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When I restored my interior I made sure all the bulbs worked and were installed correctly for the dash and console. However, when I drive at night my AC/heater control panel is really dim. I did a search on the forum and found this thread https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...faceplate.html and looks like I'm not alone.
Is having a poorly lit heater control faceplate the norm for these C3's? Mine is a '74 so I don't know about other years. If its normal I won't dig any further. Maybe going LED for this control panel will brighten it up further?
Yep, those heater/AC controls weren't the brightest, that's for sure. When I restored my heater controls, I painted the inside of the bulb housing and the backside of the black faceplate white. I can now easily see the controller in the dark. I tried to snap a pic, but you know how it is taking pictures in the dark....kinda tough! This should give you an idea of the improvement though.
1. The wrong bulb could be installed; not ALL the instruments require the same bulb number!
2. The bulb could just be old; incandescent bulbs dim with age.
3. The bulb/socket may not be fully inserted into the mounting hole.
4. The metal 'reflector', into which the bulb/socket is inserted, might be corroded or [mistakenly] painted. It must be clean and shiny for it to reflect enough light for that location. Even just the natural dulling of that surface over the years will have a significant effect.
Yep, those heater/AC controls weren't the brightest, that's for sure. When I restored my heater controls, I painted the inside of the bulb housing and the backside of the black faceplate white. I can now easily see the controller in the dark. I tried to snap a pic, but you know how it is taking pictures in the dark....kinda tough! This should give you an idea of the improvement though.
Dave
I just dread the thought of taking that dang control out again! Such a pain in the *** to work with. Oh well, someday I will get a new bulb and paint the dang thing white.
Removing the heater control is troublesome; but it is still doable without removing the console. You can easily get at it by ONLY removing the cover plate. Do that, then assess what is the likely CAUSE of the problem.
You don't have to remove the control head at all if the problem is an incorrect bulb or an improper installation of the socket in the bottom of the control. If you determine that the problem is a matter of a dull reflector in the control head, you MIGHT swap out that bulb for a much more powerful, multi-element LED bulb. It will produce a lot more light AND it will not generate much heat. The downside will be that your 'dimmer' control on the lamp switch will have little affect on it; and if you dim the lights very much, that lamp will not illuminate.
Those downsides may be of little concern if you can just replace the bulb and get more light in that control head...without removing it.
Last edited by 7T1vette; Jul 23, 2017 at 12:16 PM.
Removing the heater control is troublesome; but it is still doable without removing the console. You can easily get at it by ONLY removing the cover plate. Do that, then assess what is the likely CAUSE of the problem.
You don't have to remove the control head at all if the problem is an incorrect bulb or an improper installation of the socket in the bottom of the control. If you determine that the problem is a matter of a dull reflector in the control head, you MIGHT swap out that bulb for a much more powerful, multi-element LED bulb. It will produce a lot more light AND it will not generate much heat. The downside will be that your 'dimmer' control on the lamp switch will have little affect on it; and if you dim the lights very much, that lamp will not illuminate.
Those downsides may be of little concern if you can just replace the bulb and get more light in that control head...without removing it.
Another contributor to dim light may be a dirty/grimy lens.
When I took mine apart, there was a nice film on the plexi lens, suspected coming from smoking, spilled Coke, etc.
Cleaned that up (top and bottom) and it improved somewhat, but still could be brighter.
Last edited by Bergerboy; Jul 25, 2017 at 12:16 PM.
According to the Chevrolet Chassis Service Manual, the HVAC control head bulb should be a 2.5 watt #1816 (not the standard 2 watt #1895 used almost everywhere else in the dash/cluster). Using the right bulb will increase light 25% over the 1895 bulb (if that's what you installed).
If you go to eBay and search "LED bulbs auto 1816" or "LED bulbs auto 1895" you will likely come up with LOTS of choices for such bulbs. Also, many auto parts stores are carrying LED replacement bulbs for the old incandescent lamps. Pick a bulb that has several LED elements around the body and at the end for best illumination. If you buy from a local parts store and it doesn't work or do the job you think it should, you can take it back. Not that easy with internet purchase.
According to the Chevrolet Chassis Service Manual, the HVAC control head bulb should be a 2.5 watt #1816 (not the standard 2 watt #1895 used almost everywhere else in the dash/cluster). Using the right bulb will increase light 25% over the 1895 bulb (if that's what you installed).
If you go to eBay and search "LED bulbs auto 1816" or "LED bulbs auto 1895" you will likely come up with LOTS of choices for such bulbs. Also, many auto parts stores are carrying LED replacement bulbs for the old incandescent lamps. Pick a bulb that has several LED elements around the body and at the end for best illumination. If you buy from a local parts store and it doesn't work or do the job you think it should, you can take it back. Not that easy with internet purchase.
That's good to know. Will have to check what I have.
AC/Heater Control Faceplate Lighting
