excessiveego

I wanted to change the color of my dash lights to match the rest of the red lights inside my car. I couldnt find the correct bulbs in LED but i did come up with a similar bulb on Ebay which i have modified to work. Pics of them lit up will come tonight.

excessiveego

LEDs installed, they are alot brighter in person and look very red

scooter500

iTrader: (1)

cool! help me narrow down the ebay search -- what are the bulbs called on ebay? thanks

excessiveego

they are called T10 bulbs, this is the guy i bought from, he had the best price. http://myworld.ebay.com/ebaymotors/e...id=p4340.l2559.

similar bulbs can be found at radio shack but they do not have the plastic base which is needed to install them in the twist lock holders and these have built in resistors and the ones from radio shack do not.

pimpimusmaximus

Try superbrightLEDs. they make the bulb w/the resistor built in = plug and play. Super easy. I just need to figure out the color I want t use. Cheap too. Between 1 and 3 per dash bulb, depending on type and options. they make LED bulbs for other applications like tail lights for instance. They even have a bulb list for your specific car. NO, I do not work for them. Just suprised that this cheap upgrade worked out.

http://www.superbrightleds.com/cgi-b...ini-wedge.html

Mailman818

yea i went with them but make sure you buy the bulbs with four diodes (four lights inside.) i made a mistake in buying the cheapest one which isnt so bad but they are dim compared to the four light ones. its a great investment i would say because it looks nice and gives a cleaner look to dash.
also if you have an a/c you should replace the 74 sized bulbs inside those and complete all the other lights as well. it looks very very nice i think i have a vid......

http://s601.photobucket.com/albums/t...0122111950.mp4

white top and red dash, hvac controls, shifter, and floor lights it ran me about 40 bucks for everything... well the right bulbs lol

Chevy86 IROC-Z

iTrader: (17)

i just got my single diode led lights. I was extremely happy until i read that there are even brighter ones. By any chance, what are the ones that you got?

Mailman818

http://www.superbrightleds.com/cgi-b...ini-wedge.html

WLEDx4 it made it brighter but the single diodes do make a huge differance. *make sure they are 90 degree beam*
it depends what color you get also because some of the four diode ones are so bright that they distract the driver while driving. you see that glare in your eyes. so if it is like a red or amber color id suggest the four diodes but if its like a blue or green id go with single ones if you get distracted easily like i do

and the smaller ones if you scroll down to the 74 sized bulbs i went with the 74-xHP with the 120 degree beam. i used these in the hvac controls and shifter lights.

Chevy86 IROC-Z

iTrader: (17)

So what color did you use for the shifter light? I put a 1 diode blue in my shfter light but it was very dim. So Im gonna send the 3 extra that I got and get the one that your recommending. I was thinking about getting the 4 diode blue for the shifter light. What would you recomend for a blue shifter light and HVAC? The 74-xHP 120* that you mentioned, what color are you using? ANy pictures so that I can review before buying?

paulo57509

IMO, install the widest angle LED's you can. If your panel uses #194 bulbs, SuperBright's WLED-x5 is the way to go. I think the extra cost is worth it. Very even light distribution.

http://www.superbrightleds.com/cgi-b...%2FWLED-x5.htm

I really don't care for colored light (red or blue; been there, done that) so I went with "cool white's". Boring, but I like it.

Chevy86 IROC-Z

iTrader: (17)

That cool white looks pretty sweet!!!! Its a major upgrade. But I like my blue lights for a flashy look. But I may consider those cool whites.

Mailman818

well i stuck a red 74 bulb that was one diode but high powered. im not sure what size it is for a camaro or if its the same as a firebird. well id suggest a wide angled one but high powered. the blue one u used was it a size 74? or one of those 194s?

Chevy86 IROC-Z

iTrader: (17)

Here is what I bought

Qty | Product / Options | Price/ea |
============================================================
15 | WLED-x-x: 1 LED Wedge Base Bulb | $ 1.39 |
WLED-B-90: Blue 90 Degree 0.60
------------------------------------------------------------

I may just get my extra 2 and solder them in parrellel, then stick them both in the shifter socket.

The Project

iTrader: (6)

Cool white look nice.

Anyone have pics of the shifter and/or HVAC controls with LEDs?

