LED Globes

[EK283]

So,

Who has used them, what brand / type ? Are they good and are people happy with them ?

Looking at brake/tail/blinker/etc.

Greg

[Blacky]

I have LED dash globes - now I can see the gauges at night

[Harv]

I replaced all the globes in the wagon with LEDs. I used a mix of eBay stuff, and some globes passed on via the forum (Fingers, I think ?). Some stuff I found out:

Some LEDs are wired such that the bottom contacts are negative, whilst others have the bottom cap as negative. Unlike an incandescent bulb, the LEDs cant be powered backwards. This meant that half my dash bulbs were useless (I learnt that diode is a four-letter word).

I bought some very sexy red LEDs to replace the dud white dash panel LEDs. They look awesome at night... but are not bright/white enough for me to read the numbers on the speedo (white speedo background, red numbers). Perhaps it is a red light/red numbers issue. Changing back to white LEDs is on the to-do list.

I ended up with stop/tail lamps that look like a starfish - cap goes in, and five "finger" strips of LEDs face out radially. Nice and bright, but I reckon the single red glow of the tailight is one of the cool features of an FB/EK.

The LED light is directional, like a flashlight beam. It does not do a good job of illuminating the selector quadrant on the floor shifter, despite being plenty bright. Probably needs a tin-foil reflector behind it to bounce more light around.

I have a HZ Statie dome light (bought it from a swapmeet in Melbourne 30 years ago, and have been itching to put it into something). The panel-type LED works beautifully in the dome light and I like the idea of it being much cooler than a red-hot incandescent bayonet bulb near the hoodlining. I use a similar panel LED in all my cars. However, the LEDs in the reading/map lamps are getting backfeed from somewhere. Incandescent bulbs don't though (or at least don't get enough current to illuminate). Thinking through the stray power source is also on the to-do list before refitting the LEDs.

Cheers,
Harv

[BILLY BLACKARROW]

I have LED through out and front park / flasher are what they call switch back which means white park orange flasher the only problem with switch backs is that they seem very bright but as you know my car isn't finished yet
PS There are some minor problems with LED flashers No 1 Your get hipper flash and you have to wire in a resister or buy a LED flasher can No 2 if you use a led flasher can you don't get that click click sound what I intend to do is wire in a very small buzzer from jaycar might be a little loud but I am Shaw I can muffle it a bit I am deaf any way

[Harv]

I'm running the orange/white dual LEDs on the parkers too, from this mob:
http://www.classicandvintagebulbs.com/

I had a lot of drama with a local roundabout, where traffic seemed unable to see the FB's indicators. They seem to notice the bright orange LEDs though.

Cheers,
Harv

[EK283]

Thanks guys,

I will buy some stuff tomorrow, might just do the brake/tail and reverse for now, I don't want to muck around at this point with flasher cans and resistors but will look into it down the track.

Greg

[BILLY BLACKARROW]

I was also told not to mix Leds with normal globes they may not work properly not sure who told me ( brain drain )

[Errol62]

Bloody hocus pocus. Can't beat a bit of white hot wire in an evacuated glass bubble imho.

FB ute driver, EK van project

[BILLY BLACKARROW]

In my humble opinion LEDs are the way to go if your not wanting to go stock better light longer life but as Schultz from Hogans Heroes would say ( I KNOW NOTHING )

[ceej810]

I fitted split LED's in the front parkers originally used resistors but could not get the flash down to a slow enough speed so bought the electronic flasher I had to then remove the resistors but leave the incandescent bulbs in the rear. They now work really well. I then added LED Halo headlights that wired up without having to change anything I never have a round about problem anymore in fact cars get out of my way!!