Either bulbs or complete systems.

Now that I am near to having my FGF back on the road, I wondering about the lighting levels in our tailights. It's pretty dismal (compared to today's cars) and the safety factor is haunting me.

For just bulb changeouts:

1) Did you use red or while lights?

2) Did really make a difference?

3) Did you have to change the flashers?

For complete systems:

1) Are they a fairly straight forward install?

2) Is there any concern about "hacking" up the rear wiring harness?

3) What did you do about the backup light?

4) Did you need to replace the flashers?

I put them in my Chevy truck. To answer you questions.

You should use bulbs that emit the color of the lens.
The standard ones are not as bright as the regular bulbs, unless you go with the 3 watt design(very expensive).
You need to change out the flasher.

Here is the site I bought from.

http://www.superbrightleds.com/led_prods.htm

It has answers to all the questions you may have additionally.

Instead of going LED, I removed the tail lamp lenses and put a reflective tape on the inside of the housing to help direct light out. Seemed to improve the brighness a little bit.

Consider carefully, the install in my truck, tail/brake and front marker/turnsignals with new flasher ran about 100 bucks for all parts.

Thanks for the input. The reflective tape idea sounds like a good place to start.

The difference in the light reflected off my garage doors when I step on the brakes between our late model cars and my 'Bird is unbelievable.

I have replaced EVERY last wiring harness in my Firebird with new and I have a real aversion for any major hacking up of the new harnesses. I thought about just throwing to old junky tailight harness back on and hack it up, but then I realized I would have to drop the gas tank again. No thanks.

All the bulbs they make are plug-n-play, so you shouldn't have to cut anything up.

Chaulk it up to modern technology, 40 years ago they were probably the brightest on the street.

I also used a plastic polish on the lenses while they were apart, it returned some clarity to them.

If anybody else shares this problem - I did some surfing over at Team Camaro and found something else that is probably going to help:

2357 bulbs are higher powered direct replacements for 1157's. 40 candlepower vs 32.

I was looking at a "super" 50 watt dual filiment bulb until I found the warning about "do not use with plastic sockets".

I polished my lenses and repainted the the interior (and exterior) of the housings. I think they are now as bright as any other car on the road. (for their size)

Hi salmon38

Give me a PM with your email address and I will send a very good detailed LED automotive catalog in PDF format. The catalog has every type of replacement LED and how bright it will shine. It is a great resource to have.

They have flashers to support the LED bulbs, you can resurch the options. I plan to upgrade to LED's were possible.

Bob…..

I would have to say get the complete system, not the bulbs. The problem with using just LED "bulbs" is that most designs of them don't reflect backwards into the mirrored part of the tail lights making them less visible during the day than a standard bulb.


LED bulb on the left, incandescent 3157 light bulb on the right, see the difference?


But the complete LED tail lights are bright and have a lot more LEDs spread throughout the tail light.

I did the reflective chrome tape install along with 2357 bulbs and that made a huge difference.

Several years ago when I refurbished the lights, (long before I have gotten it back on the road) I got roped into some kind of "super" bulbs where the glass has a reflective bluish tint to them. I'm thinking fake HID looking?

Anyway, it turns out those bulbs were duller than $@#%&*$ when lit.

A local company was clearing inventory and I picked up the LED tail light package from Spaghetti Engineering for my 68 coup ($150 regular $350). I put the panels in but due to the previous owner having changed/butchered the car's wiring, I had a sterio shop, that does alot of installs on older cars, make it work. After a couple of relays and phone calls to their help line, lights work perfect - very bright and reliable (old sockets were always popping loose). Did not need a new flasher.

I have't installed mine yet, but I think I paid over $200 for mine. So you can imagine how much I hate you right now.

Agreed. If I goes that route in the future, I will put in the Spaghetti boards.