is easier to find.

[4pilgrim4]

What an improvement!

I've gotta' do something about my dim and burned out dash lights.

Wonder if anyone has used LEDs as replacements for the existing lights or installed 1, 2 or 3 LEDs through small holes drilled in the bezels, for example?

[79bonanza]

are you guys painting the black retaining piece also, like the back side where its a blue color

[379redneck]

Wonder if anyone has used LEDs as replacements for the existing lights or installed 1, 2 or 3 LEDs through small holes drilled in the bezels, for example?

I have red LEDs in mine and they look awsome, when they are all lit at the same time. Dont use the ones with the flat top on them, they dont shine the light straight out so it doesnt light up the guages well. They have a problem with staying on but I think its the sockets, not the bulbs that are causing it. I will check at work tomarow to see what brand the good ones are that I have in it. They are just 194 LEDs.

Im going to do this next time my dash is appart.

[JuicyJ]

I just did my cluster 2 weeks ago and I just completly disasembled the cluster. It made the painting alot easier. I painted it white in the front and black in the back. This is due to black blocking the light and keeping it from passing thru the housing. I read another members thread and he did this and it improved his alot. Mine came out good. No complaints.

[Blake_H]

I did mine in December with LED's and white paint. It worked great and I can actually see at night on my way home from work.

It was really easy and I am currently waiting for another order of LED's to do my crew cab with.

[bigwheel15]

So what leds are everybody using? Ive been thinking of ordering some from superbrightleds.com but figured id see what everyones using first.

[Blake_H]

Originally Posted by bigwheel15

So what leds are everybody using? Ive been thinking of ordering some from superbrightleds.com but figured id see what everyones using first.

That's where I got mine from. I used the WLED-x5 on the cluster and on the light for the AC/Heater controls. It looks great.

[4pilgrim4]

Decided to tackle this one today on my 83 Jimmy.

I ended up not removing the entire cluster. I removed the outer trim bezel, the clear plastic lens panel and the inner shield. Then I unscrewed and removed the gauges (they just pull out). The speedo can be pulled out enough to unclip the speedo cable.

Once the gauges were removed I was able to clean the plastic with mineral spirits and paint white.

For me this was easier than working under the dash to unhook everything. YMMV.

I called two of my favorite local auto parts to see if they carried LED peanut bulbs -- but -- no one there was interested enough to go look, so rather than drive 10 miles (plus) so I could go look on their shelves, I ordered on-line.

[kelsfine69]

Originally Posted by 79bonanza

are you guys painting the black retaining piece also, like the back side where its a blue color

Thats all I did on mine and it woked nice. I didnt have to pull the whole cluster either and I changed all the bulbs too

[rhdowns]

Do the LED's just plug right in where the old bulbs go?

I really appreciate everyone adding their ideas and tricks. I wish I had thought of the white gloss paint before doing this it would have been so much easier than the tape.

I noticed one person say they could pull their unit out a little to unclip the speedo cable. I was unable to do that with mine it was very rigid and no play room so I had to disconnect the plastic heater channel and lay on the floor mat and reach in with my left hand and disconnect it. Akward but not difficult - I'm a kind of thin guy with thin arms and hands which definitely helped in this situation.

[Telecasterjoey]

I just did this yesterday after reading this post, Whoa what a difference!!

[4pilgrim4]

Originally Posted by rhdowns

Do the LED's just plug right in where the old bulbs go?

I really appreciate everyone adding their ideas and tricks. I wish I had thought of the white gloss paint before doing this it would have been so much easier than the tape.

I noticed one person say they could pull their unit out a little to unclip the speedo cable. I was unable to do that with mine it was very rigid and no play room so I had to disconnect the plastic heater channel and lay on the floor mat and reach in with my left hand and disconnect it. Akward but not difficult - I'm a kind of thin guy with thin arms and hands which definitely helped in this situation.

You leave the back shell of the unit installed and pull the gauges out one at a time. The speedo is the most difficult as you have to unclip the cable. If there isn't enough slack you can get under the hood, locate where the speedo cable goes through the firewall and feed a few inches more in. That should be enough to allow you to unclip the cable from the speedo head.

You are fortunate to have thin arms and hands. I'm just the opposite, so working under dash boards is not something I do well at.

[kevinr1970]

Originally Posted by 4pilgrim4

You are fortunate to have thin arms and hands. I'm just the opposite, so working under dash boards is not something I do well at.

Me too!

But, and it has been a while since I did this, I was able to reach up from under the dash and release the clip for the speedo.
It was a beotch to either get it disconnected or clipped back on, I don't remember which right now.

[moneyeater]

Originally Posted by rhdowns

It is not quite as bright as this picture lets on - this is in the garage with only headlights and these interior lights on and a 1 sec exposure.


Full album with large size photos can be found here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/rhdowns/...eat=directlink

Great improvement!
And sir i have to say that you have a real nice truck and that motor looks very powerfull!
Volker

[75ChevyGuy]

In this picture the green plastic pieces that go over the turn signal bulbs. Does anyone know where to get them? My truck was missing them when I got it, and the yellow lights are driving me crazy!

[HTX86chevy]

75CHEVYGUY - if you go to a hobby/craft store, im sure you could find some Transparent paper in different colors and make your own. I'm thinking of doing this and going with blue.

[DetroitDan]

this is interesting. I've got some packages of amber, red and clear leds left over, but they are all the type with the single bulb and the flat end. A member named 502ss has a build thread here on a crewcab and just changed his dashlights to superbright leds, looks wicked bright. I'd like to make mine look nicer, but in reality I always dim them way down so I dont lose my night vision (I do a lot of night driving), so I probably needn't bother brightening them up. The white paint things pretty interesting, I'll probably give it a try next time I'm in the dash for anything.

[HTX86chevy]

This is a setup i did on mine awhile back. I got some super LED's and white sticker type overlays from Whitefacegauges.net
I don't really like the way they came out, but its better than the dim yellow lights that I had....