Red instrument lighting
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 179
Likes: 4
From: Little Compton, RI
Red instrument lighting
Has anyone converted their instrument / console lighting in their C5 to red illumination like the German cars? I would live to get it all to red including the radio like my BMW....
Any thoughts, I've never pulled the cluster and don't know if its a simple bulb swap there or if there is more involved especially the radio.
Any thoughts, I've never pulled the cluster and don't know if its a simple bulb swap there or if there is more involved especially the radio.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 179
Likes: 4
From: Little Compton, RI
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,294
Likes: 482
From: Brea CA
It is not a simple bulb swap. The IP is lit by 2 black light tubes. To change these to RED requires replacing the gage faces. There is a thread on the forum about custom RED faces. Search for TStar, he started the post.
As for the other lights, there is the "New LED mod" thread that has all the information needed for converting to LEDs. Members hav done just about every color available in LEDs.
Gary
As for the other lights, there is the "New LED mod" thread that has all the information needed for converting to LEDs. Members hav done just about every color available in LEDs.
Gary
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 179
Likes: 4
From: Little Compton, RI
It is not a simple bulb swap. The IP is lit by 2 black light tubes. To change these to RED requires replacing the gage faces. There is a thread on the forum about custom RED faces. Search for TStar, he started the post.
As for the other lights, there is the "New LED mod" thread that has all the information needed for converting to LEDs. Members hav done just about every color available in LEDs.
Gary
As for the other lights, there is the "New LED mod" thread that has all the information needed for converting to LEDs. Members hav done just about every color available in LEDs.
Gary
This is the type info I am looking for....
Tech Contributor
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 20,030
Likes: 289
From: Wylie TX --> Less is More, except under the hood !
Here is the post your looking for.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-g...od-thread.html
I am in the process of changing all my lights to "WHITE". Its quite a task and not for anyone with no patience. It took me 5+ hours just to do my HVAC unit.... I have everything else done except for the radio which is the most complex. I suspect 8 hours on that.
You can see the difference below. The Radio is NOT done yet. Everything else has White LED's behind them.
It was hard to get a good picture of them in the dark. Once I finish I will try to get better pics.
Toque
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-g...od-thread.html
I am in the process of changing all my lights to "WHITE". Its quite a task and not for anyone with no patience. It took me 5+ hours just to do my HVAC unit.... I have everything else done except for the radio which is the most complex. I suspect 8 hours on that.
You can see the difference below. The Radio is NOT done yet. Everything else has White LED's behind them.
It was hard to get a good picture of them in the dark. Once I finish I will try to get better pics.
Toque
Last edited by Toque; Feb 11, 2011 at 04:09 PM.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 41,058
Likes: 9,817
From: Charlotte, NC (formerly Endicott, NY)
Although red is supposedly good for night vision they have actually found out is not as good as what the instruments are now. Why would you want the IP lights to look like a Pontiac? Pontiac did that for years and that was one thing I really disliked about my wife's 88 Grand AM.
Bill
Bill
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 2,453
Likes: 347
From: SC
Although red is supposedly good for night vision they have actually found out is not as good as what the instruments are now. Why would you want the IP lights to look like a Pontiac? Pontiac did that for years and that was one thing I really disliked about my wife's 88 Grand AM.
Bill
Bill
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Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 179
Likes: 4
From: Little Compton, RI
Although red is supposedly good for night vision they have actually found out is not as good as what the instruments are now. Why would you want the IP lights to look like a Pontiac? Pontiac did that for years and that was one thing I really disliked about my wife's 88 Grand AM.
Bill
Bill
My BMW 540i and M3 had it as does my current X5 and also my "Cessna".
Its personal preference......
Tech Contributor
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 19,454
Likes: 1,160
From: Dyer, IN
It's your car....do what you want. It's an open forum, so don't be surprised at the feedback you get.