Thanks

excessiveego

I can get some, but he shows them in this vid too

marine_camaro

Same cluster but with blue leds turned out way better than I had expected!

excessiveego

i was concerned since they were yellow, thought it might affect the color, but was pleasantly surprised

marine_camaro

same here was half expectin it to be some weird green but its blue as can be

Outlaw90

Can you still dim the lights?

rschmidt777

no the lights will not dim :/

and are you positive that only the type 74 will go to the instrument panel in a 1992 rs? 194s will not work?

marine_camaro

They're bright but not so bright you would need to dim them. Honestly whats the point of dimming them. If you wanted to dim them the websites that carry the LED's have LED dimer modules that you can buy and hook up to the dimer to make them dim.

jchaussee

I think camaro and firebird are different

Mailman818

yea i think they are cuz i heard it takes like 4 leds for camaros and firebirds its like 9 just for guages.
and my dimmer works with my leds and its the stock dimmer.
im not sure about camaros but in firebirds i know its like 9 for guages minus the other lights like turn signals, check engine light etc... the hvac controls are 74 sized and it used 3 and my shifter light is a 74 sized also. and only used one. my cars an 89 so i dont know if the years make a differance or if its the car that makes that diff

84 1LE

iTrader: (9)

itsMikey

looks sooooooooooooooooo sick ^^^

i did red in my dash but no where else...

the cool white looks awesome too..think ima do those

fwiw..mine are all 194's

GLENNDALE83

88 camaro/ 194 leds 5 wide angle there whitish purple bulbs, i used blue painters tape on back side of instrument bezal,and ac controls the white light reflects off the blue giving it the blue color, i have seen people paint the back of the bezel white,or silver for a brighter effect, so if you have green bulbs and want it to be brighter then paint the back of the bezal silver or white, i had extra white bulbs and didnt want to buy blue ones, so the blue tape idea worked good for me, and its easy to remove if i want to go back to white.

86Stevo

the Camaro gauge cluster only takes 4 LEDS for the instrument cluster??? im thinking about doing the LEDS in my car but was wondering how many lights i need of what size to do my instrument cluster and HAVC cluster also....and wider viewing angle is better correct ????

camarosource

iTrader: (1)

Would the 5X "WHITE" ones be too much? Would it overlap where the other bulbs are the interfere with the orange parts of the dash (needles, indicator lines, etc) ?

In otherwords is the white going to be so bright that it causes the "orange" transparent parts of the dash to look LIGHT orange, or BRIGHT ORANGE?

camarosource

iTrader: (1)

Looks good but how come it looks like a lot has no light anymore? Nearly 90% of your tach is not lit up and nearly every gauge (oil, battery, gas, temp) is is almost completely black.

If I put the 5X http://www.superbrightleds.com/cgi-b...%2FWLED-x5.htm will I lose the ORANGE color of the indicator lines, and needle because too much white is spreading?

paulo57509

Dunno.

I'm not familiar with how '92 clusters are lit. Your '92 cluster is backlit (I think) and not perimeter lit like the early clusters.

Hopefully someone else can chime in.

massaku

I just put the Superbrightleds blue 5xWLEDs in my 82 T/A cluster. It took 10 bulbs to do just the cluster. Here are some pics.
http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/p.../Photo0521.jpg
http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/p.../Photo0522.jpg

Imo its not as bright as it looks and I wish it was a bit brighter.
I think I will try painting the bezel white or ?chrome? and see if it gets a bit brighter.

BluFBdy

iTrader: (1)

Painting would help, probably silver gloss, I did leds.by hand.and it took a.while but im not totally satisfied with it, much better than the dingy stock color but not good enough for me, I used the.superbrights on my aftermarkets, switching.all my gauges.out for glowshifts when I get the t56 in tho so im just ridin it out lol

Inpheksion

So for a 1992 Camaro the size 74 wedge base LED from superbright would be a direct fit w/ no modifications and I would need 4 for the dash?

I was just curious, I haven't taken my dash apart yet, but was curious if anyone knew

Bradlyj8Z28

iTrader: (2)

Very cool easy mod guys, this one is on my list!

rschmidt777

Yes, that is true. That's all you need for the dash

Inpheksion

Ah gotcha. I really like the way the site is set-up, extremely convenient to look for what bulb you need for what application, and it's really easy to add and remove items from your cart.

I ordered a dome light bulb and 6 or 7 size 74's to do my instruments and things such as climate controls etc. Depending on the shipping quality, customer service and quality of the bulbs I'm thinking about redoing all my bulbs to LED, more light less power and heat

I'll post on here once they've arrived and I've installed them!

rschmidt777

They are definitely convenient an I enjoyed the shipping speed and quality. Just be very diligent went replacing the bulbs. Don't get frustrated haha. And I found the climate controls to be a burden but that's due to my custom radio :/ so good luck

Inpheksion

Unfortunately I have not been able to get a chance to install my lights due to working 7 days a week recently, hopefully I will get a chance soon.

Also, I was curious as to what is the easiest way to get to the gauge lights, is it possible to reach them from above/behind by removing the dashpad, or is removing the gauges themselves the only way to reach the bulbs?

RoosterC

You can technically reach all the bulbs without pulling the entire cluster out, but that would be an absolute PITA. You will have to pull the cluster in order to get all of the bulbs which means you need to disconnect the speedometer cable. You can either access this from underneath your steering wheel, or by removing the dash and going in through the top.

