Dash lites

[Jackjohn]

Does anyone know if there are replacement bulbs for our dashes, that are brighter. Mines a 66.
Thanks,
John
Posted via Mobile Device

[Lugnutz65]

Originally Posted by Jackjohn

Does anyone know if there are replacement bulbs for our dashes, that are brighter. Mines a 66.
Thanks,
John
Posted via Mobile Device

Jackjohn,
I'm restoring my 65 instrument cluster. I read other forums too and found a thread about LED bulbs. I have not tried them yet, but they might be brighter and less likely to burn out.

The website is www.superbrightleds.com.

It's something to think about. The LED bulb doesn't dim, so keep that in mind.

Keep in touch and I'll tell you how well they work (if I switch to LED).

Another thought that came to mind last night as I cleaned my 65 cluster - the cardboard tubes could be lined with a reflective material like mylar so that more light would reflect from inside the tube. Just another thought.

Jay

[Jackjohn]

I would really like a standard bulb,just brighter, but thank for your help.

John
Posted via Mobile Device

[ray_mcavoy]

Hi John,

The 66 owner's manual lists the stock instrument cluster illumination bulbs as #1895's. They're rated at 2cp (candlepower) at 14 volts.

You might want to try some #1816 bulbs. They have the same miniature bayonet base but are rated at 3cp at 13 volts. They should be noticeably brighter but will have a slightly shorter lifespan (about 1000 hours as compared to 1500 hours of the 1895 bulbs according to the Sylvania website).

Also note that some locations (like the high beam indicator) used an even dimmer #1445 (1cp) bulb that also has the same base. You'll probably want to stay with that bulb there so you don't end up with an overly bright indicator.

Finally, it might not be a bad idea to measure the voltage on the gray wire that feeds the instrument panel illumination lights just to make sure the rheostat in the headlight switch is supplying full voltage when the knob is turned up for maximum brightness. You can gain easy access to this circuit on the "LPS" terminal on the fusebox (near the upper right side if I remember correctly).

[64fleetside]

Make sure your inst panel is well grounded, also. Sometimes paint etc can hinder the grounding.