What I don't get is...

When these gauge clusters were new, as were all of the wiring and switches (and etc.) was the dash lighting an acceptable brightness level, even with the blue filters over the bulbs? Or is it that these old trucks build up so much resistance in their old wires that even with new bulbs, switches & clean connections, the lighting is still dim...?

Shoot, I even replaced the plastic lens on the front of my cluster to have nice bright lights!

 

Mine are the same today as they were back on May 29th/78 the day I bought it.

What affects them ?
Climate (Heat) <> Parking in the Sun with the dash exposed <>

 

n4zou thats a great idea. I was thinking of using the 11,000 mcd white bulbs underneath the plastic blue covers. Do you think this will be too bright? The only other choice was the 3,300 mcd but I don't think that will be bright enough. I want to keep the original green appearance by just replacing my old bulbs with brighter ones.

 

The blue covers over the light bulbs in my 74 were clouded over very bad. My lights were like others here where you could only see the gages in almost total darkness. I had a suspicion that just like the clear plastic over the cluster over the dash panel that was cloudy to the point of being unable to see the gages through it the blue filters were in the same condition and I was correct. I also figured out what caused it. Age had a little effect but years of smokers blowing tobacco smoke at it did the damage. I removed the dash panel to replace the clear plastic cover but at the time I did not remove or replace the filter covers and until I got my new (and free) mouser catalogue. I just lived with the poor illumination of the gages. Looking at white dash lights kills your night vision and is as dangerous as some idiots that have never found the dimmer switch that the dealer left in the high beam position when they sold the vehicle. I also had to clean the very nasty smoke residue off the copper contacts for the bulb holders. As for the high brightness 11000 mcd LED bulbs, there going to be way too bright! The 3300 mcd LED bulbs will be slightly brighter than the standard filament type 194 light bulb. A stop light bulb is slightly dimmer than 11000 mcd, you don’t want to be looking at "stop light" brightness light shining in your face! Anyway, I am going to get some clear LED bulbs for the turn signal, high beam, and brake indicator lamps as these filters are just fine. These plastic filters were somewhat protected from the smoke residue and removing them would not be a good idea, as the LED would be shining directly at you. When I get done I will have all LED illumination in my dash. The change to RED color should make the dash look really cool at night! Tobacco smoke residue is very hard on electrical and electronic parts. I refuse to work on old and antique radios that have spent their entire life in a smoke filed environment. It's impossible to get the smoke residue cleaned off all the parts to the point that the radio can be restored back to a workable condition.

 

I wonder if the original problems is related to power running throught the old head light switch????

 

One of the first things I did to my old truck was to check the switches and fuse box. I did spray everything down in the headlight and wiper switches with contact cleaner and lubricant and this did improve the operation with a smooth "like new" feel but the dash lights were still dim. The tobacco smoke was blown into and under the dash and it just etched the plastic like acid after so many years.

 

Had dim dash light in my 77 f-100. I read this thread along with a few others and thought I would try to replace the bulbs first before digging in further. Now I have no lights for my speedo, temperature, or gas. My truck is missing a couple of lights and my high beam indicator is not functioning, though there is a bulb. I am guessing that i will need to take off the blue lens or screen in order to allow more light onto these important gauges. My questions are these however; is there a place to get a new circuit panel so I can replace it along with any additional lights and or pulling the blue lens'. I have seen a few at the junkyard(my new favorite place). How can I tell if it is good? Do they peel off easily or is there an adhesive? And finally, how can you tell if a 194 is still able to work? does the filament break like a regular bulb?

p.s. My first post on the board as I recently bought my truck. Please forgive any forum errors on my part

 

eff one.
The bulbs usually turn Black or a Smokey colour.

Printed circuit boards can last a long time or fail early.
It is usually the type of climate that affects them.

To get them off everything has to be removed.
You never mentioned if you removed the cluster or tried to change the bulbs by reaching under the dash.
Would you like to see what it looks like ?

 

i did take the instrument panel off, but not all the way. i was afraid of removing the speedo cable. though now i know how to do that. the cluster seemed to be quite dirty. i was able to reach in and feel which **** went ot which light. it seemed tath there we two that were not behind a specific light. right next to the the speedometer. i pulled and replaced those with red bulbs. i think that the blue filter along with the red bulb is what has caused the blackout. though i am concerned that the circuit panel may be corrupt. again, before i started messing around they were just dim. but before i dig in, can i buy a new panel? also, you mentioned that everything had to be removed. did you mean pulling the whole cluster? thanks in advance!! this forum has been an A+++ educational experience. i will post some pics of my truck asap.

 

1. Yes, you can purchase a new panel from several different sources. Here are the URL's...

http://www.dennis-carpenter.com

http://www.autokrafters.com

(My favorite) http://www.broncograveyard.com/index.php


2. Yes, you will need to remove the entire cluster to replace the circuit panel. Also, you may look into replacing other parts like the shell, plastic lens, bulb sockets, etc. if you need them too. Jeff's Bronco has all the goodies. I rebuilt mine and works just like it did back in '76.

 

The problem appears to be the voltage drop in the headlight switch as well as the orignal wire harness. I installed bosch relays for the low beams, high beams and the parking lights. After that my dash lights are now useable with ths stock bulbs. I might look at the new style led replacements but at this point it's not needed.
My 2 cents.
Regards,
Jon
Poway, Ca
79 F250, 4x4, 460, Dana 60's f&r

 

Where did you get those?