1958buickforum.net

hey guys, for those of you who are curious about how LED lighting might look in your '58, i posted some before/after videos about my LED bulb upgrade i did today. i used 'cool white' or 'daylight' bulbs with a temperature of 6000-6500 Kelvin that i love. every light bulb in my house is a 6500K CFL.

this cool temperature of light isnt for the purists, but they do make 'warm white' LEDs that have a color of light that emulates a standard incandescent bulb.

LED Lighting, Before & After - Part 1

Part 2 - trunk, dome, and gauge cluster comparison

Part 3 - gauge cluster with all LEDs installed

Thanks for posting that. I just did the same thing but included led parking lights. I have the led's for the rest of the exterior but so far haven't changed them yet. I also just upgraded the head lights to halogen.

no problem, hopefully this thread will help others who may be considering an upgrade as well.

i love LEDs and have been waiting years for them to to finally be affordable and readily available in every size. ill probably end up replacing all the incandescents eventually. what LED bulbs did you use for your exterior lights?

also, since this is and LED thread, ive read that using white LEDs in colored lenses (e.g., our red tail light lenses) can give the color a washed-out look, due to the wavelength of light being emitted by the LEDs--therefore, the color of the LED should match the color of the lens. any experience dealing with this?

so, i got another pack of BA9S LED bulbs and replaced all but one of the dash bulbs... how the hell do i access the gear selector dial bulb? i tried accessing it from the front, but i would rather not unbend the metal tabs that hold the bulb cover if i can just unplug the bulb from the rear somehow.

anyone who has gotten that deep into the dash before know the easiest way to get to it? im wondering if unbolting the gauge cluster and just pushing it back out of the way will give me enough clearance, but if there is an easier way i would love to know.

That one is very tricky. I had my entire dash out but I think it was when I dropped the steering column down.

I used BA9's in the dash. And a 1157 led amber in the park lights which looks great. I couldn't get the 1157 led's to fit in the tail light assembly. Not sure why still working on that.

so, i answered my own question... the bulb can be accessed from the ignition switch panel. i dropped the panel and removed the cigarette lighter & wires to the ignition switch, which gave me enough clearance to reach up behind the gear shift indicator dial.

take note when dropping the panel (either side), however, that the sharp corners have the potential to scratch the shit out of the dash and/or steering column, so it would be wise to wrap them in tape while digging around under the dash. my interior needs new paint so i didnt really care if i got some scratches.

also, the BA9S bulbs i used were small enough in diameter to just fit in the 'tight places'--the ignition switch light and the radio lights.

here is a comprehensive list of the BA9S bulbs i installed in the dash:
gauge cluster: 8 bulbs
radio: 2 bulbs
blower knob (non-A/C): 2 bulbs
clock: 1 bulb
headlight switch: 1 bulb
ignition switch light: 1 bulb
glove box: 1 bulb
gear shift indicator dial: 1 bulb

total bulbs used in dash: 17
if you have additional accessories (e.g., courtesy lights, A/C, etc.) you may require different or additional bulbs.

the only interior light i havent replaced is the parking brake warning light, which requires a BA15S base but with a small globe. ill see what i can find for that one.

i finally shot a video of the entire dash illuminated with LEDs: See it here.

it is also worthy to note that since LEDs have less electrical resistance than incandescent bulbs, the rheostat dimmer has little effect on the light level. i did notice, however, when i still had one incandescent bulb in the dash, the LED bulbs dimmed along with the incandescent bulb when adjusting the rheostat.