Courtesy light kit LED

[Schmiddy]

Hi

 

while I restore the complete interior of my 65Riv, I was asking myself if this would be a good idea to change the whole lights into LED...

I've found a kit who could fit on ebay:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Kit-1-NOS-B-Buick-203-peice-LED-SMD-Instrument-Panel-Courtesy-Light-Bulb-4-Box-/271171218173?fits=Make%3ABuick|Model%3ARiviera&hash=item3f23106afd:m:mJI-bQzlQDuG-sHXmQl3KVA&vxp=mtr

 

Does anybody made some experiences with these kind of Kits? Would you recomend to make a change like this? If not, what speaks against it? Any change to do on the electrics?

Thank you for your feedbacks ?

[JZRIV]

What is the goal? Installing new OEM bulbs will probably last as long as you own the car. Often LED bulbs do not provide the same intensity or type of illumination you might expect. The result rarely mimics or provides an original driving experience if that's what you are after. I see no benefit considering how the average collector car is used. If you are doing a modified car and want to experiment with different light effects then it may be worth trying.

 

On a final note it makes me cringe when they say the same kit will do 1963 to 1999 Riviera's. If you really want to try LED I'd suggest only purchasing a couple bulbs to try out vs the whole enchilada

Edited June 3, 2016 by JZRIV (see edit history)

[Seafoam65]

              If you can determine that the led bulbs are brighter......I would go for it. At night I need a seeing eye dog to read

the gauges on my 65 Riviera.

[RivNut]

Jim Cannon can give you a list of OE style replacement bulbs for the dash. For courtesy lights, you just need enough light to let you know what's where; you don't want to blind yourself looking into lights so you can't see beyond them.  The only lights I'd really be concerned with upgrading would be the brake lights - red LED's behind a red lens would really make a difference for the car behind you.  Depending on how close to original you want to keep your car, you might also want to consider upgrading your headlights.

 

Ed

[rodneybeauchamp]

I would be keen to know the outcome, I too would perhaps try one or two first before investing in a kit.

 

My experience with LED lighting in model railway is they tend to be very directional, meaning you done see much light when viewed from any angle apart from straight ahead. Know this has changed a bit and from the pics looks like there are several surface mount LEDs per globe.

 

another plus is they don't give out heat like incandescent globes and they draw very little power. Re the brake light or turn signal lamp replacement, not keen on the way they operate. They are full on and full off in the blink of an eye, whereas incandescents take some time to reach full brightness. A bit easier on the eyes and more original.

just my two bobs worth ( about a quarter I think)

 

and Ed, you can achieve great results with a clean lens, good earth wires and good clean globes. A fresh coat of white or silver paint on the lamp housing works a treat, or you can always sneak in a third eye level brake light.

 

At least your drivers in the USA and Canada are used to red rear turn signals, Australia followed the Poms and went Amber . However they allow the LHD cars pre 66 to have red turn signal.

just another two bobs worth 

 

[RivNut]

7 hours ago, rodneybeauchamp said:

I would be keen to know the outcome, I too would perhaps try one or two first before investing in a kit.

 

My experience with LED lighting in model railway is they tend to be very directional, meaning you done see much light when viewed from any angle apart from straight ahead. Know this has changed a bit and from the pics looks like there are several surface mount LEDs per globe.

 

another plus is they don't give out heat like incandescent globes and they draw very little power. Re the brake light or turn signal lamp replacement, not keen on the way they operate. They are full on and full off in the blink of an eye, whereas incandescents take some time to reach full brightness. A bit easier on the eyes and more original.

just my two bobs worth ( about a quarter I think)

 

and Ed, you can achieve great results with a clean lens, good earth wires and good clean globes. A fresh coat of white or silver paint on the lamp housing works a treat, or you can always sneak in a third eye level brake light.

 

At least your drivers in the USA and Canada are used to red rear turn signals, Australia followed the Poms and went Amber . However they allow the LHD cars pre 66 to have red turn signal.

just another two bobs worth 

 

When installing LED lights for turn signals, it's also necessary to install a device that creates some resistance so that the lamps stay lit longer.  

[Jim Cannon]

I have seen this done on a few Rivieras.  They can really be brighter.  We are used to brighter instruments now on modern cars.  To me, the color of the light was wrong.  Instead of the original Riviera greenish glow, the LEDs produced a much cooler blueish tint.  I personally did not care for it, but the guys who did it did.

