1963 cluster bulbs
I am replacing some of the cluster bulbs in my 1963 corvette. All the 1816 bulbs appear "smokey." The new ones I purchased are clear. Did they originally come "smokey"?
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Re: 1963 cluster bulbs
Thanks Don. I installed the new (clear) ones.Comment
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Re: 1963 cluster bulbs
Mine were clear.....I replaced all the 'gray wire' dash bulbs (cluster/clock/radio) with LEDs though...Comment
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Re: 1963 cluster bulbs
Wish I had thought of that. What brand and size bulbs did you use? Where did you get them? Thanks.Comment
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Re: 1963 cluster bulbs
I like originality for the most part but the 63 cluster lights are just too dang dim at night (and i have a fairly new dash harness and I just rebuilt the headlight switch)....I replaced the gray wire bulbs (not the LIGHTS / PARK / Hi BEAM / TURN SIGNAL "seldom used" lights) with BA9 Warm White from superbrightleds.com. 10 are required: 7 for the instruments, 2 for the clock and 1 for the radio. Don't insert the radio LED too deeply into the AM/FM radio on that long mounting, clip on tang or it can foul the dial mechanism - the LED is a tiny bit longer than a regular bulb...
The LEDs are dimmable....not saying anybody else should do this, but my night vision isn't what it once was... My LH small gauges were out in this pic so there are some shadows in the lighting...Comment
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Re: 1963 cluster bulbs
Thanks for the detailed information, Frank. The dash lights look great!!Comment
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Re: 1963 cluster bulbs
Good morning Frank. I went to superbrightleds.com. There are several BA 9 Warm White bulbs. I think I narrowed it to either the BA 9 LED bulb, 4 LED for $1.98 each or the BA 9 LED bulb 1 LED for $0.98 each. Which did you use? My thought is to go with the 4 LED. Thanks.Comment
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Re: 1963 cluster bulbs
I went with these, not the cheapest -- but they had the best light dispersion and the softer "glow" I was looking for and I figured I'll only ever buy one set. The selection was based on other midyear owners' experiences too. I didn't want any shaded areas or that glaring white typical LED lighting effect....and they are the 5 LED tower versions...they are a 'retrofit' design exactly for this purpose...Comment
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Re: 1963 cluster bulbs
Thanks for the advice, Frank. Much appreciated. Glad I joined NCRS.Comment
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Re: 1963 cluster bulbs
That's interesting timing for this post. I finished the clock repair on my 72 and, before I secured the shifter plate to the console, I checked the bulbs with the garage lights on. I couldn't see the heater/fan control lights until I totally darkened the garage. Do you have any idea what the lower wattage LED bulbs look like illuminated? I assume that yours are the higher output?
Gary SchislerComment
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Re: 1963 cluster bulbs
I couldn’t say on a C3. It only costs a few bucks to see though.
May 63 would prob have benefited by a complete
cluster pull, redoing the instrument green paint and a lens refurb. I didn’t go that far so my results may not
be the best but a vast improvement just the same.Comment
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Re: 1963 cluster bulbs
Frank...You say you didn't change the Lights/Park/High Beam/Turn Signal. Can the LED's be put in those positions or is there a reason they can't. I have been thinking of changing all my instrument panel bulbs but it's not high on my priority list and I was waiting until they got to a point that they are dimmable which I guess they are now. I was wondering on the turn signal bulbs if the flasher would be a problem. Thanks in advance for any input.Comment
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Re: 1963 cluster bulbs
There is an crossover charts somewhere on that web site where you can enter a generic (GE) bulb number and cross it over to one or more LEDs...I know others have done the turn signals/hi-beam/etc.. I can't say if there is an LED equivalent for the GE 257 flashing bulbs used in the warning lights though (BRAKE / LIGHTS) ...Comment
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Re: 1963 cluster bulbs
I'm have a incandescent-LED replacement project going - replacing the incandescents on my fifties vintage Lionel Santa Fe Super Chief trainset that I am mounting on a wall for display with functional lighting. The baggage car with have 8 C cell batteries - six in a six-cell carrier and two in a two-cell carrier with a switch that I can access from the baggage door, so 12V total.
That was the easy part. Picking LEDs has proved to be challenging. Within the BA9s bayonet base family, which is common in automotive applications there are many to choose from - from single LED to at least four, different lumens output, and beam angles.
My concern is with minimum current draw, so a single LED with the widest beam angle I can find is the direction I'm heading. In addition to superbrightleds.com another good LED web site is ledlight.com.
Current draw is not an issue in an automotive application, but the different lumens and beam angles will likely cause a difference in light intensity behind the dash, but I don't know which style would be best. Also, watch vertical clearance since some of these LEDS are taller than the various incandescent BA9s base bulbs.
DukeComment
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