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So I made the switch to LEDs #595045 01/26/10 09:15 PM 01/26/10 09:15 PM
Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 5,903 Athens, Greece Pyper70 OP master
Pyper70 OP master Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 5,903 Athens, Greece	I thought they were pretty cool til I decided to give it another shot with an LED array. The picture below shows the luminescence of an LED bulb with 36 LEDs in a 360 degree rotation. The 1156 on the RIGHT side of the tail light was adequate but not SUPER!... I invested in some 1.25" x 1.25" 36LED Super White PCBs for 2.99 a piece and hooked them up in series for a test run and the results were astounding. I know the lights are crooked behind, it was a test run to see the "red" and how much of an impact it had. The following picture shows the tail light without the red lenses on. Those suckers sure are bright. Not a bad investment either. I am going to order a few more sets as these were test runs. I'll make a U shaped channel out of aluminum, paint it silver or fake chrome-in-a-can and run small sheet metal screws on the top and bottom of the housing so they are all in perfect line with each other. Last edited by Pyper70; 01/26/10 09:16 PM. Family owned 1969 Charger R/T DualQuad 440/727/GVO/3.55s

Re: So I made the switch to LEDs [Re: Pyper70] #595046 01/26/10 09:32 PM 01/26/10 09:32 PM
Joined: Mar 2006 Posts: 54 The Motor City S Stew4706 member
Stew4706 member S Joined: Mar 2006 Posts: 54 The Motor City	Pyper - that is outstanding and it will certianly be cheaper than $300+ sets that were floating around a couple of years ago! Keep us updated!

Re: So I made the switch to LEDs [Re: Stew4706] #595047 01/26/10 09:55 PM 01/26/10 09:55 PM
Joined: Nov 2004 Posts: 25,050 Texas GoodysGotaCuda 5.7L Hemi, 6spd
GoodysGotaCuda 5.7L Hemi, 6spd Joined: Nov 2004 Posts: 25,050 Texas	Looks great, unfortunately we 72+ ebodies have minimal room in the tails. I just did this swap on my rears for $50. Came out pretty good. I am trying to figure out what to do with the front. I was thinking panels like yours, but they are hard to find in amber. Pretty good/stock looking pattern in person. Planning on doing the fronts? Or just rears? What site did you buy those from? 1972 Barracuda - 5.7L Hemi, T56 Magnum 6spd - https://www.facebook.com/GoodysGotaHemi 2020 RAM 1500 [img]https://i.imgur.com/v9yezP9.jpg[/img]

Re: So I made the switch to LEDs [Re: GoodysGotaCuda] #595048 01/26/10 10:26 PM 01/26/10 10:26 PM
Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 5,903 Athens, Greece Pyper70 OP master
Pyper70 OP master Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 5,903 Athens, Greece	I put in the Amber 1156 LED bulbs up front, those are fine because they are just signals. The trunk, dome, map light, Console courtesy light, and dash instrumentation lighting has already been purchased. The rear panels were bugging me and they needed more luminescence...I bought them off the Bag straight from Hong Kong. Buying it from the US would have been a 300% markup plus shipping, better to go straight to the source. What is the available diameter to work with in the Cuda's tail lights? Have you looked at Motorcycle Brake LEDs? Family owned 1969 Charger R/T DualQuad 440/727/GVO/3.55s

Re: So I made the switch to LEDs [Re: Pyper70] #595049 01/26/10 10:34 PM 01/26/10 10:34 PM
Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 1,017 Ridley Park, Pa. 69MOPE super gas
69MOPE super gas Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 1,017 Ridley Park, Pa.	Do you have a link to the 1.25" x 1.25" 36LED Super White PCBs for 2.99 a piece?

Re: So I made the switch to LEDs [Re: Pyper70] #595050 01/26/10 11:25 PM 01/26/10 11:25 PM
Joined: Nov 2004 Posts: 25,050 Texas GoodysGotaCuda 5.7L Hemi, 6spd
GoodysGotaCuda 5.7L Hemi, 6spd Joined: Nov 2004 Posts: 25,050 Texas	Quote: What is the available diameter to work with in the Cuda's tail lights? Have you looked at Motorcycle Brake LEDs? ] The ones i installed are about 3" in diameter. 1972 Barracuda - 5.7L Hemi, T56 Magnum 6spd - https://www.facebook.com/GoodysGotaHemi 2020 RAM 1500 [img]https://i.imgur.com/v9yezP9.jpg[/img]

