LED Light Bulbs

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  • #235435
    davearoy
    Participant

    @davearoy

    Has anyone tried using LED light bulbs? I will be adding a third brake light using a sealed LED bulb unit that I found at Walmart for $18. I will have to get creative for the mount to be taller then my spare tire. Thanks for the feed back guys.

    Dave

    Dave
    Lakeland, Florida, where we drive Topless every day

    #261773
    Dave B.
    Participant

    @dave-b

    Dave,

    Obviously, if you’ve decided to add a third brake light, you’ve come to terms with the fact that it’s not “authentic,” whatever that means.  Several years ago I replace the lights on my boat trailer with LEDs and I’ve always felt it was a wise move.  One of the great things about LEDs is that they draw so little current and you might get away without having to beef up the wiring to accommodate the additional amperage.  I wish you success.

    -Dave

    #261774
    davearoy
    Participant

    @davearoy

    Thanks for your thoughts Dave. One of my MG Car Club friends bought LED bulbs from Moss, for his original MGTC. He paid $26 per bulb. I am thinking an auto parts store, or maybe “Batteries Plus” store. They sure are a lot brighter, and yes use less current and last forever.

    Dave

    Dave
    Lakeland, Florida, where we drive Topless every day

    #261775
    Dave B.
    Participant

    @dave-b

    Back in the late ’80’s I bought a ’78 VW camper.  I got the brilliant idea to add a third brake light, since all the new cars at that point were equipped with them.  Maybe a month or so after I added the extra light, I got rear-ended.  Go figure.

    #261776
    edward ericson
    Participant

    @edsnova

    I used a single trailer light mounted atop the license plate bracket. Can’t hurt, I figure. It’s a plain 2-filament bulb that lights with the headlights and lights even more with the brake lights. 

    I’ve not yet been impressed with leds for this application.
    #261777
    billnparts
    Participant

    @billnparts

    I had originally used the lamp from a GEO Tracker mounted to a simple bent piece of flat aluminum. After the repainting I now have an LED as the center cap of the wire cover on the spare tire.

    Bill Ascheman
    Fiberfab Ford
    Modified 5.0, 5sp., 4:11
    Autocross & Hillclimb
    "Drive Happy"

    #261778
    davearoy
    Participant

    @davearoy

    Thanks for your comments on a LED third brake light. I will share my experience when I get it installed.

    Dave

    Dave
    Lakeland, Florida, where we drive Topless every day

    #261779
    Bill Gould
    Participant

    @texag71

    Ed: Could you post a photo or two of your center brake light arrangement? I was thinking along those lines, but haven’t found quite what I want.

    1981 Lafer TI
    1600 cc Type 1 engine

    #261780
    edward ericson
    Participant

    @edsnova

    #261781
    Bill Gould
    Participant

    @texag71

    Hey, thanks! I think you’ve posted those before, now that I see them (again). Nice job on the TD logo. Thumbs Up

    1981 Lafer TI
    1600 cc Type 1 engine

    #261782
    edward ericson
    Participant

    @edsnova

    Thanks. The trailer light bolts to a 3″ piece of holed angle steel like you’d use to hold the tracks for your garage door. Steel bolts to the license plate bracket. Wires are spliced into the driver’s brake light wire.

    #261783
    davearoy
    Participant

    @davearoy

    Thanks for the picture of your third brake light. I will try your idea out.

    Dave

    Dave
    Lakeland, Florida, where we drive Topless every day

    #261784
    edward ericson
    Participant

    @edsnova

    Correction/update: Mine just lights with brakes, not parking lights.

    #261785
    HappyJack
    Participant

    @happyjack

    I took Ed’s idea and ran with it, with my own twist (naturally — none of us will ever do anything exactly like some other club member – or any one else for that matter…..!!!)

     Since the standard tail lights on the BCW kit are “original” meaning “Dim and hard to see” I wanted to add a 3rd brake light.
    I found a New Old Stock license plate/brake/stop light on ebay for around $20.  So I took off the chrome license plate light and installed this one instead.
    Now I can be seen and the install was pretty easy…as to the LED bulbs — I think the problem with these old lamp holders is the reflectivity of the unit, not the lumen output of the bulb. So changing out the bulbs for LED bulbs may not make that much difference in light output.  So on this car, I’ll stick with the stock 12v incandescent bulbs.
    Thanks Ed for the idea……!!!!!
    Jack
    #261786
    Dave B.
    Participant

    @dave-b

    Nice job.  Really looks like it belongs there.

