LED Gauge Bulbs?????

pastortom1 · Apr 11, 2009

Have any of you guys installed the "Inverted LED 194" Bulbs in your cluster?

Are they brighter than the old 194's ???? The regular 194 LED's don't work worth crud.......they shine straight out, and very little to the sides where you need it........

Anybody have experience with the Inverted bulbs ??? :read2:

JayD · Apr 11, 2009

I've been looking at those too, interested in what anyone that has tried them has to say about the brightness.

RedFish · Apr 11, 2009

The brightness is the people who can sell "not worth crud" then redesign it slightly and sell it again to the same buyers.
The 3 amp fuse for the dash lights limits the amout of current to the dimmer reostat then it limits the current to the bulbs.
Leave the OEM 194 bulbs in there , bypass the reostat then go to a 7 amp fuse MAXIMUM. At higher amps you start melting the difussers around the bulbs.
note; the higher amp fuse will severly shorten the life of the dimmer reostat, thus the bypass ( either now or later ).
194 is used in side marker fixtures of later model cars. Those see full 12 volts and 15 amps. They are much brighter and hotter but the bulb is much farther from the plastic.
Added pics of reostat bypass / jumper
The factory put a hole there ( pic ).
Drop wire in the hole to the contact beneath it ( pic ).
Solder into place and clip off the excess.
Done ( to every A-body I ever owned )

JayD · Apr 11, 2009

Good info on brightening the illumination. I was hoping the LED's worked out just so I could run blue lights in the cluster without losing visibility until I can put a new one together with backlit gauges.

pastortom1 · Apr 11, 2009

So, how much brighter will the gauges be after the bypass?

I wouldn't at all be concerned about the brightness.......I LIKE brightness on the older cars.......BUT, what about the added heat from the increased voltage?

.........and I'd STILL like to hear from someone who's installed the inverted LED style that spread the light sideways............:read2:

howco4 · Apr 11, 2009

Found a reasonable web site for led bulbs. I've ordered from them, and the service was pretty quick. They also take Paypal. Howard

http://www.uxcell.com/car-light-lamp-c-1115_1758.html

pastortom1 · Apr 11, 2009

NO ONE has TRIED these things yet ????? C'Mon.........somebody must have tried them...............

ijg4503 · Apr 12, 2009

I have installed LED bulbs in my 70 Duster cluster. I bought them from Super Bright LEDs Inc. superbightleds.com

I bought the ones that have LEDs on all sides (360 degrees) for even illumination. Part# WLED-WWHP6 Wedge base bulb- Warm white. They were $4.95 each. I takes 6 + the brake and hi-beams. I used normal 194As in the brake and hi-beam sockets. Total was $ 39.70 shipped. I think that they look good. I dont think that LEDs are brighter than regular bulbs, but they have a whiter light. The blue cluster light defusers/guides will help make the light even across the guages. The website above explains it all about the differences between LEDs and bulbs. You use the original sockets and they plug in like 194A bulbs. You will have to be sure that they make good contact to the connection tabs inside your black sockets. I have some new Napa sockets and had to slight bend the connection tabs to make good contact.

I have attached a pic.

Hope this helps.