1157 led replacement bulbs.

[84 400]

Well i have clear lenses on my 84 and have wanted to change them since io got the truck to stockers but well they have grown on me. anyways right now i have to cover the bulbs with this red rubber boot to get them to be red. well they wear out about once a year. So while i was in autozone ( i know ewww) i saw that they carry red 1157 red led bulbs and got to thinking about installing them in my truck. Would they work? any problems with operation as they are LED's? also will they cast good light or should i not bother ad just keep doing the red covers as i am now.

Thanks for the input guys and gals.

also i did do an old post on this were i recived severa suggestions but did not feel like messing with shipping and such.

[C-10volvo]

dont bust your money on thoes. youll end up having... "manual" blinkers because the resistance of the LED's are much less. also, while it is bright out, with the brake applied, all you get is a odd quarter sized beam (sometimes hard to see) of red that doesnt light up the whole brake lens. i would just suck to the red boots.

[boxrodz]

As Ken said, it's a challenge.

You may have to experiment. I'm not familar with the LED clusters that Autozone sells. But, for a good quality cluster, you may want to consider those offered by SuperbrightLEDs. com (http://superbrightleds.com/tail-brake-turn.html). They offer dual intensity tail/brake light clusters since the stock 1157 bulbs are dual filament to support the tail light and the brake light function. They come with 12 to 30 LEDs per cluster. (The more LEDs the brighter the output.) A wide viewing angle cluster is probably a better setup then those with a narrow viewing angle for these trucks.

Another option to consider is the 3 Watt Luxeon dual intensity LED with a 130* viewing angle. It is actually brighter than the stock 1157s, but also costs more than the LED clusters.

To overcome the fast blinker that Ken eludes to, a couple a solutions exists. One solution is to place a high wattage load resistor in line to increase the current draw. A better solution would be to replace the stock thermal flasher with an electronic flasher. I believe Autozone carries them. (I've read where others wire a bulb behind their fender to 'fool' the thermal flasher when they install LEDs in their tail/brake housing. )

Of course, the optimum setup would be to mod some LED panels into the housing and regulate the power and intensity with voltage regulators, pulse width modulators and resistors. . . .

If you decide to stick with the stock bulbs, you may try to 'lightly' spray bomb with some candy apple red paint instead of using boots. But, as with the boots, bulbs will lose a bit of its' lighting intensity.

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by boxrodz;

.....
If you decide to stick with the stock bulbs, you may try to 'lightly' spray bomb with some candy apple red paint instead of using boots. But, as with the boots, bulbs will lose a bit of its' lighting intensity.

All good advice with this part being the exception. I had one of the first sets of clears in Houston for 88-98 trucks. I fought a loosing battle trying to keep the bulbs coated.

I tried spray candy red, dipping candy red, and a red clear coat. None of this lasted long enough to be worth while. As you already know, the covers don't last long either.

As recommended, you need to consider quality LED's and an electronic flasher unit.

[jsbgump]

I have some in my 68 and they have worked fine

[boxrodz]

Originally Posted by N2TRUX

All good advice with this part being the exception. I had one of the first sets of clears in Houston for 88-98 trucks. I fought a loosing battle trying to keep the bulbs coated.

I tried spray candy red, dipping candy red, and a red clear coat. None of this lasted long enough to be worth while...

I guess YMMV.

N2, I've had some luck spraying the bulbs. I have a couple of 194s (granted not 1157s) that were spray bombed with candy apple blue and are completely exposed (not protected by lenses) to the elements here in Colorado. Maybe it's the prep. I scuff the bulb with sandpaper and use denaturalized alcohol to clean it before spraying. I then spray a few very light coats until the desired affect is achieved. They've been on for almost a year.

[84 400]

wow great advice guys. i might just be going to the junk yard and grabing some old hosings and lenses. I don't really want to put up with wiring even if it is simple just to get a bulb to flash as it should. any ways, i have been going back and forth on these "clears" for a while now. i prob will hold on to them as i have not seen another set like them.
also i started a poll on what to do
thanks

[jimfulco]

Would a heavy-duty flasher, such as type used for multiple-filament applications, work in this case?

[Bad71chev406sbc]

Couldn't you just go to ebay for the incadesant bulbs that light up red??? Like a (ugg...) Prius....but a prius is a 3157. I'm pretty surethat i've seen 1157 that are red there before.

[boxrodz]

Originally Posted by jimfulco

Would a heavy-duty flasher, such as type used for multiple-filament applications, work in this case?

I have heard they do, but I would probably choose an electronic flasher over a thermal flasher.