LED Replacements

[gallegos67]

Anyone know of an easy way to put led dash lights in.
I have an 86 LTD Crown Vic
I was debating on lighting them up with a 8in led bar mounted inside.
Or are there easy replacement bulbs out there?
I'm not worried about dimming, because I'm pretty sure no one dims their gauges, I know I don't and never have needed to unless I was bored and playing with it.

[VicCrownVic]

Search for 194 LED bulbs when looking for bulbs, you'll find direct replacement LEDs for your cluster.
I got mine from ebay, I know others have recommended another site that I can't seem to find right now (superbriteleds.com I think).

I have more detail in another thread, including a link from another member (85crownHPP) with a lot of good info, and I also have pics of my dash in that thread.

If you are thinking of going with colored LEDs you may need to open up the cluster and remove the filters (they look like blue domes, only on 89- models) depending on the color you go with. Red for sure will not work with the filters in, but white, blue, and probably green should be fine.

[VicCrownVic]

This thread:
http://www.grandmarq.net/vb/showthre...t-panel-lights
had mention of the site I was thinking of that someone else had mentioned: http://www.superbrightleds.com/

[85crownHPP]

Bulb replacement is definitely easy and the way to go. Remove the color filters from inside the cluster (you have to disassemble it, its not too bad) and choose your color. I suppose you could just poke the filter caps loose and leave them inside the cluster, it probably wont hurt anything. Freeing the cluster from the speedo cable is the tricky part, you have to squeeze it just right.
For 90-91 cars its not so simple.

Make sure you get bulb replacements that shine the bulk of their light sideways, since the older clusters are 'shine-around' illumination.

[VicCrownVic]

...Freeing the cluster from the speedo cable is the tricky part, you have to squeeze it just right.
For 90-91 cars its not so simple.
...

I forgot about that mechanical speedo cable, it always gives me a hard time. Although I haven't worked with the older clusters (while it's still in a car) in quite some time.
<threadjack>
I actually find working with the newer cluster much easier, unless the difficult part is in reference to putting whatever color you want in, but I'm getting slightly off topic.
</threadjack>

[BuffaloRider]

+1 on everything vic and pete said. The only thing I can add is that if you're going to switch out the climate control bulb as well make sure the led's you have are the same length or shorter than the bulbs because it took some fuckin with to get mine to fit. And putting a led strip inside the cluster would probably be more trouble than just replacing the bulbs.

[sly]

194 socket adapter... glue strip behind filters... remove filters... plug in... profit