MK2 Dash Lights -> LED

[TylerDurden]

I had the cluster out of my 86td to repair the Temp Gauge and figured "why not"... The stock dash lights are pretty dim - kinda hard to read the trip odo, or fuel gauge.



Most home-improvement stores have 12V strip LEDs, you can get them for cheap online too. (Auto shops seem to charge more.)

They can be trimmed to short lengths, in sets of three emitters:




Some new holes in the top of the cluster to line up with the emitters:




Gaffer's tape holds the strips flat to the cluster:




Hot-glue holds the wires so they don't pull on the flimsy PWB:




Bright enough now, at full intensity




They dim just like the stock bulbs:




I don't intend to run them full-blast, except when checking the trip odo, or at dusk when it requires higher than normal brightness.

[ORCoaster]

Nicely done and worth a sticky I'd say.  Easy mod and no extra resistors or anything.

[CRSMP5]

the white housing the pcb/bulbs go into.. if your carefull you can pop it off the cluster.. i remove the green piece that filters the white light.. that cures it for most... and i just use glue to put it back into place..

that area you could fill with leds vs on the outside like you did it too..

[ToddA1]

Why not do drop ins?  They're cheap and easy.  I've been using them for years. 

-Todd

[TylerDurden]

I got a bunch of this stuff. I'm making courtesy lights, trunk lights, etc...

(Give a guy a hammer and everything looks like a nail, lol.)