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EFV-8 Club Forum / General Ford Discussion / 12V taillight in 6V car

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Posted By Discussion Topic: 12V taillight in 6V car -- page: 1 2     JIMMY46COUPE 01-07-2010 @ 5:57 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 16 Joined: Nov 2009 pic 7.....promise I will not do this to you guys again. Happy New Year JIMMY46COUPE JIMMY46COUPE 01-07-2010 @ 5:54 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 16 Joined: Nov 2009 pic 6 JIMMY46COUPE JIMMY46COUPE 01-07-2010 @ 5:54 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 16 Joined: Nov 2009 pic 5 JIMMY46COUPE JIMMY46COUPE 01-07-2010 @ 5:53 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 16 Joined: Nov 2009 pic 4 JIMMY46COUPE JIMMY46COUPE 01-07-2010 @ 5:53 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 16 Joined: Nov 2009 Pic 3 JIMMY46COUPE JIMMY46COUPE 01-07-2010 @ 5:52 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 16 Joined: Nov 2009 Pic 2 JIMMY46COUPE JIMMY46COUPE 01-07-2010 @ 5:39 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 16 Joined: Nov 2009 How do ya post more than one photo This message was edited by JIMMY46COUPE on 1-7-10 @ 5:43 PM JIMMY46COUPE 01-07-2010 @ 5:32 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 16 Joined: Nov 2009 Supereal I did the same third brake light on my licease plate (homemade) I have a 6 volt system but I added a 12 volt battery in the trunk for all my 12volt accesories.I'm running a pair of very thin LED fog lamps hidden deep in my grill and I turn those on at night when driving for extra safety.Also I have a 12 outlet under the rear seat for anything I need 12 volt. The third brake light is just a manual homemade job with a pushbutton switch that I press when I know traffic is behind. It works great in day and night(bright) Sometimes I real presses to make sure people know I'm breaking( The battery is hidden in a battery case that's in a old box that looks like travel luggage. I get alot of compliments on that luggage display... I tought these things would take away the look but you know safety is more important and if I ever sell the car it all can come off with no problem. Here are some pics....Happy New Year....JIMMY46COUPE JIMMY46COUPE This message was edited by JIMMY46COUPE on 1-7-10 @ 5:50 PM supereal 01-07-2010 @ 3:22 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 Tom: I've had better luck than that with LED's. A couple of years ago I installed a "third" stoplight atop my rear license plate that is very bright, even in full sun. There is a big difference in LED lights, as we have found in our shop. If they are slow to come on, it is usually due to a mismatch between the operating voltage of the vehicle and the resistor bank in series with the LED, or switch contacts that have been immersed in brake fluid. I tried halogen lights all around in my '47, and found them to be little, if any, brighter, but they did draw lots of current. We now have 12 volt LED headlights showing up in trucks, and when the 6 volt variety becomes available, I'll be at the head of the line. Half or more of the newer cars now feature LED tail and stop lights, and when prices come down on LED incandescent replacement, I suspect we will be seeing the end of common bulbs in all applications. flatheadfan 01-07-2010 @ 1:25 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 450 Joined: Oct 2009 Personally, I am not sold on LED bulbs especially in an old car that often have their tail light placements rather low on the vehicle. I have used them and in my opinion they are a waste of money. The disadvantages are many. First they are very directional. Meaning , unless you are looking directly at them you don't get the affect. It is like a rifle shooting a bullet. Unless, you are directly in line with the barrel there is no physical affect. Whereas, an incandescent bulb behaves as a shotgun. It gives a wide spray of light which is visible from several angles. Second, the LED for stop lights require a super-sensitive brake light switch to activate. I (and others) have found the "normal" hydraulic brake switch doesn't work reliably with a replacement LED bulb on early Ford applications. Third, the bulb color is critical. If the light is going to go through a red lens (such as a stop light) the bulb color must harmonize with the lens meaning red lens require red LED. This is not a problem with the right tail light but doesn't work well on your left light which (on many models) must also serve as a tail light and a license plate illuminator. which requires a white light. Finally, as tail lights, I didn't find the LED lights any brighter than my regular bulbs. However, as pointed out, the one good thing about LED bulbs is the power draw is virtually nil. This is the LED bulb source I used: http://www.superbrightleds.com/other_bulbs.htm As a "third light" this is a source I used on my Model A and my '50 pickup: http://www.jandlenterprise.com/products/products.htm Hope this helps. Tom This message was edited by flatheadfan on 1-7-10 @ 1:26 PM

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