More details here https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/inte...sh-lights.html

paulo57509

You can reach the thru the front without removing the cluster to get to the bulbs but there's a few behind the speedo that are hard to remove/replace. The other gauges can be unplugged from the cluster housing, but not the speedo.

You won't be able to get to the speedo cable by taking the dash pad off. It's also difficult to get to from under the dash. I've found the easiest way is to drop the steering column and reach up from the circular cut out below the cluster.



If you go this route, be sure to torque the two bolts holding the column to the dash to specs.

Inpheksion

I have the 91/91 dash, would the method be the same? I'm just curious about different ways to get to the bulbs because my dash tach makes it impossible to remove the gauge bezel/trim without cutting the wires because they run through my cig lighter hole. I can pull it away from the dash, but not completely off so I was just curious of alternative ways.

Another question I have is that the bulbs for my HVAC controls and gears were 194 size (I thought they were 74) I just wanted to make sure that the gauge lights are 74s on the 91/91 dash,

Inpheksion

Thank you for the link! I was on my phone until now so it was too slow for me to follow the link, but I read through that thread and got an idea of what I need to do, hopefully I can get to them with a little hard work without having to cut and re-wire my AutoMeter Tach (That would be a pain, and if I did I would probably just wait until winter when my car is garaged to undertake that project)


I am still curious about what size the gauge bulbs would be, because I've read that the HVAC and Shifter bulbs would be 74's and they were 194, and I'm just curious if there's a definite way to tell what ones I need before I tear my dash apart!

Thank you for all the help so far, and thank you in pretense for any more answers given!

camarosource

iTrader: (1)

With the 1990-1992's, I have tried and can't get it any other way.. You can only (unless someone can prove me wrong in this) get to the bulbs by:

1. Disconnect battery

2. Unscrewing and removing the kick panel

3. Pull out the headlight switch (push button which is easy once you have the kick panel off)

4. Unscrew the two screw on the bottom holding the bottom of the bezel on, and carefully pull the bezel away from the instrument panel but just enough so you can unplug the foglight switch (IF avail.), and the cigarette lighter (3 clips surrounding it).

5. Pull off.. GENTLY.. it's a bugger to get off without scratching the cover..

6. Unscrew the 2 screws on upper ledge of the cluster (CAREFUL.. drop the screws and you'll be fishing behind the dashboard for it ). Unscrew the bottom 2 screws.

7. I was unable to remove the cluster (edge was JUST a bit too snug to get passed the overhang of the dashpanel). I removed the dashpanel which seemed to be the only way to get the cluster out.

8. For me.. it would NOT come out unless I used the other hand to push the Tint level and FORCE the steering wheel father than where it locks in the lowest position. DO NOT LET GO WHILE THE CLUSTER IS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE TWO OR YOU WILL CRUSH THE CLUSTER AND THE POSSIBLY BREAK THE TRIP LEVER OR SCRATCH THE TRANSPARENT COVER).

9. I takes a bit of CAREFUL positioning of the cluster to get it out without scratching.. there is like a HAIR about of spacing GM gave for removal.. DAMN!

Best of luck.

NOTE: Check the LED's first BEFORE you put it all back together. Some LED's are Polarized which means they only work when installed with the correct "+ / -" leads.. But out clusters don't show what is the ground so it's a trial and error.

SKELITOR117

iTrader: (3)

That looks wicked. I was looking to replace the gauges, but just a slight change in light makes all the difference.

silentkillzr

iTrader: (2)

Ive noticed the easist way to get the speedo cable, take a really long screw driver, sit upsidedown under the dash, and hit the release clip. I can take the gauges out in less than 10 mins, and do LED swap in like 20 Lol.

davila0115

I dont know about anyone else... But i did a bunch of research on the forum to make sure that i was gunna order the correct bulbs... And after reading and reading... i ordered 4 of the #74 for my 92 Camaro RS.... and when i get it all apart its the #194.... I am thankful that i bought some of the basic LED #194's for the shifter and for my El Camino Dash... so for now thats what i put in the camaro... Also i had the solder bulb/twist-locs... so i cut the leads to the old bulbs and put in the new LED and bent the contacts down.. didnt even have to solder them in for them to be nce and tight and work perfectly...

My question now is.... is there somewhere else i can use the #74's in the car? or should i post a for sale thread?....

87Kitt_210

Try Superbrightleds.com. That site also gives you the bulb # when u put Make-Model-Yr.

davila0115

I did do that... thats where i bought my LED's from... but even there website says:

Instrument-General = and shows #74 and #161.

Now i understand that the #161 and the #194 are similar bulbs... but i am just stating that for the few posts even in this thread thats state that 4 - #74's..... that i had to use 4 - #194's bulbs for the main instrument backlighting... NOT the #74's...

itsMikey

#194's are what you want

87Kitt_210

yeah, most Camaros or Firebird will use 194 bulb #s.