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It appears that I might be having to pull the dash again in the very near future. So, if I am going to do this I want to make sure that I repair/replace all of the things that frustrated me the last time. One of those things being the light bulb housings in that if they were barely touched, they would come out of the hole. I replaced a couple with a socket that I found a link to on here from the auto parts store, but they were still not the best.
Is there a light socket for the instrument clusters that you have found and installed that secured really well? If so, where did you find these? I see several options with a quick internet search, but want to do my best to ensure I get a really good fit.
DuxDogs I did LED strip lighting in 2017 (well, I'll be.....that was a while ago!)....haven't worried about dash lighting since. No more "sockets" for the dash lighting--- so, if you're curious about doing something like that, then here is a link to my thread: https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...-and-tach.html
That sounds like a GREAT idea!! I can see from the thread that you had a wire running to them, did you wire it to the fuse box or wiring harness so that it would turn on with a switch or remote?
Thank you for that idea, I think I just might do that!
Unsure of what year you have so my comment maybe way off base. The sockets should have metal tabs that clip into the gauge housing hole. These clips provide a ground for the light so they need secure contact with the housing. Have you tried bending the tabs outward a smidge to increase their spring pressure?
The power comes from the installed lighting circuit....so they come on when I turn the lights on. Nothing special.
Ended up with a bunch of spare leads since each socket had it's own lead..... so I supplied the available dash lighting 12vdc to the each USB converter with 2 socket leads each (1 would have probably been enough but I had a lot of spares in the end).
Here is a view near dusk so you can see they work ok....
Originally Posted by DuxDogs
That sounds like a GREAT idea!! I can see from the thread that you had a wire running to them, did you wire it to the fuse box or wiring harness so that it would turn on with a switch or remote?
Thank you for that idea, I think I just might do that!
I have a 1970. Yes I tried bending some of them out, but still did not seem like the most secure. I am really leaning towards carriljc's idea except for the turn signals and other indicators.
That looks really nice carriljc!! Thank you for the idea and the information! So for the gray wired lights, you just cut off the socket and used that for the power to the circuit?
DuxDogs
Yes. That is correct. I used 2 grey leads per USB converter since I had so many available. I solder and cover with heat shrink all vehicle connections that I expect to be "permanent'.
I kept the turn signals and whatnot as incandescent lamps.
The new dual lead socket's idea by Greg is a good idea, and I considered doing something like that, but I just decided to minimize the number of leads..... it was an easy decision once the price of strip lighting got so dang cheap too.
Originally Posted by DuxDogs
That looks really nice carriljc!! Thank you for the idea and the information! So for the gray wired lights, you just cut off the socket and used that for the power to the circuit?
Thanks, Greg and carriljc!! These are all awesome ideas!! I had the same reaction after pulling everything to change it all out only to realize they did not all work!! I got so mad I told my wife I was just going to drive around in the dark until I found a better more permanent solution.
Thanks to you guys, I am well on my way. This site is SO AWESOME!!!
At the rate that I am learning things, I will be able to start giving advice before you know it!!
Dash Light Bulb Socket
