LED tail lights on the cheap

[JonM934]

So I was wanting to put LED bulbs in the rear tail lights and I wondered if I could just replace the bulbs. So I took apart one tail light and I was surprised to find it was half LED already.

BTW, if you want to take apart the tail light to replace the bulbs, you just loosen the straight head screws along the outside - not the Phillips screws in the middle. And the straight head screws are trapped so they do not get lost. So just turn each screw about 4 turns until it is loose but trapped. Then take off the cover and the 6 screws will stay with the cover.



Inside I found two incandescent bulbs and two LED lights. I am guessing that the two bulbs are for the running lights and the brake lights. It looks like the bottom row of LEDs are infrared and that seems to agree with the fact that the bottom lens appears to be not transparent. Although the military likes to paint everything so maybe it is intended to be a clear lens and someone just painted over it.



The two bulbs seem to be common and I found them both on Amazon. If you just want straight incandescent replacements then search for CEC Industries #623 Bulbs (box of 10 for $9) and Ml-1683 Bulb (box of 10 for $22). Both bulbs are 24 volt.



I ordered some LED equivalents and I will try them out and see how/if they work. I will update this thread with the results.

FYI, both bulbs have two filaments but one electrical contact. I am guessing they use two filaments to make the bulb more rugged. One of my bulbs was labeled made in Taiwan so not everything on this truck is made in the USA!

Here it is with the bulbs in there.

 

[Bulldogger]

As I recall, the lower lamps are for blackout and backup lights. They should NOT be painted over, though you will likely never use blackout lights.
BDGR

 

[microjeep]

The lower ones are blackout park/running lights and blackout turn/stop no backup bulbs

 

[papakb]

I'm still looking for a 10-30v LED lamp to replace the #303 running lamps in the composite taillights. Every LED that I've found is too bright. Is the only answer to paint them?

 

[Crapgame]

I'm still looking for a 10-30v LED lamp to replace the #303 running lamps in the composite taillights. Every LED that I've found is too bright. Is the only answer to paint them?

How bright are these LEDs? Bright enough to use in the Blackout marker and Blackout BrakeLight sockets as backup/reverse lights?

 

[chrisjackson]

Very good and inexpensive LED lights installed on a Jeep wrangler. I previously ordered 39 LED lights from eBay which were more expensive and neither light

 

[MarcusOReallyus]

I'm still looking for a 10-30v LED lamp to replace the #303 running lamps in the composite taillights. Every LED that I've found is too bright. Is the only answer to paint them?

LEDs should be purchased to match the color of the lens where they will be used. For brake lights, buy red LEDs, for amber turn signals, buy amber LEDs.

If you buy white LEDs and put them behind RED lenses, you'll have a pink light.

LED Car Bulb FAQ & Notes | Super Bright LEDs

www.superbrightleds.com

 

[gingwhaa]

I found the small button led lights in motorcycle kits work well on 24 volt for under dash lighting and running lights. I had a bunch from putting street legal kits on quads, and just tried it out....

 

[tobyS]

Im using a really cheap housing and replacing the 1056 incandescent with LED from SuperbrightLED. Each light is then a high and low.

Note if you replace the military light, the view position is from the top, not the sides. Mine view from the sides. While I bought steel, there are stainless of this style too.

I have a 3 wire SO wire going to each light from a control box, so can strobe, fade or just act as normal on my deuce.....as it's very slow on the highway.

 

[Mullaney]

Im using a really cheap housing and replacing the 1056 incandescent with LED from SuperbrightLED. Each light is then a high and low.

Note if you replace the military light, the view position is from the top, not the sides. Mine view from the sides. While I bought steel, there are stainless of this style too.

I have a 3 wire SO wire going to each light from a control box, so can strobe, fade or just act as normal on my deuce.....as it's very slow on the highway.

Toby,

Any particular kind of control box that is better than another? I wired up a string of small strobes (look like marker lights) and to be honest I don't know what I expected - but all ten of them are just "doing their thing". There is no reasoning or sequence to when they blink. Some are faster than others in their on/off sequence. Don't know that all the spastic blinking is bad, but I have seen some that look very "organized" with the left on, right off, then repeat... The way I have it wired it looks like a Christmas tree with a blinker in every bulb in the string.

Tim

 

[tobyS]

My control box is home made and is mostly a junction box where I use the various sources, running, stop turn backup feeds in. I don't have it all worked out, but I will have 8 rear lights, each having high and low in a dedicated electric line (3wires) to each. One set is work lights.

Watch the video on superbrightLED to see the simple controls and patterns that I will switch in or out with remote switches. like one switch brings in a high fade from side to side while the low stays on as a marker on the same light. The combinations with these extremely simple controls, combined with 24 D.C. relays, is unlimited, but it requires a line for each circuit. I use the green for the common and have the black as hot for high and white as positive for low. Hope that makes sense.

 

[charlesmann]

A little old of a thread, but since i couldn't find 24V incandescent bulbs at the parts stores, i figured id buy a pack 12v (figuring they were multi-voltage) LEDs for the rear. I got the LED version of the 1156, installed in my park/run sockets and, well, the results were 50/50. The right side so far still lights up, but the left side, not so much, it melted and drooped down enough to touch the stop/turn bulb.

I too am looking for an LED replacement multi-voltage bulb, and it looks like superbrightleds.com has them. Will order them in a couple weeks and see how they do.

 

[Mullaney]

A little old of a thread, but since i couldn't find 24V incandescent bulbs at the parts stores, i figured id buy a pack 12v (figuring they were multi-voltage) LEDs for the rear. I got the LED version of the 1156, installed in my park/run sockets and, well, the results were 50/50. The right side so far still lights up, but the left side, not so much, it melted and drooped down enough to touch the stop/turn bulb.

I too am looking for an LED replacement multi-voltage bulb, and it looks like superbrightleds.com has them. Will order them in a couple weeks and see how they do.

.
I have purchased several "Civy" bulbs from the SuperBrightLEDs.com and they have done a good job of responding to an order. Quick shipping and the bulbs arrive packed well to survive shipping.

 

[papakb]

Still after some LOW INTENSITY LEDs that will operate 10-30 volts and fit BA11s sockets. Everything I'm finding is too bright.