My 68 Dart brake lights, while they work great, aren't as bright as I'd like them to be. How can I remedy this, without melting the housing or lenses? Thanks!

LEDs

Search Amazon for:


2 pcs 1157 LED Plasma Projector bulbs 14W Powrful RED Z#27

Do you have to add anything else for LED to work, or are they plug and play?

Typically you need to change to an electrical flasher since the there is not enough load going through the LEDs to operate an original-style mechanical flasher.

These can be found on the shelf at a local parts store.

You could disassemble the housings and repaint the insides with silver paint.

Actually white paint works the best. I did it to mine and the results were amazing! Do a Google search on this...

I have an older Chevy C-10 stepside pickup with the black plastic tail light housings that bolt on either side of the bed, and I put chrome vinyl strips on the inside of the light housing. I don't have a before and after photo, but it sure looked like it made a difference.

You can get chrome vinyl at a sign shop, or off Ebay.

I worked at a sign shop years ago and they always painted the insides of sign cabinets with white paint. I would skip the silver and go white if you want to try paint.

Really? The lights didn't get a pink hue?

New bulbs, cleaned up connections, good (or better) grounds, clean lenses...

Get higher wattage bulbs.

I'd contact Digi-Tails if your interested in LED taillights, while only the 69 Dart is currently available they are always increasing their list of applications, plus you can make a request to see if a custom application can be made for your vehicle

this would be my first action.

Two things make the lights dim on cars, low voltage(high resistance in the feed wires) and bad grounds(high resistance back to the battery )
I would check the voltage to the light socket and then check the resistance to the ground with a good Volt Ohm meter
If it has low voltage to the socket work back in the wiring harness towards the brake light switch
if it has high resistance in the grounds clean them up so it doesn't

good guys there.. they are right around the corner from me.. have them in out 70 dart..

this is from a lighting expert on another site i'm on..






another possible option: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HWS7XGW/ref=asc_df_B00HWS7XGW4848938?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&tag=shopzilla0d-20&ascsubtag=shopzilla_rev_275-20;14878516480879371725210070302008005&linkCode=df0&creative=395093&creativeASIN=B00HWS7XGW

some other good info from the same guy...


Bulbs
Original equipment bulbs on most pre-'72 cars was as follows:

1034: dual-filament park/turn and brake tail. Clear bulb for use with red rear or amber front lens.

1034A or 1034NA: dual-filament park/turn. Amber bulb for use with clear front lens.

1141 or 1073: single-filament bulb. Reversing/backup lights (and single-function—brake-only, turn-only—lights not frequently found on old Mopars).

In the early '70s, the 1034 was replaced by the 1157, the 1073/1141 by the 1156. These 1150-series bulbs put out the same amount of light, but draw slightly more current and last quite a bit longer. When changing from 1034s to 1157s, often it was (and is) necessary to replace the turn signal flasher, because the original would flash too fast if used with 1157s. Nowtimes, it's difficult to find a flasher calibrated for 1034s.

So, what to use for upgrade bulbs? Well first, here's what NOT to use: 2057s! People sometimes assume that because it's a higher number, it's a brighter bulb. No. The difference between 1157 and 2057 is in the "minor" (dim parking or tail) filament. On the 2057, the dim filament produces 2 candlepower. On the 1157, the dim filament produces 3 candlepower. The difference doesn't sound like much, but it's very large as a percentage. Both 1157 and 2057 produce 32 candlepower from the bright (brake or turn) filament.

Though they are spendy, the best bulb you can use in place of 1157 is a 3496. You can get them from your local Honda dealer. Part number is 34906-SL0-A01. It draws the same amount of current as 1157, but is much more efficient. It produces 43 candlepower on the bright (brake or turn) filament, and 3.5 candlepower on the dim (tail or parking) filament. It also has a nickel-plated base that is much more corrosion resistant than the plain brass base of an 1157, so it's less likely to stick in the socket.

The best replacement for 1156, 1141 and 1073 in all applications *except* reversing/backup lights is a 3497. You can get P3497 bulbs from your local Honda dealer, too. Part number is 34903-SF1-A01.

3497 produces 45 candlepower. (Yes, the 6 and the 7 in P3496 and P3497 are reversed from the 6 and the 7 in 1156 and 1157 relative to how many filaments the bulb has. This is not a typo.) The 3496 and 3497 bulbs have a life span about double that of an 1157. It is worth your time, money, and trouble to get the 3496 and 3497 from a Honda dealer rather than a parts store...the parts store items are of much poorer quality and don't last as long.

