LED brake lights update

Lawson Cox

Lawson Cox

Well-known member
I have decided to just stick with incandescent bulbs for brake lights. WAY TOO MUCH HASSLE.

I ordered what I thought was the correct bulbs, but they were double contact.

I then ordered the single contact bulb, which is what I need for my 35. Single contact bulbs arrived but didn't work. I ordered replacements, and they didn't work either. 4 bulbs in a row couldn't be bad, or could they?

I called Steiner and the tech guy said to run another ground to the socket on the single contact bulbs with alligator clips, that the double contact was providing the ground. I did that at several locations. No help.

For what it's worth, the double contact bulbs DO WORK. Other single contact bulbs, both LED and incandescent, work fine so it ain't the ground to the socket.

SUGGESTIONS? I'm about to lose my religion.
 
If you have positive ground, your problem may be current direction. LEDs are diodes so they allow current to go only go in only one direction.
 
Never thought of that, and apparently neither did the tech guy. I'll check with Steiner tech guy again. I think they show this bulb to NOT be polarity sensitive. HOWEVER, I'm gonna stick with the way Henry built it on these bulbs.

Thanks Pete and Eagle43. (As you can probably tell, I flunked High School "Radio and electricity".
 
Lawson, you should be able to check to see if the bulb is polarity sensitive with and ohm meter. Continuity (short), as seen on the meter in one direction, reverse the leads of the meter and no continuity (open).

But yeah, just "stick with the way Henry built it." Paint the inside reflectors white....
 
Lawson Cox said:
Never thought of that, and apparently neither did the tech guy. I'll check with Steiner tech guy again. I think they show this bulb to NOT be polarity sensitive. HOWEVER, I'm gonna stick with the way Henry built it on these bulbs.

Thanks Pete and Eagle43. (As you can probably tell, I flunked High School "Radio and electricity".
Click to expand...

I found some 6 Volt positive ground LED bulbs on AliExpress. They have both 1156s and 1157s in amber, red and white. They sell for about $5 each including shipping from China and they are super bright. I'm using amber for the front (clear lenses) and white on the back (red lenses) on my 1952 F1. They also sell 6 Volt negative ground bulbs and I've just ordered some for my 1926 Chevy and my 1929 Whippet.
 
Most of the tail lights I have seen, except 32, use one light bulb, with a double contact. One contact is for the running tail light and the second is for the brake light. Both contacts use the shell of the bulb as common ground.
 
I actually took apart an LED light bulb designed to work in the 4 volt ranges.
1) the are polarity specific meaning neg ground
2) they have a current limiting resistor in series with the LED (not all led bulbs will necessarily have the current limiting resistor but I would expect most will)
3 I hope too come up with an easy option to modify dash lighting with bright leds so I’ll let you guys know if I’m successful

Bob
 
Me too on the cup cake liners in tail lights in my '37. fit perfect in tail light bucket.concentrates and facites the light. Tom.
 
I tied some inmy 52 Vic, didn't work 4 me either. Put a 3rd light in the back window, it got attention.
 
Yep,also like mfirth i used the led brakelighter kit in my '37. it really does work for most distracted idiots.
 
mfirth said:
I tied some inmy 52 Vic, didn't work 4 me either. Put a 3rd light in the back window, it got attention.
Click to expand...

Almost all the LED light bulbs offered for sale are negative ground which almost all cars use. For the "positive ground" Fords you need to buy LEDs that are specifically sold as "positive ground" or they won't work. LEDs are the way to go if you can since they produce a lot more light and a lot less heat and use less amps.
 
My two cents, white reflects better than the chrome or silver reflectors. If you think about it, what do all building lights have for background, white. I make my cupcake reflectors out of white paper.
 
yo,fortyfords, why i use reynolds bright shiny cup cake liners unlike building lighting which have white back round they in turn do not have to project the light through a thick red lens. all automotive tail lights have either a pillowed,or mirrored reflector. respecfully, Tom.
 
Got 6 volt LEDs in my 40. Taillights,license plate light ,parking lights,dash lights & dome lights.
 

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Ronnie

Thks for the link ordered 4 dash lights and 2 rear lights fiqured I would give them a shot will let you know but based on the description they should
 
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