 

For my instrument panel lights, including speedometer, etc., what I found was that a) original bulbs have a grey metallic coating on the inside of the bulb glass that you can not remove, but it dims the bulb; so simply replacing the bulbs with new ones brightens the light output. 2) It is pretty easy to up-size the bulb candle power by 1 or 2 cp and it really helps brighten up everything while driving at night, and iii) the headlight knob panel lights dimmer rheostat tends to get all corroded and this results in dimmer instrument lights; clean this up with some contact cleaner when you have the switch out.  Between times having the switch out, you can rotate the knob right and left multiple times to clean the contacts by friction.  I end up having to do this every time I drive my car at night to get the brightness I like.

 

My main complaint with the LEDs was the color.  YMMV.

 

 

[Schmiddy]

Thank you all for these very useful comments and helping informations! 
I was thinking about that change because a lot of bulbs of my Riv are already broken (specially into the dashboard), so I was looking for a alternative...

 

After all your feedbacks, it is now clear to me that I'll discard the idea to convert to LED and will stay on the original instead. Do you guys know where to buy some kits? Here in Switzerland no chance to buy these kind of bulbs, why I would prefer to buy all at once - otherwise I will have to pay so much more for shipping!

 

Eventually, Jim, could you give me these infos? I really would appreciate! =)

 

Ed, thank you also for your inputs about the brake lights... this was also something I was thinking about to change to brighter LED-light (turnsignals included! At the front they are actually not very good visible). So thank you for the hint with the resistance!
Headlights are already upgraded (https://www.opgi.com/riviera/1965/lamps-lenses/light-bulbs/CH25130/)

 

Greez,

Eric

 

 

 

[telriv]

The nicer thing, & to me more important, is that if you use a higher CP  incandescent bulb the extra heat generated can melt the plastic surrounds & the printed circuit boards on the back. Even just one or two CP.  I installed Blue bulbs supplied by one of my customers for the instrument panel on his '63 Riv.  I thought they looked COOL & did brighten up the panel so you could see the instruments.

Just my thoughts on the matter.

 

 

Tom T.

 

 

 

[Schmiddy]

3 hours ago, telriv said:

The nicer thing, & to me more important, is that if you use a higher CP  incandescent bulb the extra heat generated can melt the plastic surrounds & the printed circuit boards on the back. Even just one or two CP.  I installed Blue bulbs supplied by one of my customers for the instrument panel on his '63 Riv.  I thought they looked COOL & did brighten up the panel so you could see the instruments.

Just my thoughts on the matter.

 

 

Tom T.

 

 

 

Good to know, thanks Tom ???

[PWB]

Those Swiss Winters are DARK.

These original T-3's would have done well? 

 

[Schmiddy]

They truly are Paul!  ...Its why I got these Xenon high beams from Delta (not the originals I know, but security in that particular case goes first - also why I'm thinking about LED brake light).

[Turbinator]

On 6/4/2016 at 3:21 AM, rodneybeauchamp said:

I would be keen to know the outcome, I too would perhaps try one or two first before investing in a kit.

 

My experience with LED lighting in model railway is they tend to be very directional, meaning you done see much light when viewed from any angle apart from straight ahead. Know this has changed a bit and from the pics looks like there are several surface mount LEDs per globe.

 

another plus is they don't give out heat like incandescent globes and they draw very little power. Re the brake light or turn signal lamp replacement, not keen on the way they operate. They are full on and full off in the blink of an eye, whereas incandescents take some time to reach full brightness. A bit easier on the eyes and more original.

just my two bobs worth ( about a quarter I think)

 

and Ed, you can achieve great results with a clean lens, good earth wires and good clean globes. A fresh coat of white or silver paint on the lamp housing works a treat, or you can always sneak in a third eye level brake light.

 

At least your drivers in the USA and Canada are used to red rear turn signals, Australia followed the Poms and went Amber . However they allow the LHD cars pre 66 to have red turn signal.

just another two bobs worth 

 

Rodney, Ive changed a number of the bulbs in my 63 Riviera to LED. I like the dim incandescent lighting of the original, but I 'd like to "see" more.  Superbrites, a supplier , allows you to choose color of the LED. I chose bright white and it has really increased the amount of light in the cabin. I have not changed all the incandescent bulbs in the dash to LED because it is not necessary. I'll take a pic soon and post it on the forum. Hope all is well. I remember a family friend had these giant "O" gauge ( I think ) electric model trains that were top shelf. My Grandfather went the other direction with miniature trains HO? models? Can't remember- a long time ago.

Red Riviera Bob

[NC1968Riviera]

On 6/4/2016 at 10:28 AM, RivNut said:

When installing LED lights for turn signals, it's also necessary to install a device that creates some resistance so that the lamps stay lit longer.

I have mentioned in an earlier thread that I have replaced a majority of my incandescent bulbs with LED's. I can post some pictures later after I take some of my 68's interior.

