Please help - need to identify/replace a bulb or bulb assembly (A body rallye dash AC/heater control)

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67fish383S

67fish383S

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Hello FABO. I'm hoping someone has been through this before and can help point me to a source or solution. I am in the process of restoring the rallye dash bezel/gauge cluster out of my '71 Duster 340 4-speed. I am getting near the end of the project, but still have not been able to find a replacement bulb (or more likely bulb/pigtail/mount assembly) that lights the AC/heater control buttons:

AC switch.png


It looks like to me like the bulb portion is not removable and it is intended to be replaced as a complete unit with the single mounting screw, but I have had no luck finding this on the Mopar bulb chart I have, on the any of the repop part seller websites, nor with a variety of Google searches. The original bulb is stupidly dim and I'd really like to replace it with a brighter option before I put this all back together. Hell, an LED replacement would be ideal, but I feel like that is wishful thinking. Any help I can get figuring out how to get one would be amazing.

Or if anyone has substituted and/or fabbed something that works just as well or better than the original, I'd love to see it. It does not seem like it would be all that difficult, but I tend to overthink/overbuild stuff like this rather than just using the KISS approach. I'd be willing to bet there are some MacGyvers out there that have done it with some chewing gum and a paperclip.

Thanks
 
Take the blue cover off to view the bulb. Let me see if I can find that chart I posted in the electrical forums.
 
toolmanmike said:
Yep. A sticky in the electrical forum. Light bulb chart That will get you the original bulb number and you can go from there.
Click to expand...
Thank you sir. I feel a little stupid because about 30 seconds after I posted this I was looking at the pic and thought, "I bet that cover comes off...". But I already admitted I overthink these things lol.
 
I am hoping to revive this thread because I am stumped on how to replace this bulb. The original answer I got was helpful, in that I was able to identify the replacement bulb and realized the blue diffuser was removable. I ordered the replacement bulb and then got distracted by other things and am just now getting back to it.

So, yes, the diffuser came off, but I still have no clue how to extract the bulb and replace it, or if it can even be done without replacing the whole assembly.

This is what I am looking at after removing the diffuser:
IMG_0763.jpg


IMG_0765.jpg


The bulb is encased in a metal housing with no way that I can see to open it. My shop manual is missing the pages where bulb replacement might be covered (both my printed copy and the My Mopar copy are missing pages 8-62 and 8-63).

I can feel that the pigtail is spring-loaded and the bulb would have to go in from behind, but I feel like I am going to break it when I pull on the pigtail. I would swear that they intended the assembly that I am holding in my hand was intended to be replaced as a unit.

Someone must have solved this riddle before me in the almost 60 years since it was made. Please help if you can. Thanks!
 
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