All LED tail lamps

[coolwind57]

I've got a mess of a lighting situation.

I'd been thinking of the possibility of just ripping out the tail lamp assembly and replacing the opening with a sheet metal base with new universal LED lights installed which are designed as brake/turn signals.

I see these lights at most truck stops and you can get them in a variety of styles. I wonder if a fella could wire them up with the existing Vanagon wiring and have no issues with voltage and flasher speed, etc.

Anyone do this yet?
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1983 Vanagon Diesel L
NA 1.6, 5-speed Manual
Burning Waste Vegetable Oil, baby!!

[Classicvibe]

You should start with tracking down the lighting issue you are having. Depending on where the wiring issue is, you may just be putting a new set of LED lights into the same situation. Do you have any detail on what and where the problem is?
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On a mission, the destination is just an excuse.

Syncro Solstice 2022...see you there!

1986.5 Wolfsburg Syncro Westfalia Poptop Weekender Transporter

[coolwind57]

[Californio]

IIRC there was somebody in the classifieds who's making these up using the OEM plates and lenses. In Oregon I think. Good idea, I've thought about it many times.

[buildyourown]

There is a van here in Seattle that has what you are describing.
Round tail lights in a square sheet metal housing. It looked pimp.

[Terry Kay]

If your looking for front turn signal bulbs holder's I have several in like new condtion.
The ticket here is to slap the outside & the inside of the bulb holder & bulb base full of di electric grease.

It'll slow down the rusting of the bulb holder contact area for some time to come.

The front T/S bulbs holder's are No Longer Available from VW.
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T.K.

[doyll]

Mate of mine changed his rear lights:
http://forum.club8090.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=45350&hilit=lights
Not led, but gives an idea of what it might look like

[tozovr]

One thing to consider when doing this mod is the stock reflectors. By law, the rear of every vehicle needs some amount of reflector. by going LED, you often lose a bunch. If your State inspection is a tough one, that may be an issue, but the safety factor is there in that LEDs will likely be brighter. you may just have to add the reflective strips like you see on landscape trailers etc.
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...like a young Julie Andrews all whacked out on PCP, kinda fun but kinda scary too

'83 1.6TD
DX 5 Speed
"Whistler"
www.sinisterbikes.com

[RGS Paul]

There are also companies that make boards of LED's that you could probably put in place behind the stock lenses. Check out Superbright LED's to see what I mean, they are the PCB Series Lamps. I looked at doing this and came to the conclusion that it wasn't interesting enough for me to follow, bulbs suit me just fine. I have considered going to a Land Rover/G-Wagen style light housing instead of the stock VW one, bigger more simple lenses for people to see.

One suggestion, don't rush this and hack at it with what you can find at the truck stop. Take the time to really engineer a solution otherwise it will be a nightmare. Tail lights are kind of important, don't want to get smacked up the rear!

Have fun,

Paul
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'87 Syncro 7-Pass. Adventure Touring Vehicle
"Simplicate, then add lightness." Colin Chapman

[danfromsyr]

My brother did this with his van (wiring was burnt from engine fire anyways) and it's the SHYT for night & rain & fog and anytime visibility is limited.
there's just NO SUBSTITUTE for better rear visibility on these vans, they are far to precious for some latte drinking cell phone using distracted parent with a dog on their lap to miss that on a rainy/snowy/foggy night

Especially with a few of the stock van colors that just dissapear on a wet night.

I added small LED red rear marker/clearance lights to mom's Bronze gold metallic westy to improve night time visibility. and will be doing the 4" round dual/quad LED tailight upgrade this summer.

the light output from my brother's is brilliant during daylight. you certainly get the attention.
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[JeffRobenolt]

Cmon Dan, we need pics!!
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For OEM Subaru and SixStar parts and harness modications
AVsubaruconversions.com

[deusexmaxima]

I cant believe no one has made LED tails for the Vanagon.

[911pickup]

Just because the bulbs are LED doesn't mean they will be brighter. Here' a quote from Superbrightled.com:

Brightness of LED Car Bulbs

Standard LED bulbs are generally not as bright as standard incandescent bulbs, they have many advantages over filament bulbs (longer life, faster on/off times, lower power consumption, more vivid colors) but brightness is not one of them. They are generally not as bright but some of them with large numbers of LEDs, will appear brighter than filament bulbs. As an exception, our High Power LED car bulbs are as bright or brighter than most standard filament car bulbs. The light is distributed differently so they can appear brighter in some applications and not as bright in others, it depends on the size and shape of the bulb housing and reflector.

[danfromsyr]