Cluster Gauge Lights - LED'S

Tedredamphi

Platinum Subscriber
There are probably several posts on replacement bulbs for the Amphicar cluster gauge lights but I though I'd just make a quick post for those that have never done a lot of research.
I just replaced all of my cluster gauge bulbs with bright LED's. I can actually see my red, green, and blue indicator lights in the daylight now. "superbrightleds.com" sells drop in replacements #BA7s for 89 cents to $1.49 depending on color. If you put a red bulb behind your red lenses, green behind green lens, and blue behind the blue lens they will actually be easier to see than if you used white bulbs. Ask the scientists why!!!
Super Bright has a nice website with lots of LED bulb applications. They ship fast too.
Ted
 

jfriese

Active Member
I just checked their website and found that these bulbs will only work on a negative ground vehicle. Just another reason to switch your Amphicar to negative ground. It's not that hard.

John Friese
67 White
67 Red
 
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Tedredamphi

Platinum Subscriber
I've got a negative ground Amphi with an alternator. I didn't even think about the positive ground vehicles. They sure work nice in my negative ground cluster gauge. I've also got a nice negative ground fuel gauge that John Friese converted for me.
Ted
 

Tedredamphi

Platinum Subscriber
Socket.JPG John is probably more of an expert on this than me, but could you use light sockets (10-31-13) for the bulb that you wanted to replace with LED's and just wire them with positive to center electrode connector and negative to side connector? This way I think you could use these bulbs on a Positive Ground Amphicar.
 

LSolheim

Member
JohnF is the expert here, Ted, but I think it would work with those sockets. But remenber, there are also several that ground to the instrument case where it wouldn't work. --Larry
 

Tedredamphi

Platinum Subscriber
I was looking at some of my old gauges and you can replace the grounded sockets with the 10-31-13 sockets. They slide right in.
Ted
 

SNOWBIRD

Amphicar Expert
I have lots of the plastic sockets ion stock.
I have also replaced the lights in Nav. lights with LED in Pos. ground cars. by reversing wires and keeping from touching the car steel. Now you can leave lights on at car shows and not drain battery much.
I think there is a pic in the classified with a dash cluster I replaced the lights completely with new Led's
 

jfriese

Active Member
I bought a couple of sets of the LED bulbs to try them. I personally didn't like the light output as much as the original lamps so I didn't use them. They worked OK though on my negative ground Amphicars. If you switched all the sockets with those double contact versions they should work OK but be careful that you ground the correct side to the body.

John Friese
67 White
67 Red
 

Tedredamphi

Platinum Subscriber
John,
Did you get colored bulbs the same as your lenses or did you just get white lights? I have red bulbs behind my red lenses, blue behind my blue, and green behind my green lens and they light up so well I can see them in daylight where I couldn't see them using the standard bulbs.
Ted
 

jfriese

Active Member
I got the colored light that match the lenses. On these gauges there are originally diffuser screens behind the colored lens. With the diffuser screens in place I didn't think they showed up quite as well. This was done on an extra gauge cluster on my test bench and not directly on my cars. I suspect those diffusers have yellowed quite a bit so I took them out of this extra cluster and the lights were brighter in that condition but I didn't want to go through that hassle on the gauge clusters in my cars. This is hardly a scientific test though and is completely subjective. I also found the white LED's were a bit too "daylight" colored for my taste. Again, this is just a matter of taste and perhaps what I'm used to but I decided to leave the old lamps alone in my cars. I know what you mean though about the old lights not being visible in daylight with the top down but my bench experience didn't make me believe the LED's would be that much brighter. Just an opinion.

John Friese
67 White
67 Red

P.S. I always thought that the high beam light should be the blue one and the generator/alternator light should be the red one. It's not "kosher" Amphicar to have them that way but it's a simple switch of the sockets to do that.
 
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