[C2] 63 dash LEDs
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Army
63 dash LEDs
While I'm waiting for Brian of Corvette Specialties to straighten out my fuel gauge, I got bored and replaced all the 'gray wire' dash bulbs in the cluster with LEDs.
The bulbs gave off a warm glow at night but even at full blast the dials were hard to see.
Wow, nice difference. I managed to get all the LEDs in the cluster, clock and radio mounted in the bulb sockets from the driver's side of the car with the dash cluster still installed. No fun - but its done now..
The bulbs gave off a warm glow at night but even at full blast the dials were hard to see.
Wow, nice difference. I managed to get all the LEDs in the cluster, clock and radio mounted in the bulb sockets from the driver's side of the car with the dash cluster still installed. No fun - but its done now..
Last edited by Frankie the Fink; Mar 31, 2018 at 09:27 PM.
Safety Car
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 4,761
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From: Clinton Township MI
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Very nice Frankie! What an improvement! I know there are a number of threads on this conversion, but would you post up the specific type of LED bulbs you used and their source.
Thanks in advance.
Regards,
Jim
In God We Trust!
ps Happy Easter!
Regards,
Jim
In God We Trust!
Thanks in advance.
Regards,
Jim
In God We Trust!
ps Happy Easter!
Regards,
Jim
In God We Trust!
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 1,267
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From: London ON
While Frank is looking that up, here's the LED bulbs I put in my dash from Superbrightleds. As Frank mentioned, these BA9S bulbs can be used for all grey wire dash lights (not for the 257 flasher bulbs). You can get them in both warm white and also cool white which is much whiter and brighter than warm white. Two great things about LEDs ... they are much brighter and they will not likely burn out in your lifetime. Bill
Dash bulbs (replaces 1816 & 1445) - BA9S-WWHP5 (warm white)
Courtesy bulbs (replaces 90) - 1142-WW18-T (warm white)
Dash bulbs (replaces 1816 & 1445) - BA9S-WWHP5 (warm white)
Courtesy bulbs (replaces 90) - 1142-WW18-T (warm white)
Last edited by NightshiftHD; Mar 31, 2018 at 11:25 PM.
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I used these from SuperBrightLEDs; I didn't want the light to be too harsh or glaring so I went with the warm white over the cool white. Some had problems with the LEDs fitting tight enough in repro harness sockets. These fit fine in my harness...:
It took exactly 10 for the gray wire bulbs in the 63 (other years need more I recall); 7 in the cluster, 2 in the clock, 1 in the radio...
It took exactly 10 for the gray wire bulbs in the 63 (other years need more I recall); 7 in the cluster, 2 in the clock, 1 in the radio...
Last edited by Frankie the Fink; Apr 1, 2018 at 07:22 AM.
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It would be MUCH easier with the dash removed....but I have pianist fingers and monkey arms and can snake my upper limbs into places most cannot. Wife says they are "Go-Go Gadget" arms....
I DID remove the five screws holding the cluster and move it out an inch or two and that was enough room for me... You can see a bit of the space around the steering column in the pic above in post #1.
The problem is not snaking your hands in there to get the bulb near the socket, its getting enough 'umph' to seat the socket firmly back into the hole with your hand in an awkward position that doesn't allow much force to be applied. On some of the bulbs I had to do it 'blind' - there was no seeing where the bulb actually was; it was all by feel.
I DID remove the five screws holding the cluster and move it out an inch or two and that was enough room for me... You can see a bit of the space around the steering column in the pic above in post #1.
The problem is not snaking your hands in there to get the bulb near the socket, its getting enough 'umph' to seat the socket firmly back into the hole with your hand in an awkward position that doesn't allow much force to be applied. On some of the bulbs I had to do it 'blind' - there was no seeing where the bulb actually was; it was all by feel.
Last edited by Frankie the Fink; Apr 1, 2018 at 08:36 AM.