The best bulb for use in backup/reverse lights is a 796. It is a 35W halogen bulb that produces 62 candlepower, or about double the light of an 1156 and about triple the light of an 1141. The extra wattage is minor (35W vs. 28W, the wires and lenses will not notice or care) and the filament is in the right place. Neither of these compliments can be said of those 50W halogen backup bulbs you see in the parts stores! 50W is wayy too much current draw (100% overload!) for the stock wiring and switch, they produce way too much heat for safety near plastic lenses, and the filament's in the wrong place so the reflector doesn't work correctly with them. The P796s work great, and you finally get to see where you're going when backing at night.

Amber bulbs are a special case. The amber coating "steals" some of the light, so the output is lower. The bright filament inside an 1157A or 1157NA produces 32 candlepower, but what comes through the amber coating is 24 candlepower. Unfortunately, there's no amber equivalent of 3496 for use in park/turn lights that have clear lenses. The next best thing is 2357A or 2357NA, which draws the same current as an 1157 and produces 30 candlepower despite the amber coating. 2357NA (or 2357A), as well as their non-amber 2357 counterparts, are considerably less expensive than P3496, but they lack P3496's anti-corrosion nickel-plated base, and they also lack P3496's Krypton gas fill, so they tend to blacken sooner than other bulbs if used in "bright" mode for prolonged periods (e.g. using a 2357 in brake lamp service). The 2357NA or 2357A works fine in front park/turn service because turn signal service is short and intermittent, which limits bulb blackening and makes overall bulb life acceptable.

Be careful when buying any of these bulbs. A lot of the major parts outlets are switching from name-brand bulbs worth buying to 3rd-world crapola not worth its blister pack. Only one company makes quality 3496s and 3497s, for example, that is Stanley. GE and Sylvania used to supply Stanley-made 3400-series bulbs, but both marketers went to Chinese lookalikes, and then to even cruddier Chinese ones that don't even look right. That's why to buy those particular ones at the Honda store.

The '68-'71 sidemarker lamps can be made about 60% brighter with 3886x bulbs, which also fit directly in place of the 1895s and 57s used in instrument cluster lights that take the metal bayonet-base bulbs.

1972-up sidemarker lights (and a lot of the '66-up instrument cluster lights) take an all-glass wedge-base bulb, which can be upgraded with 2886x bulbs - about 75% brighter than a 194, 60% brighter than a 168.

If your car has the little turn signal indicators mounted on top of the fenders, and one or both of them no longer flash, you can either spend $3.40 apiece at Year One for a replacement bulb with a plain brass base, or you can spend $10.60 and get a 10-pack of 'em with corrosionproof nickel-plated bases.

White is right, or in this case, white is bright. If you're a non-believer, just ask at your local paint store what colors they have to mix together to make silver paint. You'll be surprised.

Thanks.....

Thanks guys. I have always been worried about my brake lights. Getting rear ended sucks. Once I get my new overheating problem fixed, I'll get looking at this.

Abodyjoe, VG/comprehensive info!

I used chrome spray paint on the tail light housings for my 1971 Roadrunner and the brightness was noticeable. I do not use LEDs they are the standard 1156 and 1157 incandescent bulbs. The results were quite satisfactory.

But with all these new cars having 'panic stop assist' now, you don't need brake lights.

The 'drivers' aren't looking past their own windshield anyway, and the radar sensing equipment uses radio waves, they won't care about brightness of bulbs.

there was a electrical schematic for a few resistors a potentiometer & a few odds & ends than you wired in in series & when you hit the brakes it made the brake filaments blink 4-7 times then hold steady like normal depending on the pot position. I tried it but it did not work. I think the diagram was fine just that I did something wrong on wiring it up. I still have it & I oughta get after it again (it was 25 yrs ago). Hopefully I've gotten a little bit smarter since then.

Thanks for the info Abodyjoe!
I had to stop by and pickup some other bulbs today so I picked up a set of the 3496 bulbs (cheaper brand) for the Challenger. They were a direct replacement as you mentioned and the brightness was just as you mentioned too. This was not a great test since there is light around the car but the 3496 bulbs were brighter (left side) than the 1157's in this condition. This picture does not do them justice but there was a clear difference in brightness (brakes applied, engine off) for an extra $2 more per pack.

Thanks again!