Re: So I made the switch to LEDs [Re: Pyper70] #595051 01/27/10 12:17 AM 01/27/10 12:17 AM
Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 5,444 So Cal Sinitro master
Sinitro master Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 5,444 So Cal	Quote: I thought they were pretty cool til I decided to give it another shot with an LED array. The picture below shows the luminescence of an LED bulb with 36 LEDs in a 360 degree rotation. The 1156 on the RIGHT side of the tail light was adequate but not SUPER!... I invested in some 1.25" x 1.25" 36LED Super White PCBs for 2.99 a piece and hooked them up in series for a test run and the results were astounding. I know the lights are crooked behind, it was a test run to see the "red" and how much of an impact it had. The following picture shows the tail light without the red lenses on. Those suckers sure are bright. Not a bad investment either. I am going to order a few more sets as these were test runs. I'll make a U shaped channel out of aluminum, paint it silver or fake chrome-in-a-can and run small sheet metal screws on the top and bottom of the housing so they are all in perfect line with each other. You mite want to check out... www.superbrightleds.com They supply a very, wide range of LEDs for automotive applications and are not the typical off-shore stuff. We build show cars for CES, SEMA and various magazines and have used their products with good sucess. Also when using the LEDs be sure to double-check the diameter of the bulb hole in the housing as sometimes there are clearance issues.. Additionally note there are specific flashers to be used with LED bulbs, as they are of lower resistance.. Post back if you have any specific technical questions.. Just my $0.01..

Re: So I made the switch to LEDs [Re: 69MOPE] #595052 01/27/10 01:36 AM 01/27/10 01:36 AM
Joined: Nov 2004 Posts: 25,050 Texas GoodysGotaCuda 5.7L Hemi, 6spd
GoodysGotaCuda 5.7L Hemi, 6spd Joined: Nov 2004 Posts: 25,050 Texas	Been pecking away at my search. Finding out what I want to do where. Looks like a #67 bulb is the most common in "LED-land" versus trying to find the #97 LED replacement for my license plate light. I have to look at it and see what angle it will sit to figure what style bulb to run. The white 1156 reverse lights and 194 side markers are pretty straight forward, I think they install at about a 45* so something in a scattered LED pattern would be best. Dome light and some footwell lights are pretty straight-forward. I think my front turn/park lights will end up being a replacement bulb rather than a LED panel. Hard to find a decent sized panel with the low/high circuits. Dash lights will be replaced with a green led panel that will shine down on the gauges like stock. Trunk and under hood lights maybe... headlights and road lamps will go to HID. I like my lights. 1972 Barracuda - 5.7L Hemi, T56 Magnum 6spd - https://www.facebook.com/GoodysGotaHemi 2020 RAM 1500 [img]https://i.imgur.com/v9yezP9.jpg[/img]

Re: So I made the switch to LEDs [Re: GoodysGotaCuda] #595053 01/27/10 06:31 AM 01/27/10 06:31 AM
Joined: Feb 2005 Posts: 283 N.E. England Roppa440 super street
Roppa440 super street Joined: Feb 2005 Posts: 283 N.E. England	I just don't like them. I fitted LEDs to my Challenger and no way do they glow as evenly or as soft as the original lamps. To avoid hot spots (and to get them bright enough) you need an even spread of the LEDs over the whole surface. Then they still don't look right to me. I am going to put standard stop/tail lamps back in. One thing I might change though is to paint the reflectors gloss white instead of silver. I have heard this gives a nicer and more even glow to the lights. 2002 Chevrolet Corvette 5.7 LS1 2011 Alpha Romeo Giulietta Veloce 1.6 JTD Because running a Mopar in the UK is getting TOO expensive!!

Re: So I made the switch to LEDs [Re: Roppa440] #595054 01/27/10 08:45 AM 01/27/10 08:45 AM
Joined: Dec 2004 Posts: 5,278 San Jose, California D DennisH Vacation
DennisH Vacation D Joined: Dec 2004 Posts: 5,278 San Jose, California	69 Coronet R/T here. I put the LED's in, they do not fan as well as the 1156s. Should I try the red ones?

Re: So I made the switch to LEDs [Re: DennisH ] #595055 01/27/10 09:02 AM 01/27/10 09:02 AM
Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 5,903 Athens, Greece Pyper70 OP master
Pyper70 OP master Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 5,903 Athens, Greece	Quote: 69 Coronet R/T here. I put the LED's in, they do not fan as well as the 1156s. Should I try the red ones? They say to put the LEDs the same color as the lense but as you can see from my little show up above that the red LEDs just don't give off the correct amount of lumens. Thats why I opted for the 2x36 LED arrays, hooked in together. I know its nit picking but each incandescent burns 8w (about 12-14 for dual filament) PLUS all the heat that is emitted. I have a 100 amp alternator so I am not worried but eventually I want to install a sound system besides just the tape deck and 2 speakers that I have and I don't want the "flicker" effect from the bass. Each of the 36LED array's uses less than 1w. My entire back panel for tail/brake lights will use less than two stock bulbs. Another one to upgrade is the trunk light (I want to put two in there, one on the left and one on the right). The center console lights which we have all seen make a nice black mark on the tan lenses is something I want to beat before it happens so those are going LED (less heat to melt the plastic lens). I want to slip two underhood lights hooked up to a microswitch so I can work on the car if need be (stuck on side of road at night...its happened) Family owned 1969 Charger R/T DualQuad 440/727/GVO/3.55s

