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I decided to try some LED lighting upgrades and I started with the license plate lights. I got the bulbs on eBay, $6 shipped. The bulb is a 168. Here are the before and after pics. I really like the white light compared to the yellowish incandescents. One plastic screw removes the cover. Took 5 minutes.
With one bulb installed.
After
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1978 F250 Lariat 4x2
2008 Expedition Eddie Bauer 4x2
Nice. Would you mind providing a link or name of the Ebay seller for anyone interested in pursuing the same upgrade? I'm always looking to do some neat little upgrades that don't cost a fortune.
now to see if there are LED replacements for the entire interior...especially those dull rear lamps by the rear hatch
You are right, they don't light up anything. There are LED's but there are different lengths of the 578 (38-44mm). I have yet to pull the bulb and measure it. Once I do that I will order some.
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1978 F250 Lariat 4x2
2008 Expedition Eddie Bauer 4x2
Sorry just saw this. I ordered some 168 LED bulbs for the map lights and installed one of them. Not as bright as the OEM bulb, but a cool color. I ordered the SMT LED of the same bulb and will try that out, as it's suppose to be brighter and have better dispersion.
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1978 F250 Lariat 4x2
2008 Expedition Eddie Bauer 4x2
Is SMD a trade name or a different type of LED bulb Berry? I picked up the 168s for the license area and they're on my toolbox waiting for the rain to stop up here so they can go in.
The SMD(surface mount diode or device) or SMT as some ebay listings call them are different than the typical led's. They are brighter. Here is what they look like.
SMT or SMD
Standard LED
The standard LED are a bit less bright than the OEM bulbs but have a cool color to them. The SMT or SMD are much brighter with the same color as the standard LED's. The pictures of my license plate are of the SMT bulbs, which is what I would get.
Also, LED's in general have a narrower light path so when choosing a bulb, get one with as many bulbs as possible on the sides and top. The one shown here on top has a better dispersion than the one below.
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1978 F250 Lariat 4x2
2008 Expedition Eddie Bauer 4x2
You could always replace your interior lights with some red LEDs too. You'll notice a huge difference at night when you need them. You can still see the road and what you are looking for in the car. That's the first thing I add to my trucks when I install the laptop mounts. Then I can work at night or early morning without having vision issues.
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