    #261787
    edward ericson
    Participant

    @edsnova

    Yeah that’s much neater than mine Jack. Great thinking.:-)

    #261788
    billnparts
    Participant

    @billnparts

    Very good idea.

    Bill Ascheman
    Fiberfab Ford
    Modified 5.0, 5sp., 4:11
    Autocross & Hillclimb
    "Drive Happy"

    #261789
    KentT
    Participant

    @kentt

    billnparts wrote:
    Very good idea.

    Yes it is — and relatively simple, which I like…

    Early FF TDr on 69 VW pan
    Slowly coming back from the ashes...

    #261790
    Paul Mossberg
    Keymaster

    @pmossberg

    This is another great option.

    I’ve seen cheaper ones (see below), but the retro look around the third brake light is a nice touch:
     
     
     
    A $20 option at Amazon:
     
     
     

    PMOSSBERG2014-10-29 10:03:57

    Paul Mossberg
    Former Owner of a 1981 Classic Roadsters Ltd. Duchess (VW)
    2005 Intermeccanica Roadster

    If you own a TDr and are not in the Registry, please go to https://tdreplica.com/forums/topic/mg-td-replica-registry/ and register (you need to copy and paste the link)

    #261791
    billnparts
    Participant

    @billnparts

    Gee thanks, Paul. Now I’ve ordered something else from Amazon.

    Bill Ascheman
    Fiberfab Ford
    Modified 5.0, 5sp., 4:11
    Autocross & Hillclimb
    "Drive Happy"

    #261792
    Rosebud and Bill
    Participant

    @rosebud-and-bill

    I just ordered this one from RODWORX.  Says it has 12 LED’s, hope it is brigter.  I’ll let you know how it works.  I think I’ll mount it upside down to get the LED’s up on top, easier to be seen.  Thanks for the lead to this company.

     
     
    Bill
    Chrome License Plate Frame with 12
     
    (#37947) Chrome plated license plate frame features 12 inch SAE/DOT compliant LED light with 19 super bright red LEDs which add incredible visibility to the vehicle. Makes an awesome attention grabbing 3rd brake light.

    Price: $37.95

     
     

    Bad Bill

    #261793
    Paul Mossberg
    Keymaster

    @pmossberg

    My work here is done. I’ve created enough economic stimulus for one day. Star

     
    Bad Bill…does the one you ordered have license plate lights also? I like the large array of reds. I suspect it is pictured as it is because it relies on the car’s license plate light.

    PMOSSBERG2014-10-29 17:47:26

    Paul Mossberg
    Former Owner of a 1981 Classic Roadsters Ltd. Duchess (VW)
    2005 Intermeccanica Roadster

    If you own a TDr and are not in the Registry, please go to https://tdreplica.com/forums/topic/mg-td-replica-registry/ and register (you need to copy and paste the link)

    #261794
    Rosebud and Bill
    Participant

    @rosebud-and-bill

    I’ll let you know when I receive it, my guess is that there is no license plate light.

     
    Bill

    Bad Bill

    #261795
    HappyJack
    Participant

    @happyjack

    I really like the one that Bad Bill found.  But I also like the retro-look one – wonder how bright it is…???

    I still need something for Abby and these look like good possibilities.  If I got one like Bad Bill ordered and by mounting it as shown (LEDs at the bottom) I would preserve the existing license plate white light — and more importantly, I would not have to figure out what to do to patch up the holes left in the license plate mounting bracket that would be left on removing the existing light assembly.
    Looking forward to finding out just how bright this turns out to be……so Bad Bill, please post your “brightness” experience after you’ve mounted the frame and used it for a while.
     
    #261796
    billnparts
    Participant

    @billnparts

    Just received a notice of a new line of LED’s that aren’t just for show.

    http://www.usa.philips.com/c-m-li/Vision-led.html

    http://www.usa.philips.com/content/dam/b2c/category-pages/lighting/vision-led/master/pdf/PL1558_LED-Retrofit_Applications_Interactive_2015.pdf

    Might have to try them.
    PMOSSBERG2015-05-30 16:30:45

    Bill Ascheman
    Fiberfab Ford
    Modified 5.0, 5sp., 4:11
    Autocross & Hillclimb
    "Drive Happy"

Viewing 25 posts - 1 through 25 (of 41 total)
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