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/