Has anybody put different bulbs behind the dash or gauge cluster for a different color? I searched this and only found one thread about blue bulbs. I'm considering red, amber, or blue bulbs behind my cluster but I worry about the green tint in the cluster throwing off the color. Pics and bulb number are greatly appreciated!

 

If you want to get rid of the green tint you will need to completely tear down the cluster and rub the green tint off the backs of the gauge faces. This is for a '92+ cluster but it may be the same for your truck.

1992 Ford F-150 Old Instrument Cluster Work pictures, videos, and sounds | SuperMotors.net

The bulbs are type 194 I believe. Here is what my dash looks like at the moment.

 

My cluster and HVAC panel look like Evan_P's with the white illumination. I used these guys from superbrightleds.com:

https://www.superbrightleds.com/more...-base/206/919/

Actually mine look a bit different, but when I signed in and checked under "Previous Orders" that's what came up so they must be the new equivalent part.

Now here's some advice based on my experience. If you take ALL the incan (standard) bulbs (cluster, HVAC, ashtray, 4x4 controls) out of the illumination circuit then the factory dimmer won't do much of anything. You'll have to get a rheostat or heavy duty pot to dim them... think I used a 0-20 ohm rheo on it. Just wired it in place of the factory dimmer (which only does 0-10 ohms if I remember right) and hid it under the dash for now til I make a new console. A 0-30 ohm would have been better but it's all my local Radio Crap store had in stock and I didn't feel like driving 45 minutes to the real electronics store.

If you leave the ashtray bulb in there, have the dimmer set at low brightness, and are running the factory alternator, then when your idling with heavy electrical loads the current thru the LED's will drop low enough to cause the LED's to flicker and flash and generally annoy you... mine would go out completely and come back on when I pulled away from a stop. So I recommend you at least remove (if not replace with LED's) the bulb in the ashtray and also the one inside the 4x4 buttons if you have them, and use an aftermarket rheostat to control brightness. That's how I'm set up now and I have zero flicker... they stay at whatever brightness I set them at, even before I put in the 130A alternator which charges better at idle.

Also... to get that pesky green film off use mineral spirits and a q-tip. Take your time and work slow, or you'll rub the black off too. If you do that then a piece of electrical tape on the back works great to cover it up unless it's part of the outline on a number/letter... then you're screwed and you get to go to the yard and find another gauge.

 

Yes, this can be done. I did this not too long ago (with Evan's help). What you will need is to remove the instrument panel and the carefully remove the gauge faces. With those removed the green color can be removed with rubbing alcohol. That will make it, essentially, clear. Then put whatever bulbs you want in there. One thing though, I wasn't able to replace ALL my bulbs with LEDs (if you go that route). I found my ABS light was always on a little with an LED so I put an incandescent back in.

Here is a list of bulb sizes (for my 92, which will probably similar to what you need)

1992 Ford F150 Car Light Bulb Sizes Information
Low Beam Headlight Bulb Size: 9007 or 9007 HID Upgrade Kit
High Beam Headlight Bulb Size: 9007 or 9007 HID Upgrade Kit
Parking Light Bulb Size: 3157 or 916
Front Turn Signal Light Bulb Size: 3157
Rear Turn Signal Light Bulb Size: 3157
Tail Light Bulb Size: 3157
Stop Light Bulb Size: 3157
License Plate Light Bulb Size: 194 or 97
Back Up Light Bulb Size: 1156 or 3156
Front Side Marker Light Bulb Size: 194
Rear Side Marker Light Bulb Size: 194NA
Ash Tray Light Bulb Size: 161
Glove Box Light Bulb Size: 161
Map Light Bulb Size: 105
Step/Courtesy Light Bulb Size: 89 or 912
Trunk/Cargo Area Light Bulb Size: 912
Under Hood Light Bulb Size: 912
Instrument-General Light Bulb Size: 161 or 194 or 89
Hi-Beam Indicator Light Bulb Size: 194
Seat Belt Indicator Light Bulb Size: 194
Brake Warning Light Bulb Size: 194
Automatic Transmission Indicator Light Bulb Size: 194
Directional Signal Indicator Light Bulb Size: 194

 

That would be due to leakage current from the (transistor-based) lamp driver circuit in the antiskid module. You could use a resistor in parallel with the LED to shunt the current, and it would put that light out til the module actually wanted it on. I'd just solder it across the bulb holder, that way there ain't any permanent changes being made to the cluster or whatever if you ever want to go back to plain bulbs.

For that matter, the alternator warning light is also part of the field exciter circuit for the alternator, along with a resistor in parallel so the field still gets initial exciter current even if the bulb blows (I say initial because after the alt starts charging, the diode trio provides exciter current from the stator and the alternator self-sustains). You might need to change that resistor out for one with a different value if you stick an LED in there.

 

Thanks for the info. I knew it was something like that but I didn't understand the specifics. I've got no issues using a bulb for this. I did need a resistor for the tail lights, I was getting an ABS code. But I found I don't like the LEDs I had in the tail lights because they weren't bright enough. I also don't want to spend $179/pair for these (from other thread you and I were in). When I consider how much those other LEDs were bulbs will work just fine.