Led lamps
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 7,123
Likes: 433
From: Gladstone MO
C3 of Year Finalist (appearance mods) 2019
Changing the bulbs is easy. Getting to them is another story. And swapping to LED's, polarity is an issue unless you can find LED's that don't care. You need to install them and test before you put the dash back in.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 2,979
Likes: 332
From: Woodinville WA
Amazon.com just look up the 3 or 4 digit code of the individual bulbs you're after and then search for highly rated ones on Amazon.
Be sure to buy bulbs of the same color as the housing for max brightness. Also note that the contact wires on many of the LEDs are VERY small so you'll want some dielectric grease.
Also be sure to buy the same temperature (yellow vs. blue tint to the white light) for all of your white bulbs and as a final recommendation, check the length of the bulbs some of the really bright LEDs are too long for some of the C3 bulb housings (I found this out the hard way).
Final, final note: Don't replace your turn signals with regular LEDs; they won't work with a simple bulb replacement swap as they don't draw enough current to actually blink.
You will be happily surprised at just how cheap LED replacement bulbs are through Amazon this way.
Be sure to buy bulbs of the same color as the housing for max brightness. Also note that the contact wires on many of the LEDs are VERY small so you'll want some dielectric grease.
Also be sure to buy the same temperature (yellow vs. blue tint to the white light) for all of your white bulbs and as a final recommendation, check the length of the bulbs some of the really bright LEDs are too long for some of the C3 bulb housings (I found this out the hard way).
Final, final note: Don't replace your turn signals with regular LEDs; they won't work with a simple bulb replacement swap as they don't draw enough current to actually blink.
You will be happily surprised at just how cheap LED replacement bulbs are through Amazon this way.
Last edited by NewbVetteGuy; Aug 2, 2017 at 03:31 PM.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 6,333
Likes: 1,311
C3 of Year Finalist (stock) 2019
C2 of Year Finalist (stock) 2019
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 37,637
Likes: 3,114
From: Crossville TN
Quality of LED interior bulbs on the internet is a crapshoot. Some don't work; the size of the barrel on the bulb may be wrong, etc., etc.
Some auto part stores are now selling them; at least you have a way to take them back if you are not satisfied.
LED bulbs dim very little with the dash dimmer adjustment; then they just go out if voltage is too low. For proper dimming, you need a PWM module to connect to LED bulbs in the same 'string'.
I tried going this route. In the end, I just bought new incandescent bulbs and will be satisfied with getting 5-10 years out of them before doing it again (if I'm still around!).
Some auto part stores are now selling them; at least you have a way to take them back if you are not satisfied.
LED bulbs dim very little with the dash dimmer adjustment; then they just go out if voltage is too low. For proper dimming, you need a PWM module to connect to LED bulbs in the same 'string'.
I tried going this route. In the end, I just bought new incandescent bulbs and will be satisfied with getting 5-10 years out of them before doing it again (if I'm still around!).
Last edited by 7T1vette; Aug 3, 2017 at 12:56 PM.
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Safety Car
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 4,347
Likes: 1,576
From: los altos hills california
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 935
Likes: 210
From: Foothills of the Adirondacks.
cf12anl-01-led-bulb-electronic-flasher
Instructor
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 223
Likes: 20
From: jim thorpe pa
Quality of LED interior bulbs on the internet is a crapshoot. Some don't work; the size of the barrel on the bulb may be wrong, etc., etc.
Some auto part stores are now selling them; at least you have a way to take them back if you are not satisfied.
LED bulbs dim very little with the dash dimmer adjustment; then they just go out if voltage is too low. For proper dimming, you need a PWM module to connect to LED bulbs in the same 'string'.
I tried going this route. In the end, I just bought new incandescent bulbs and will be satisfied with getting 5-10 years out of them before doing it again (if I'm still around!).
Some auto part stores are now selling them; at least you have a way to take them back if you are not satisfied.
LED bulbs dim very little with the dash dimmer adjustment; then they just go out if voltage is too low. For proper dimming, you need a PWM module to connect to LED bulbs in the same 'string'.
I tried going this route. In the end, I just bought new incandescent bulbs and will be satisfied with getting 5-10 years out of them before doing it again (if I'm still around!).
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 943
Likes: 73
Very true, I finally pulled the cluster out on my 80. Also, I marked the polarity of the LEDs because of the problem putting them in reversed.
Racer
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 346
Likes: 33
From: OKC OK
Superbrite LED's has a great selection but I have found that Autolumination has some bulb designs that Superbrite doesn't have. In the 194 size Autolumination has some that have a wider beam pattern that work better in the small space of gauges. I think between both of these places you can find what you need. Second on the electronic flasher, get one N go LED for turn signals.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 6,689
Likes: 1,364
You may want to consider converting to strip lighting.
Not sure how much different a 77 is from the earlier C3s.
Here is my story:
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...-and-tach.html
Not sure how much different a 77 is from the earlier C3s.
Here is my story:
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...-and-tach.html
Last edited by carriljc; Aug 8, 2017 at 01:36 PM.