 

Mustang Project has a turn signal module that allows the use of LED bulbs and creates a sequential turn signal sequence. I purchased the kit for the 67 Riviera and had them send me two extra two-contact light bulb sockets to illuminate the center tail lights on my 68.

 

I replaced almost all of my interior and dash light bulbs with LED's. Here are my thoughts now that it's done.

1. Most LED bulbs run in the cool range (white light). All incandescent, (in my experience), are warm [yellow] in color. Changing from incandescent (warm) to cold LED's creates an unnaturally lit car interior, IMO.
2. The two sail panel bulbs are bulb number 1004 for 68's. The only LED versions for these bulbs are marine grade that fit but are very cool (white) in color. This creates a mismatch in interior illumination (see #3 below).
3. I had cool flat face LED light bulbs in the foot wells. I did not feel there was intense enough illumination plus the cool white "felt" odd to me. I changed to warmer color LED's that have almost 360 degree illumination. The foot wells are more fully lit and have a much more "inviting" feel to them.
4. The instrument panel bulbs were replaced with cool LED bulbs because I could not find any in a warm yellow color range to duplicate the feel of incandescent illumination. Thus the gauges are VERY well lit when the lights are turned on. One down side is that the intensity of LED bulbs cannot be turned down with the instrument panel light adjustment switch. They are either "ON" or "OFF". I will keep my eyes open for warmer bulbs and probably replace the cool ones at a later date.
5. I have not replaced the glove box, AC/heater control, radio or "See-light" (fiber optic system) light bulbs yet. I just purchased and received those LED bulbs (#1892 equivalents). I will replace these bulbs when I replace the instrument cluster bulbs, since removing the instrument cluster is such a PITA.
6. FYI, there is a MAJOR risk of pulling the vacuum hoses off of the back of the AC/heating controls when removing these controls for any reason. Be sure to have a factory repair manual handy so you know where to reattach the hoses if they come off. [I am speaking from experience here. ] If you still have the original rubber vacuum hoses, they are color coded to aid in identification. Otherwise your AC or air/heat may not flow as it should.

Edited December 9, 2017 by Fayetteville, NC (see edit history)

[KongaMan]

I replaced some interior lights with LEDs in a different vehicle (primarily because the plastic housings were melted, burned, and crumbling).  The LEDs I used were very cool (maybe 6000K). The effect of the harsh white light was jarring, unnatural, and unpleasant.  I replaced them with some warmer ones (4000K), and it's much nicer.

[rodneybeauchamp]

Just my experience with LEDs has been very positve.

 

 obtained warm white LEDs from SuperBrite LEDs (on a sale) and used those on all the interior lamps on my 63. Being warm white, they give a similar light to incandescent without the heat, meaning the lenses stay white and should not yellow or become brittle. All my dash illumination lights are the same, with red and green used in the appropriate coloured warning light. I am really happy with the result and certainly don’t have the harshness of the cool whites at all. I now don’t have an issue with leaving a door open as current draw is minimal and heat is negligible.

 

 

 

 

[telriv]

Just need to MAKE SURE all the lights have excellent grounds.

[Schmiddy]

Rodney, these lights are are looking great, you got it!!! How about the shifter plate? Could you find a final solution with a warm LED strip? I remember you had some issues at that time... 

 

[rodneybeauchamp]

Thank you Eric, I’m very pleased with the results. Courtesy light came in handy for my navigator on a recent evening cruise where he had to map read ......... and he could!

 

And took your advice with the LED strip lighting, all good. Easy to see console shift lighting courtesy of your previous postings. ???

[Schmiddy]

Wow cool, looks awesome Rodney, well implemented!
I'm glad my inputs could help you somehow! 

[Turbinator]

On 12/10/2017 at 1:57 PM, telriv said:

Just need to MAKE SURE all the lights have excellent grounds.

Sir, I had to ground the metal bulb sockets in my tail lights to the car frame. My lighting with LED’s in the tail lights looks brighter than the 1157 incandescent lights before. Apparently, and I’m happy to be wrong the interior light bulb sockets are self grounded? I just replaced a significant number of interior incandescent bulbs with LED’s. All seems to be going well. I understand the LED lights generate heat in the wiring. My guess is if I can’t hold the light wiring bare handed the LED should be changed out or replace the light wiring.? Thank You in advance for your assistance.

Red Riviera Bob

[ForwardLook58]

I know this is an old thread - but I am looking for guidance as we are restoring our '65 and want to do an interior LED conversion, dash and courtesy. Thank you!

[Jim Cannon]

18 hours ago, ForwardLook58 said:

I know this is an old thread - but I am looking for guidance as we are restoring our '65 and want to do an interior LED conversion, dash and courtesy. Thank you!

