CK5
Register an account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members.

LED tail and signal light conversion for '85

Ned Kelly

1/2 ton status
Joined
Mar 1, 2005
Posts
1,131
Reaction score
108
Location
Winnipeg, MB
Should I expect any problems when converting frt signal lights and year rear tail/stop/turn lights to LED on my 1985?
Any suggesion which flasher to upgrade to?
 
All you need is one of the "electronic" flashers. The ones I've seen are all plastic (see through) housings.

Front signals may not work, depending on how they are wired. I think they are called non-specific polarity LED's (or something like that) (and maybe the fronts too, since they are lights + flashing) that will work around that problem, but I haven't delved into it that far. Problem with a "normal" LED bulb assembly is that they only work with voltage "one way" (IE + to + and - to -). Any of the lights that serve dual purpose (flash and light) and are single filament the polarity actually reverses to make them flash, which means a normal LED will either work as a flasher, or as a light, but not both.

The rears are easy. Buy 1157's off of ebay. Make sure the LED color matches lens color (IE red leds for red lenses, amber for amber, etc) but I have yet to find an LED bulb that works anywhere near as good as incandescent for reverse.

You want SMD's (not the oval headed LEDs). 5050 SMD's are brighter than lower numbers. Make sure they have LED's radially along with facing straight rearward, and the more LED's you have, the better. Make sure the bulb isn't longer than what will clear the housing. That is a problem with the side markers (194/168's) for certain. Brake lights have quite a bit of clearance as I recall.
 
Guess I should clarify. I was going to replace the frt signal lights and rear tail lights with actual LED assemblies, not just bulbs.
 
Can't help with the electrical side, but I've seen it done.

One friend ordered it in kit form. It wasn't cheap. Bad part was it kinda looked like crap.

Another friend (electrical nerd) built his own and it looked awesome. The difference, as far as I could tell, was the number of LEDs. The kit just didn't have enough.
 
Guess I should clarify. I was going to replace the frt signal lights and rear tail lights with actual LED assemblies, not just bulbs.

I would ask why? Not to be a smarta$$, just that the assemblies I've seen are way more than the individual bulbs. I guess if you want the "pinpoint" look that may be another reason. I was trying to get some that DIDN'T look like LED's.

Obviously if they solve the flasher problem that's one thing, but for brake/turn, buy the 1157's. IMO other than the complete on/off cycle (instead of just the dimming of incandescents) you can't tell they are LED's, they light that well.
 
Top Bottom