Best read on bulbs I have seen

http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/threads/exterior-lighting-maintenance-resto-upgrade.91840/

I went with the bulbs he recommends and they are nice and bright.

Thanks abodyjoe!!

I'm going to try and pick up a pair of 796 bulbs for my reverse lights if I can find them. I'm kind of anxious to see how they look. I've always wanted to see where I'm going when backing up. I always thought that was an option in the 70's.

Dan Stern pointed me towards some LED retrofit bulbs for the brake and reverse lights for my 70 Challenger. Was not disappointed. Here's a snippet of our email exchange:


Other upgrades I recommend but don't sell myself:

Put these in your brake lights:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/__B00HWS7XGW/?tag=2402507-20
<http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HWS7XGW/?tag=2402507-20>

Put these in your reversing (back-up) lights:
 http://www.amazon.com/dp/__B00H8ZX7K0/?tag=2402507-20
<http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00H8ZX7K0/?tag=2402507-20>

To run these bulbs correctly you will need to have a
non-load-sensitive turn signal flasher
http://www.amazon.com/dp/__B00064LOJ6/?tag=2402507-20
<http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00064LOJ6/?tag=2402507-20>

Also note these recommendations are very specific --
they are the only legitimate LED retrofit bulbs. There's
a mountain of garbage on the market, too, so use _only_
these specific LED bulbs.

Philips 1156 P21W White X-tremeVision LED Exterior light (Pack of 2)

These are $109 + $5 for shipping. I'll just try the regular 796 back up bulbs first to see how I like them. I don't know how expensive they are but if they are affordable, I'd rather try those first.

Holy gouge-em!! Guess I got a good deal - paid ~$25 in 2014.

Good to know! Posting so I can find this again

Same here.

Few people know the best way to test a ground. Testing for continuity or resistance isn't accurate enough. Testing for voltage drop from the battery to the ground, often with a long test lead, while the circuit is activated, is the accurate way:

"The only accurate way of confirming the integrity of a ground circuit is to conduct a voltage drop test. It is very simple, but the circuit needs to be activated for it to be performed. All that needs to be done is to connect the positive lead of the voltmeter to the ground being tested and the negative lead to a ground surface, such as the engine-block end of the battery negative cable (or better, the battery negative post). This test often requires you to make up an extension for the voltmeter leads and may call for another set of hands, too. Make sure you use a voltmeter scale that will read in 1/100th of a volt (0.00V). A good ground is less than 0.20 volt. If the reading is at this threshold or higher, you need to examine the ground (for paint, rust, etc)." Quote from Ray Bohacz https://www.hemmings.com/magazine/mus/2015/11/Ask-Ray---letters-from-November-2015/3749137.html

I'm pretty sure that's a pricing error on Amazon's site, given the 1157 are $35, $28 if you buy ones with a damaged box. The 1156's are also $35 on eBay..


Thanks for the post, I bought a set of the Philip's 1157 [damaged box] for my Warlock that I am daily driving.

Halogen 50W high beam, 15W low beam

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Halogen-Tail-Light-Bulbs-1157-Offset-Mounting-Pins-/261871782829

I found a place locally that sells 796 bayonet style reverse lights. They are incandescent Halogen. You can get them through NAPA UAP. They are about $19 each. Nickel plated base. No wire or modules to buy. They are made as an upgrade to 1156 reverse lights. 62 candle power. They are about double the light of an 1156.

Gotta be careful with halogens, they burn HOT. In tight housings they've been known to melt lenses.

Yeah, I've heard stories about that. But here's a snippet from Abodyjoes post about the 796 reverse lights

"The extra wattage is minor (35W vs. 28W, the wires and lenses will not notice or care) and the filament is in the right place. Neither of these compliments can be said of those 50W halogen backup bulbs you see in the parts stores! 50W is wayy too much current draw (100% overload!) for the stock wiring and switch, they produce way too much heat for safety near plastic lenses, and the filament's in the wrong place so the reflector doesn't work correctly with them. The P796s work great, and you finally get to see where you're going when backing at night."

That's the part that sold me.

Is painting the inside of the tail lights chrome even better then white?

Chrome.

There's a reason why the inside of tail light housings are called reflectors.


http://www.gmtruckclub.com/forum/threads/painting-inside-of-tail-light-fixture.127860/

I must say that I am not impressed with the linked Philips bulbs in my D100. LEDs are on the right, both pictures are taken with the same aperture, ISO and shutter.