LED dash lights

Hi. I am thinking about doing the blue also. I was gung ho until I read this comment. Could you explain what you mean by "flipping the lights" because they are polarize? Ty Your car looks great!

 

Meaning unlike the regular incandescent bulbs, the LEDS have polarity and only work when you install them with the proper polarity. Not a big deal. If it does not come on, just flip it the other way.

 

Jevs:

Many, many thinks to you Sir for taking the time and effort to figure this out. I can't believe the difference in the lighting quality. The 348/355 forum has some of the most ingenious, talented individuals of any FChat forum.

Love the red lighting. Too bad the HVAC is problematic with this color.

 

+1 I agree. JEVS. This is what my bulbs look like twisty and shout and they pop out. so I am not seeing a need to mark what is posi or neg unless your talking about the raw bulb itself...
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I believe those sockets can be rotated 180 degrees and still go in. This Is fine for the non polarised stock bulb, but the LED has to go only one way to work. They have a positive and negative side. So, if you put it in and it doesn't work, just remove, twist 180 degrees and reinstall.

 

Thanks and +900

 

+1 ......

 

Will putting them in wrong damage the LEDs in any way? Thx!

 

No. They just won't light up. They block the current flow when reversed same as any regular diode.

 

Great - I got the replacement bulbs in the speedo & tach. I'm pretty new at this.... what's the easiest way to get at the clock and gas gauges? Do I have to take out the radio?

 

remove the two screws that hold the shifter grate in place, slide the released plastic panel towards the rear and then you can slide the console containing the gauges slightly down then out.

 

This project, like my other projects, has now experienced some scope creep... over to the dome lamps, door marker lights and exterior lights.

I purchased a pair of LED bulbs for the door marker lights and they now stay on even after I close the door. If I replace one of the door bulbs with the old incandescent bulb, both lights go out after closing the door... so it seems like I'm getting a trickle of a current even when the doors are closed. Shouldn't the door switches be binary... either be on or off? Any thoughts as to why this is happening/remedy? Do I need to install a load resistor? Thx.

 

I would have to see the schematic, but I suspect it is more than just a switch for that light. Something is being switched electronically I think. Like maybe the door switch goes to a computer so it knows when u have the door open and it has to be on its own circuit because it is used for logic to do more than just turn on that light. Then the lamp might be turned on by a FET or relay or who knows what. If I had the schematic I could tell you, but I no longer have a Ferrari.

 

I just did this today. Cost me 11 dollars total off ebay. So easy and looks so good.
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And these
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These look great!

While I haven't done my 348 yet, I've done a lot of LED swaps on pinball machines. There are tons of options in terms of brightness, color, and diffusion of the light.

There are also "non-ghosting" LEDs that work very well for flashing lights, so if you see a dim flicker on a bulb, or if your turn signals don't completely go out, look for a non-ghosting bulb.

There are also RGB bulbs with remote controls that let you vary the color! So many cool toys these days.

 

The dim works fine in mine. I didn't change out the warning lights with LED because I didn't get the point of doing them.

 

I did my warning lights (pain in the butt) just so I would never have to replace a bulb again. BTW, when my panel was out, I found that 70% isopropyl alcohol basically dissolved away the melted/tacky rubber-plastic instantly for me. You can get the wipes (e.g., BD brand) at any local drug store or supermarket for a few bucks. After about 5-10 minutes of rubbing, I got all the gooey junk and most of the paint off my instrument panel... just re-sprayed and it looked like new! The panel for the fuel/clock/temp gauge took a little more work.
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This is probably because you have an f1

 

What LEDs did you use off ebay and did you mean the dimmer works fine on yours?

 

Older thread with an update:

My STOP button light had burnt out, and other lights on the AC control panel were a bit dim. i decided to upgrade to LEDs. The 3 main bulbs for the control lighting are T4 neowedge bulbs. Here are the bulbs I bought:

http://www.autolumination.com/automotive-light-bulbs/gauges-instrument-panel/neowedge_goldstar_matrix_3x_5630_led_bulb.htm

They offer a variety of colors and 2 different brightness levels, 3k and 6k. I chose white/3k and am very happy with the results. They are brighter than the originals, but not obnoxious or too bright. Not sure if the 6k would be too bright?

The head of the bulbs were larger than the HVAC board bulb openings and I had to use a round file to open them up a bit. No big deal.

I chose these 2 lamps for the STOP and RECIRC buttons

https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/visual-communications-company-vcc/LTH3MM12VFR4500/6691215

They are brighter than the other lamps and might be a little too bright, but I am happy with them, nonetheless. Did not know until later that there was another alternative which is not as bright: (they call these diffused which means they are frosted)

https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/visual-communications-company-vcc/4302F5-12V/3150125

Just like the T4 bulbs, I needed to open the holes on the backside of the two buttons in order for the bulbs to recess inside.

 

3k and 6k are the temperature. 3k will be a yellower/warmer hue, and 6k will be very blue.

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sjd