6 volt dash bulb #357 in 1940 dash

L78CHEVELLE

L78CHEVELLE

Senior Member
I want to change my 6 volt #51 one candle power bulbs to a brighter bulb for the 1940 dash instrument panel. The 57 bulb used in the clock and park light is about 3 candle power but the bulb globe or glass head is too large for the instrument panel bulb opening and affects the speedometer needle. A shop that sells 6 volt bulbs told me GE and another company makes a 357 bulb that is three candle power and has the same globe size as the #51 bulb, but he does not carry those brands. Any one have a source or experience with this situation?
 
Think I have #63 bulbs in mine. Also, try bypassing the rheostat and you'll probably see a noticeable difference.
 
The 357 bulb is a new type bulb not available back in the day. It has the same size as the one candle #51 bulb, but the three candle power of the larger #57 bulb.
 
L78CHEVELLE said:
I want to change my 6 volt #51 one candle power bulbs to a brighter bulb for the 1940 dash instrument panel. The 57 bulb used in the clock and park light is about 3 candle power but the bulb globe or glass head is too large for the instrument panel bulb opening and affects the speedometer needle. A shop that sells 6 volt bulbs told me GE and another company makes a 357 bulb that is three candle power and has the same globe size as the #51 bulb, but he does not carry those brands. Any one have a source or experience with this situation?
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#53 is the same size as 51 but two candle power. sometimes a #55 will fit but slightly larger dia.. Napa Auto Parts has them
 
I tried the LED bulbs in the dash and they are not any brighter, they put out a white blueish light, and the light is a straight bean almost like a laser beam. I like the look of the original bulbs just not enough light.
 
I modified mine for the larger bulbs. Makes tremendous difference. The modification will work on the Deluxe instrument panel but not the standard . I will try to get some pics posted tomorrow.
 
I went to the local NAPA dealer and ask about the #53 bulbs. The man worked on this for about fifteen minutes and the final results is all #53 bulbs are now 12 volt and the only 6 volt bulbs left that are close are number #51 at 1 candle power and the #55 at two candle power. NAPA did have the #51 bulbs in stock and not the #55. I ordered some that should be in Thursday. I saw another listing for the #51 and the #55 bulbs on another site and they list both bulbs as 3/4 inch tall. If that size is a uniform size then the NAPA #55 bulbs should be a 100% increase in out put. I will post the results. One thing before I go the #57 bulbs will go into one side of the speedometer cluster but on my car the speedometer face is pushed in and the needle hangs. Globe on the #57 bulb is taller and will not fit properly for smooth operation of the speedometer on any of my '40 Fords.
 
L78CHEVELLE said:
I went to the local NAPA dealer and ask about the #53 bulbs. The man worked on this for about fifteen minutes and the final results is all #53 bulbs are now 12 volt and the only 6 volt bulbs left that are close are number #51 at 1 candle power and the #55 at two candle power. NAPA did have the #51 bulbs in stock and not the #55. I ordered some that should be in Thursday. I saw another listing for the #51 and the #55 bulbs on another site and they list both bulbs as 3/4 inch tall. If that size is a uniform size then the NAPA #55 bulbs should be a 100% increase in out put. I will post the results. One thing before I go the #57 bulbs will go into one side of the speedometer cluster but on my car the speedometer face is pushed in and the needle hangs. Globe on the #57 bulb is taller and will not fit properly for smooth operation of the speedometer on any of my '40 Fords.
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You are correct that the larger bulb pushes on the speedo face. What I did was remove the face and put a hole in the speedo face to give a relief for the larger bulbs. When the plastic goes back on its all concealed , thats why it doesnt work on a standard cluster. Its wonderful at night that you can actually see the speedometer and gauges.
 
I modified the instrument panel sockets so I could take out the #51 1CP bulb and replace it with a #55 2CP so the bulb glass would not bottom out. Had to unsolder the wire in the socket and push in the socket it self about 3/16 ". I fit in the shank of a drill bit that was just the right size. Then used a ***** punch to indent the socket again so it wouldn't move back again. This made it look like the clock socket and the 41 Ford instrument sockets.

Even though the clock had the 2CP it wasn't very bright. So I removed the box enclosure on the back of the clock and painted it white inside and now the clock is lit up very bright.

Another thing is that I squirted some CRC (WD40 should work too) into the dimmer rheostat and now it works like new again. I do leave it on high any way.

peteva
 
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