I did this on my '63 last year. et everything you need from www.SuperBrightLEDs.com

 

I put LEDs in all instrument lighting. Get Warm White. Also clock, map light and glovebox.  I was also able to put one in the radio dial; it looks much better now.

 

I used green LEDs in the turn signal indicators and the Cold temp light, and red in the Parking brake light, Hot temp light and Oil pressure light. Keep the conventional bulb in the Alternator light position.

 

All the courtesy lights can go LED.

 

I was able to put an LED in the shift selector in the console; others had a problem with the fit.

 

 

Edited November 10, 2022 by Jim Cannon (see edit history)

[ForwardLook58]

Thank you!

[XframeFX]

All my LEDs came from Superbright except for courtesy lights. They only had SMD at the time and not my preferred COB lights. The latter is popular with RVs and have a warm illumination much like a conventional 1142.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/192745893372

 

[Dundee]

11 hours ago, Jim Cannon said:

I did this on my '63 last year. et everything you need from www.SuperBrightLEDs.com

 

I put LEDs in all instrument lighting. Get Warm White. Also clock, map light and glovebox.  I was also able to put one in the radio dial; it looks much better now.

 

I used green LEDs in the turn signal indicators, and red in the Parking brake light and the Cold and Hot temp lights.  Also in the Oil pressure light. Keep the conventional bulb in the Alternator light position.

 

All the courtesy lights can go LED.

 

I was able to put an LED in the shift selector in the console; others had a problem with the fit.

 

 

Jim you wouldn’t have a copy of that order for a cheat sheet for my 63 lamp requirements by any chance??

Dundee

[Riviera63]

3 hours ago, Dundee said:

Jim you wouldn’t have a copy of that order for a cheat sheet for my 63 lamp requirements by any chance??

Dundee

Ron,

 

The Australian ROA published a list in their November 2017 issue. Many here have followed that. Attached is a link to a thread that shows that list.

 

Bill

 

 

[Jim Cannon]

4 hours ago, Dundee said:

Jim you wouldn’t have a copy of that order for a cheat sheet for my 63 lamp requirements by any chance??

Dundee

I will email it to you because I can't attach a PDF file here. IDK why.

 

[EmTee]

Take a 'snapshot' and post it as a png...

[Jim Cannon]

3 hours ago, EmTee said:

Take a 'snapshot' and post it as a png...

See if these are readable. A PDF would be so much easier.

[Dundee]

3 hours ago, Jim Cannon said:

See if these are readable. A PDF would be so much easier.

Can read okay and should be fine on the big screen later.

Not sure I am ready to sacrifice the instrument dimming yet without experiencing it first! How much night driving will I do??? I do like to dim down the dash when night driving generally. 
have read the post 
 

thanks bill and Jim 

[XframeFX]

12 minutes ago, Dundee said:

Not sure I am ready to sacrifice the instrument dimming yet without experiencing it first!

I have a PWM controller that can dim Instrument panel LEDs. It can be controlled with a potentiometer or a 0 - 5V input. The rheostat on the light switch is not compatible enough for this. Stay tuned . . . .

Also, cool white for instrument panel lighting. Absolutely awesome reflecting off 60 year old phosphorous like coatings (turquoise). My opinion.

 

I like doing gadgety things like this.

 

Oh, when I sound the Horn, my instrument panel lights(194 LEDs) flash! Might switch back until I have the dimming function figured-out.

[Jim Cannon]

For anyone thinking about buying LED lights for their car, SuperBrightLEDs is having a sale right now.

 

Use code BFCM22 on check out to save 15% on anything.

 

https://www.superbrightleds.com/home2

 

 

[Turbinator]

On 11/10/2022 at 4:06 PM, XframeFX said:

Might switch back until I have the dimming function figured-out.

Could you disconnect the dimming widget until you figure out why the LED’s flash when you blow the horn? Seems “ switching” back to incondescent lighting would a lot of work?

[XframeFX]

21 hours ago, Turbinator said:

Could you disconnect the dimming widget until you figure out why the LED’s flash when you blow the horn?

"Aux contrare mon amis"😃, Not concerned about flashing with the horn. Will only notice at night and I'm not a horn guy.

21 hours ago, Turbinator said:

Seems “ switching” back to incondescent lighting would a lot of work?

My dashpad will be the last item to install. I am always reaching behind the dash for various reasons. My Riv is a 3X project, always re-addressing something (that speedo cable!)

So, switching back to regular 194 bulbs is easy.

I have yet to devise a dimming controller which might fix that flash.

[telriv]

Could be a bad dash ground causing the flashing.

 

Tom T.

[TKRIV]

SuperBritght LED codes posted on the Australian RIVIEW newsletter some time ago.

Very happy with the result.

Tom K