'40 tail light bulbs OEM 6V to LED Conversion

G

Gene's 40

Member
Do I need to make any mods to convert to LED tail lights ? What are sources for LED bulbs ?
Thanks in advance !
Gene Talley
Hixson. TN
 
Do a search on amazon. Just make sure of the correct Bayonet base, whether it is single or dual contact and of the locking tabs are offset or parallel. Also make sure they are non polarity.
 
might want to take notice of their overall length too. i bought a set (for the front) that were too long...very disappointed as they tested out well enough and then when putting on the lenses, the you-know-what hit the fan... :(

can't tell you how much money i've spent and wasted. about half the time. on LED dash bulbs, LED turn signal bulbs, LED tail lights, and LED headlight bulbs over the years, but it's a lot! i keep on roll'n sevens!
 
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I had the same problem trying to put them in the cowl lamps on my 33. They were too long and hit the lens.
 
Here are pics of my '40 comparing incandescent (first pic) to LED (second pic). I could not see a diff. with the LED I got.
The '40 has the additional problem that the taillight lense faces the sky.
 

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I agree with Jay, I do not think LED's are any better. They tend to send out light in only one direction while an 1157 style bulb is nearly spherical in light production. The biggest improvement I have seen in old car tail lights comes from painting the housings white inside combined with a spherical light source to brightly light up all that white paint and reflect it on through the red glass lens.
 
there are some LED bulbs that are purposely made to match the luminosity of the incandescent bulbs that they are intended to replace. no question...
 
On my 35, I soldered wires to the side of the bulb sockets and ran them to a good ground on the frame. Also painted the inside white.
 
The main advantage I found with LEDs is fewer amps draw, especially with brake lights. They are not always brighter. It depends on the color and density of the lens.
 
I found that the lenses with the led bulbs that were made in the lenses were most visible. there are several suppliers of this type.
 

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40cpe said:
I found that the lenses with the led bulbs that were made in the lenses were most visible. there are several suppliers of this type.
Click to expand...
Problem with those is, you can spot them twenty feet away as a not-correct aftermarket item. That would not bother some of us; function is more important. But my car is original as I can keep it. It does bother me.
 
After posting on this thread I took a look and compared both styles and thought the incandescent bulbs, with the housings painted flat white, look brighter on the brake lights.
 
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