Wooly15 Posted December 31, 2016 Share Posted December 31, 2016 I just drove an hour to buy bulbs for my 56's dash/instrument cluster and forgot to bring my notes!! Can anyone quickly tell me what type and how many bulbs I need?? I know there are maybe 7 but I don't know the type. Thanks in advance! Adam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted December 31, 2016 Share Posted December 31, 2016 you'll need a dozen TS57's for everything, including the turn signal indicators. A TS53 for the highbright indicator. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted December 31, 2016 Share Posted December 31, 2016 27 minutes ago, Wooly15 said: I know there are maybe 7 but I don't know the type Hope this was timely... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted December 31, 2016 Share Posted December 31, 2016 Not sure if the dash light bulbs are the same between a 55 and 56, but this is a bulb for my emergency brake light...all of the other bulbs are the same type and look like this. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wooly15 Posted December 31, 2016 Author Share Posted December 31, 2016 23 minutes ago, JohnD1956 said: you'll need a dozen TS57's for everything, including the turn signal indicators. A TS53 for the highbright indicator. Got it! You guys are awesome. Thanks! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted December 31, 2016 Share Posted December 31, 2016 2 hours ago, Kosage Chavis said: all of the other bulbs are the same type and look like this. Interesting that your illumination bulbs are w 53's . I assume that w 53's are the same as TS 53's. My recommendation is based on the spare 56 Speedo I have from my old Roadmaster. The illumination lights and turn signals have TS 57's in them. Only the high bright indicator has the TS 53. But several of my light bulb sockets are empty and I am jumping to the conclusion that once a TS57 then always a TS57. As a side note I have found that some of todays lightbulbs have larger glass globes. The #90 bulb which is supposed to be used in the rear courtesy lights of my convertible will not fit into the housing and allow me to install the cover. If I could get the cover on it would undoubtedly touch the bulb and probably burn. I have found several older #90's for these sockets at swap meets. I am hoping new TS 57's are built the way they used to be, or it may mean a TS 53 should be used today in it's place. I hope Wooly will report back on the installation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beemon Posted December 31, 2016 Share Posted December 31, 2016 (edited) You should book mark Hometown Buick on your phone, specifically the shop manual for the 56. It has the full list. That way if you get stuck like this, you have that back up plan just in case the good ol boys of post war aren't quick enough to back you up. I got all my bulbs from napa no problem off that sheet. They all fit. Edited January 1, 2017 by Beemon (see edit history) 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted December 31, 2016 Share Posted December 31, 2016 I was thinking about replacing all my light bulbs with LED lights. It would make all the dash elements more eye- catching with a brighter glow. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NTX5467 Posted January 1, 2017 Share Posted January 1, 2017 My first thought about "TS" was the automotive electrical brand "TungSol". "W" might be "Westinghouse"? Key thing is the number, I suspect. The LEDs might be so bright AND have a more blueish color that it might easily become "blinding" rather than just "brighter". "Brighter" can also be accomplished by cleaning the accumulated dust from the bulb reflectors and the backs of the instrument panel cluster lenses, then shining those things up as they were "when new". Not sure how the LEDs might work with the "defused" orientation of some instrument panel bulbs, considering that light from incandescents is more "360degree" than more focused as the LEDs can tend to be. HAPPY NEW YEAR! NTX5467 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted January 1, 2017 Share Posted January 1, 2017 (edited) 1 hour ago, NTX5467 said: My first thought about "TS" was the automotive electrical brand "TungSol". "W" might be "Westinghouse"? Key thing is the number, I suspect. The LEDs might be so bright AND have a more blueish color that it might easily become "blinding" rather than just "brighter". "Brighter" can also be accomplished by cleaning the accumulated dust from the bulb reflectors and the backs of the instrument panel cluster lenses, then shining those things up as they were "when new". Not sure how the LEDs might work with the "defused" orientation of some instrument panel bulbs, considering that light from incandescents is more "360degree" than more focused as the LEDs can tend to be. Well, that maybe so. But if its too bright, couldn't you just adjust the intensity of the brightness with the switch? Edited January 1, 2017 by Kosage Chavis (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted January 1, 2017 Share Posted January 1, 2017 Do LED's respond to ordinary rheostats? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted January 1, 2017 Share Posted January 1, 2017 I have no clue. It is something I would like to experiment with. If no one beats me to the punch on this one, I will definately post the results. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosage Chavis Posted January 1, 2017 Share Posted January 1, 2017 Ok, scratch that idea. Turns out you need a special LED dimmer to achieve any dimming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beemon Posted January 1, 2017 Share Posted January 1, 2017 The difference is that a light bulb is a resistor and an LED is a diode. The rheostat limits current, thus dimming the resistive bulb - the LED bulbs are solid state diodes and can take varying amounts of current. I have a tach mounted to my steering column and the LED is just an on-off operation. It cuts off at about half way in the rheostat with no dimming. There are different types of LEDS made for that bulb socket with varying lumens. A single diode light would probably be sufficient. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted January 1, 2017 Share Posted January 1, 2017 TS and W seem to be ambiguous. My first thought was Tapered Seat for one and Watts for the other. Reminds me of a story, I used to run a group that monitored equipment in a large medical center. One item was a rooftop helicopter landing pad with a snow melt system. There were alarms if the hot water system did not meet set point. We did a training class on our system for some of the building mechanics. The landing pad HW alarm came up as an example. One of the mechanics said "Oh, that came in a few nights ago. We thought it meant High Wind and told the pilot to be careful." I never have been a fan of abbreviations, but that pretty much ended them for me. Bernie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NTX5467 Posted January 1, 2017 Share Posted January 1, 2017 There are some LEDs advertised as "dimmable", for home and automotive use. Haven't used any of them, though. NTX5467 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NTX5467 Posted January 1, 2017 Share Posted January 1, 2017 As brand conscious as many companies (and consumers) were in the 1950s-60s era, there usually was some brand ID on many otherwise generic parts. Whether by color or otherwise. I recall seeing some tan signal flashers with the "TS" ink stamp on the outer surface. When turned over to where the terminals were, a hard paper-type snap-in "plate" had "TungSol" and the part number stamped into it. I'd also seen TungSol bulb selections at some service stations (wall displays and a few roll around displays), back then. Not very numerous, but at "the better and larger stations". When the TungSol flashers were OEM (possibly some years of 1960s Chryslers?), the factory spec sheet might mention "TS___" for the flasher number, as GM might use an AC part number which was "brand"-"industry part number" in configuration. GM brands could also list the then-current GM part number for dealership usees. As brand identity seemed to begin fading, the "They all come out of the same plant" orientation seemed to take hold, especially if the parts looked the same and there was a premium for the allegedly "better brands". Brand reps stopped going to smaller shops/service stations and concentrated on the local suppliers of those enterprises, with those "jobbers" making decisions of what was available locally. There were usually enough auto supplies (with different product lines) for the local shops to determine what product lines best fit their particular needs (quality, longevity, price, value). According to Wikipedia, Tung-Sol invented the flashing turn signal, which would have given then some additional credibility in the area AND was run "as a laboratory" (which gave them a higher-end reputation for better technology and metallurgy in their products; later acquired by Wagner, Wagner then by Studebaker. Other notable products were vacuum tubes). In more recent times, as manufacturers of particular parts have combined/decreased, many similar product lines DO come from the same factory, but EACH batch is built to the specs of the customer (in content and materials). The one common trait can be "build quality", not specifically the quality of the parts used in the assembly. NTX5467 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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