Rally cluster dash bulbs..

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MAPS

MAPS

FABO Gold Member
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As always, I ask and I receive when it comes to A body Barracuda questions.
Does anyone know how many light bulbs are in the dash (circuit board)?
I'm wanting to replace them with new bulbs I found for sale (OEM) and figured this should help with lighting issue I have.(weak)
I just don't know how many I'm supposed to buy.
Thanks for any help.
Maps
 
Depends on whether you want to do the two turn signal, e-brake And hi beam light also
 
Not relative to number, but I recommend replacing with led bulbs, not OEM. New OEM will be just as dim as what you have. Been there, done that. I replaced all with led and I can finally see dash at night.
 
8 total, 4 illumination and 4 indicators. OEM were #158. Do we really need brighter at indicators? Maybe not but LEDs run cooler and live much longer.
I put sylvania 2825 (slightly brighter than 158 and long life) in mine but the new sockets were ebay junk. About 2 years later, 1st to fail was a turn indicator, impossible to access from underneath. So a do over. Quality sockets cost about as much as the bulbs.
 
68original said:
Not relative to number, but I recommend replacing with led bulbs, not OEM. New OEM will be just as dim as what you have. Been there, done that. I replaced all with led and I can finally see dash at night.
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Are your ked's dimmable?
 
68original said:
Good question, I dont remember. I will check tonight.
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I get a lot of glare with my glasses. I don't drive my old cars at night much but I do turn down the dash on the family SUV when I drive. A friend has a Suburban with the factory multifunction screen in the dash. I usually ride in the back because of the glare from it.
 
RedFish said:
8 total, 4 illumination and 4 indicators. OEM were #158. Do we really need brighter at indicators? Maybe not but LEDs run cooler and live much longer.
I put sylvania 2825 (slightly brighter than 158 and long life) in mine but the new sockets were ebay junk. About 2 years later, 1st to fail was a turn indicator, impossible to access from underneath. So a do over. Quality sockets cost about as much as the bulbs.
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Much obliged sir.
All my queries and worries answered by FABO member. As usual.
Thanks.
 
toolmanmike said:
Are your ked's dimmable?
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Even the dimmable ones won’t dim if you have all LED bulbs. All of them together don’t pull enough current. You need at least one regular bulb for your dimmer to work. A Regular bulb in your stock radio would do it. I left regular bulbs in my aftermarket gauges to get my dimmer to work.
 
Do your self a favor and look up 2886X bulbs for your dash. When I built my 66 my dash lights were very dim I could barley see the gauges, after installing the 2886X bulbs they are nice and bright and are also dim-able. They look just like and install just like the original bulbs. I do not have the dash back in the 68 yet but I have installed the 2886X bulbs in it's rally dash
Bob
 
A little cleaning of the circuit board contacts, some deoxit on the headlight switch too. One new(er) socket, and 158 bulbs.
This photo isn't even at night.
upload_2020-9-5_21-28-27.png


I too generally dim the dash lights, especially on dark roads.
 
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8 including the turn, hi beam, and brake indicators
upload_2020-9-5_21-36-34.png
 
Mattax said:
A little cleaning of the circuit board contacts, some deoxit on the headlight switch too. One new(er) socket, and
158 bulbs.
This photo isn't even at night.
View attachment 1715590596

I generally dim the dash lights, especially on dark roads.
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Wow, those are bright for 158s. Did you do anything special to get them this bright? Just contact cleaning?
 
Mike69cuda said:
Wow, those are bright for 158s. Did you do anything special to get them this bright? Just contact cleaning?
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I was surprised myself.
The only other thing was to tweak some of the contacts on holders that didn't seem as snug when installed.

I can't think of any other repair or cleaning that would have had helped , except maybe adding a parallel alternator feed to the ammeter.
 
Well. There is another possible factor.
The factory painted the light reflecting surfaces a matte white, or off white.
You can see that on the casting, while the plastic may be the natural color.
upload_2020-9-5_22-8-27.png


upload_2020-9-5_22-10-8.png


But when the plastic was replated, they were unable (or forgot) to mask the backside. :(
upload_2020-9-5_22-12-7.png


So I had to repaint it.
Did that slight change in finish effect brightness on the gages? I doubt it but its possible.
upload_2020-9-5_22-14-37.png
 
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I was just thinking about this today, is there a common part number for the T10 style sockets, that take the LED bulbs, that fit A Body dashes?
 
Maybe it is a combination of factors. Mine were very dim prior to LEDs. Since LEDs pull so little current, the corroded / bad connections would be a lot less effect.

I suspect LEDs may have just fixed the effect rather than the underlying problem. However, maybe it doesn’t really matter as long as the dash light are nice and bright. Just interesting to see the factory set up work well.
 
I found the 5/8 sockets at Oreilly, but didn’t keep track of the part number. They are not very common. The only way I found them was just by looking through boxes.

The LED bulbs take the same sockets as the 158 / 194 bulbs
 
MAPS said:
new bulbs I found for sale (OEM)
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OEM used to be short for Original Equipment Manufacturer
But there is a company that uses OEM as their name. Might even be trademarked or something.
They buy new stuff, maybe even have some items made, and put their name on it. OEM.
It is but it isn't.

Now if you found someone with some old stock of GE's, that's probably the original manufacturer.
 
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