Hey guys,
Did some research and couldn't find any good info, but the dash lights on my 85 bronco are pretty dim. I can still see the guages, but i would like them to be a lot brighter.
What can i do to make the dash lights/guages brighter?

any help is appreciated.

 

Get in there and CLEAN for starters. If the dash lamps have never been touched/replaced, you will find dust and grime throughout the inside of a 26 year-old gauge assembly. Once that's done, consider replacing every lamp in the cluster with new incandescent lamps.

Some folks will suggest LED retrofits however most LED replacements do not emit light to the sides of the lamp like the original incandescent lamps do. Even though LEDs typically produce more light and less heat/power consumed, the fact that most of the light comes out the top of the lamp will prove severely detrimental to the amount of light shed onto the gauges themselves.

You will need to decide whether you want more intensity or more life expectancy from the new lamps as well. More of one, sacrifices the other, no matter what the packaging says. Its a fact and no amount of "special filament design" or "blue tinting" will change that. So keep in mind, "the brighter the light, the shorter the life". (and vice-versa).

 

Thanks for the help. I'll get in there tomorrow and clean everything up/replace bulbs if i can see what that does.