Evening everyone. Have a question regarding instrument cluster LED’s. I have the cluster out for cleaning & all that jazz(first time in almost 50 years I’m sure). What’s your opinion on replacing the cluster bulbs with LED’s? Would you do it with quality LED’s or just use new incandescent bulbs? Anyone tackle this task yet with any results? Let me know what you guys think. Thanks, Kyle
I have a '64 Skylark. I put the "UV" Leds in the instrument cluster. And like it very much. The white letters and the needle stand out nicely without a lot of "extra light". I prefer a dark interior so my night vision is better. The green turn signal indicators were way bright, so I put the incandescents back in. I will get lower lumen number and try again. The highbeam indicator is fine. Idiot lights are just right. superbrightleds.com
I replaced all the bulbs in the instrument cluster and interior with LEDs. They are much brighter and the originals and look much better; old ones were pretty dim back in the day and it was hard to see the gauges at night by today's standards. Just remember to test all the lights in the dash before you re-install it. Unlike old bulbs, you have to have the negative and positive going to the right connections or they don't work (you pop them out and rotate 180 degrees and put back in if they don't work at first).
I bought the Yorkim 7th generation on amazon 16.99 for 10 white 194s. No issues. They do creat a bit more of a pure cool white light. More of a blue undertone vs incandescent warm tones. As others state, major difference in brightness. I did my tail lights and headlights as well.
Thanks guys. More so than anything else I’m just worried about the premature failure of the LED’s. Incandescent are tried & true but not the most modern or cool burning. Plus it’s not like a bulb change is super easy with our clusters. Kyle
Well I only have a few months experience but most of the reviews were good on Amazon so I went for it. I upgraded to electric ignition for the same reason. Could it fail...yep but I'll accept the risk for better everyday performance
I look for bulbs that state "warm white". They have a more pleasing yellowish tint (warm) vs the harsh blue light(cool). I'm trying a few now and will update my post on them later. It looks better when you are mixing incandescent and led.
One good thing about LEDs is they don't get hot. The old bulbs had melted or degraded a bunch of stuff... sail panel lenses, courtesy light sockets, etc. I also like the bluish dash glow as opposed to the old greenish glow you got with the originals and I don't have to squint when driving at night to see if I still have gas.
I did some in the dash, they helped. I also did some in the tail/stop lights, they helped a lot. But the greatest difference was the headlights, WOW. Easy as pie, no relays needed, direct plug and go, all stock hardware works just fine, but the headlights are bright. Yes, it an Oldsmobile, my sons car. I don't have an old car of my own now.
x2 on the Warm White bulbs from superbrightleds.com , I used them in Interior ( Dome Light, Kick Panel Lights, Sail Panel Lights & Trunk Light) & love them, Bright enough but not overkill, Getting to the dash lights this fall....
No kits, but the bulbs are the same (194) behind the instrument cluster, which are the hardest to change.
FYI -- if you look to buy LED 194 bulbs -- look for options that are not polarity sensitive. This eliminates the worry that you'll wiggle the darn bulb back in the dash and THEN find out you need to swap it around in the fixture (expletives required at that point...). I posted the Yorkim's earlier -- their newer generation bulbs are a few dollars more (literally $4 or $5 on a 10 pack) but eliminate this headache.
I know this is an old thread but how are people's lights holding up? Also, how many bulbs do I need for the cluster on a 71? I see they are mostly 194 but there are other bulbs for the clock & heater, they are a 1893?
I've done a lot of reading on this subject recently and the general consensus is that some of these small format LEDs are not dimmable at all and some are dimmable but within a very limited range. I would say it's the nature of the LED having a limited range on operating voltage, and once you go below that it gets a bit dimmer then simply goes out. An incandescent will at least give some dim glow down to a very low voltage but don't get very bright at their best. I do agree that the polarity insensitive bulbs would have some value. 194s you can easily flip but be careful with bayonete style bulbs as some applications in your dash are reverse normal polarity so polarity insensitive bulbs become a necessity. Also keep an eye out on the physical dimensions of these LED bulbs as some of the stated equivalents are often tool long and occasionally even too big in diameter for some applications especially where the bulb and socket get inserted from the back.
In my case, (1964 Skylark). Everything except the headlights are LED. Been running them for coupe years, and I drive every chance I get. No bulbs have failed. As far as the dimming, I do not dim the lights. I used the "UV" lights in the cluster and it is pleasing lighting, just enough to see very clearly, but not harsh, so I do not ever need to use the dimming function. For the turn signal lights, get the lower lumen rated bulbs, as they are pretty danged bright at night. I dislike the old "rheostat" dimming anyway, as the headlight switch gets real hot the more you dim the lights. Back in the "olde days" (circa 19 and aught 79), I drove overnight from Florida to Kansas at night, and the headlight switch got so hot, it burned my fingers when I went to turn off the headlights when filling up with gas. (knob was real hot, so like a maroon, I stuck my hand up behind the dash to feel and burned my fingers) after that, I never used the dimming function ever again. I do not do a lot of night driving, and my headlights are bright enough as they are, but if it comes time to replace them, I will replace them with good quality LED.
