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Tue Mar 16, 2004 5:37 am

Has anyone tried LED lamps in the tail lights of their 6 volt car?

They have to be brighter than the stock bulbs in Splits and Ovals.

Tue Mar 16, 2004 5:38 am

can u go for a set of halogen bulbs? they'll b even brither than led's

Tue Mar 16, 2004 5:41 am

philip1 wrote: can u go for a set of halogen bulbs? they'll b even brither than led's

Do they make 6 volt halogen and what about the heat?

Tue Mar 16, 2004 8:13 am

We tried the LED replacement bulbs here. They were dimmer than a regular light bulb, unless you squatted down so the LED was pointing straight at you. Very disappointing. They don't make any use of the reflector in the taillight housing and appear very dim.

I never got around to trying them in the early taillight housings that have the "honeycomb" reflector though. I don't know if that would make them work better or not.

Tue Mar 16, 2004 1:25 pm

A friend tried them in his 56-61 tail lights and said you could hardly see them at a slight angle, but get down low directly in line, they were ok. Overall a bad idea since they are less visible than ordinary bulbs.

Tue Mar 16, 2004 1:48 pm

I was just thinking about those LEDs,my 63 is coverted 12volt you can see the tail lites but i figured the bighter the beter.That would suck to finish your project and some jack ass does,nt see you and runs right in the back of you :( .I just saw a third brake lite that goes under the popes nose on th decklid where the license plste lite goes.Im not sure if that would stand out like a sorr thumb or non :?

Tue Mar 16, 2004 2:32 pm

bk63rag wrote: That would suck to finish your project and some jack ass does,nt see you and runs right in the back of you :( .

Happened to me.

Bought my first bug when I was in 7th grade. Worked on it with my dad and got the full resto done a few months after high school graduation. 6 months later, I was rear ended while sitting at another accident by a cavalier doing 60mph.

Oh yea, I mounted a bright third brake light below the rear window too. Fat lot of good that did me.

Wed Mar 17, 2004 11:38 am

I put them in my 59 bus and with the lens it they are very bright. I am happy with them.

Wed Mar 17, 2004 12:07 pm

What do they look like when you are standing at about a 45º angle say 20-30' out?

Wed Sep 01, 2004 7:21 am

You have to use the good ones from radiantz or cutom dynamics.The cheap ones are just that, cheap.

Wed Sep 01, 2004 1:25 pm

I'm working on this already for my zwit. 52 Degree White LEDs in an array. One set for tail, the other for brake, bundled. I'll post pics when I have the prototype done. But if you buy the narrow beam LEDs
you'll have to be somewhat directly behind them, as the previous post indicates. 3000 MCD Ultra Brite whites, $2.00 / a piece or so.

:-)

Wed Sep 01, 2004 1:56 pm

LEDs usually use regulators to provide the working voltage. There are many different versions of LEDs with many different difusion characteristics and voltage requirements. If they use regulators, they should work fine with a 6V input.

Wed Sep 01, 2004 2:02 pm

I'm actually breadboarding a step-down with a fold back isolation circuit
so it can take 6-9V input and output 5V. I'm trying now how to figure
to fold it up inside the housing or to locate it in a box under the front hood.

:-?

I've based it on a typical 12V circuit. (Nice to have the old EE cookbooks)

Wed Sep 01, 2004 2:31 pm

If you are using an IC regulator, make sure it is capable of handling twice the input voltage you are using. This goes for filtering caps if you are using them too. This way, the circuit will last.

Wed Sep 01, 2004 7:03 pm

Either that or I go with the old resistor route... Since it's a zwit, I
only have to have two circuits, one for running and one for brake. The semaphores are already "hardwired."