Re: So I made the switch to LEDs [Re: Pyper70] #595056 01/27/10 10:01 AM 01/27/10 10:01 AM
Joined: Nov 2004 Posts: 182 Columbia, Missouri D dtedler member
dtedler member D Joined: Nov 2004 Posts: 182 Columbia, Missouri	Check out this video of the LED boards that I installed in my '73 Challenger. Extremely bright. http://www.youtube.com/v/xjgaCjJcmGQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&" Last edited by dtedler; 01/27/10 04:06 PM.

Re: So I made the switch to LEDs [Re: Pyper70] #595057 01/27/10 12:47 PM 01/27/10 12:47 PM
Joined: Mar 2006 Posts: 54 The Motor City S Stew4706 member
Stew4706 member S Joined: Mar 2006 Posts: 54 The Motor City	Pyper, How are you going to wire for running lights and braking? 1 array for running lights and both for braking?

Re: So I made the switch to LEDs [Re: Stew4706] #595058 01/27/10 03:30 PM 01/27/10 03:30 PM
Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 5,903 Athens, Greece Pyper70 OP master
Pyper70 OP master Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 5,903 Athens, Greece	The ones in the picture above are 1156's...so they are always on. That pair will be on the inner most of each tail light closest to the trunk key as that was factory. I have to get my hands on 1157's which are Hi-Lo LEDs and then there will be a pair of those in each bank (middle and outside) of each tail light. So in essence I will need 8 total for Hi-Lo (tail light and braking) and 4 total for the standard tail lights. I am thinking about integrating a sequencer like the 69 Mercury Cougar had so there is directionality for turn signals which I think is pretty cool. If I do that then I have to swap the inner most 1156 LEDs to the 1157's so it shows directionality. I am no electrician, I am just takin this as I go and its a steep price to pay (about $160) Anyone ever done a sequencer conversion for a classic Mopar? Family owned 1969 Charger R/T DualQuad 440/727/GVO/3.55s

Re: So I made the switch to LEDs [Re: Pyper70] #595059 01/27/10 03:32 PM 01/27/10 03:32 PM
Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 5,903 Athens, Greece Pyper70 OP master
Pyper70 OP master Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 5,903 Athens, Greece	Dtedler...the video doesn't appear.. Family owned 1969 Charger R/T DualQuad 440/727/GVO/3.55s

Re: So I made the switch to LEDs [Re: Pyper70] #595060 01/27/10 04:07 PM 01/27/10 04:07 PM
Joined: Nov 2004 Posts: 182 Columbia, Missouri D dtedler member
dtedler member D Joined: Nov 2004 Posts: 182 Columbia, Missouri	Link fixed and photo added. Sorry for the delay. Another alternative is to go to youtube and search for "73 challenger LED tail lights". Last edited by dtedler; 01/27/10 04:08 PM.

Re: So I made the switch to LEDs [Re: dtedler] #595061 01/27/10 04:34 PM 01/27/10 04:34 PM
Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 5,903 Athens, Greece Pyper70 OP master
Pyper70 OP master Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 5,903 Athens, Greece	NICE!!... Did you make those yourself? Family owned 1969 Charger R/T DualQuad 440/727/GVO/3.55s

Re: So I made the switch to LEDs [Re: Pyper70] #595062 01/27/10 05:23 PM 01/27/10 05:23 PM
Joined: Nov 2004 Posts: 182 Columbia, Missouri D dtedler member
dtedler member D Joined: Nov 2004 Posts: 182 Columbia, Missouri	I purchased the tail lights from Northwest Mustang in Oregon. I think the business is called Classic LED's. The boards started as '70 Chevelle units that have been messaged to fit inside the lens cavity of the Challenger. The LED array is really nice and even and the light pattern is really bright. I've got $90.00 and about an 1 hour of working the edges to fit properly in the lens cavity. No modifications to the wiring at all, which is a bonus for me.

Re: So I made the switch to LEDs [Re: Pyper70] #595063 01/29/10 02:50 PM 01/29/10 02:50 PM
Joined: May 2007 Posts: 5 North Carolina C chargercrazy6870 member
chargercrazy6870 member C Joined: May 2007 Posts: 5 North Carolina	Quote: Anyone ever done a sequencer conversion for a classic Mopar? How good are you with a soldiering iron? You'll have to use some 555 timers (or a 556) for the delay. Sequential tail lights There is a picture there of the circuit set up -- I think it is correct. Read up on 555 timers and you should be able to understand how it works, then you can apply it (change delays, etc.).

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