LED Lamps for 330GT Interior | FerrariChat

LED Lamps for 330GT Interior

Discussion in 'Vintage (thru 365 GTC4)' started by Lowell, Oct 23, 2019.

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  1. Lowell

    Lowell Formula 3
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    Apr 17, 2005
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    Lowell Brown
    In the next few weeks, I will make one of my periodic dives into/under the instrument panel of my Series II 330GT. Anyone have recommendations for replacing the lamps there with LED's?

    While I'm at it, any recommendations for LED replacements for

    The lamps above the B pillars;
    The lamp in the glove box;
    The lamp in the trunk;
    The lamps in the engine compartment.
     
  2. daytonaman

    daytonaman Formula Junior

    May 1, 2007
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    howard pigdon
    Lowell I tried LED's in the B pillar lamps and thought they were hotter than the old festoons.
    you see many of these lamps with burned/buckled lens so they will not take any extra wattage.
     
  3. TTR

    TTR F1 Veteran
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    Just out of curiosity, why LED instead of correct, new OEM type incandescent bulbs ?
    Personally, I’ve never seen worthy advantages in having LED bulbs in vintage cars, but some seem to disagree...
     
  4. Lowell

    Lowell Formula 3
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    The lamps that light the gauges are very dim, and they are hard to read at night.

    Other lamps are behind plastic and can turn the plastic brown because they can get hot.

    The lamps for the engine are not very bright. But I would not replace them with LED's that have a strong white color which is not the warm color of incandescent lamps.
     
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  5. BMWairhead

    BMWairhead Formula 3

    Sep 11, 2009
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    Ted
    Don’t discount the value of maintenance. Clean any contacts you can access...especially grounds. Time adds resistance...resistance decreases voltage (ohm’s law) which decreases brightness. Electricity is notoriously finicky...parts that “look okay” can easily be problematic.

    The modern LED bulbs have issues of their own...not so much the festoon style, but the bayonet mounts can be problematic due to the increased mass of the bright end. As you drive, the bulb bounces up and down...causing the mount to bend apart which causes more contact issues.
     
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  6. Lowell

    Lowell Formula 3
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    A friend looked for LEDs with mini bayonet base to fit the instruments but could find none.
    The bulbs need to be the same diameter as the base he tells me.
     
  7. JCR

    JCR F1 Veteran
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    Mar 14, 2005
    9,991
    H-Town, Tejas
    Lowell, try replacing the old incandescent bulbs with new ones. Incandescent bulbs get dimmer over time before they burn out. This is in contrast to incandescent bulbs that have halogen gas in them. Those stay bright until they burn out.

    Here's some tech info. You can email him questions.
    http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/lights/signal_bulbs/signal_bulbs.html

    These have a higher candela rating.
    http://www.ronfrancis.com/prodinfo.asp?number=SNG-FIL
    http://www.ronfrancis.com/products.asp?dept=93
     
  8. TTR

    TTR F1 Veteran
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    When was the last time entire wiring system, including all its connectors and grounding contacts, etc were thoroughly cleaned/serviced, re-crimped and tightened ?
    Within 10 years ? 20 years ?
    In (vintage) cars not driven/used frequently, I would recommend doing this every 10 years or so, maybe even more often if the car is subjected to humid long term storage conditions. Corrosion/oxidation never sleeps.
     
  9. Lowell

    Lowell Formula 3
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    Ever been to Santa Fe?
     
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  10. Wheels1

    Wheels1 F1 Rookie
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    I had by pasted the rheostat but that made no difference on my Daytona as you could not read the dials at night.
    I then had the garage change my Daytona instrument bulbs to led warm light ones and at last I see the dials at night.
    It was one of the best mods I had done, so stick with it there are bulbs out there that will do the job.
     
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  11. TTR

    TTR F1 Veteran
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    Sorry Lowell, but that’s not answer I was looking for.
    I too live and enjoy my vintage cars in quite dry climate, thought never been afraid driving any of them in cold/rainy/snowy conditions, but that doesn’t mean they’re not afforded periodic/scheduled maintenance & services.
     
  12. Smiles

    Smiles F1 World Champ
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    Nov 20, 2003
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    I would definitely choose warmer LEDs if you want to go that way, Lowell.

    I love that warm glow from the instruments, whether it was in my 330 or my Porsche 993.

    My Pur Sang Bugatti doesn't even have interior lighting!

    Matt
     
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  13. TTR

    TTR F1 Veteran
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    My initial question was merely an attempt to shed light (pun intended) to often ignored, but very potential causes for variety of electrical problems in older (vintage) vehicles, i.e. inadequate wiring connector contacts.
    Having worked on hundreds of vintage cars in past 4 decades, I've seen and dealt with this more often than I care to remember.
     
  14. Lowell

    Lowell Formula 3
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    Do you know or can you find out what are the make and numbers of these lamps?
     
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  15. Bryanp

    Bryanp F1 Rookie

    Aug 13, 2002
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    Absolutely - I know of at least one vintage Ferrari that burned because of resistance heat build-up. Crawling into the passenger footwell to sand/dremel all the fuse panel connections once a year gives great piece of mind.
     
  16. TTR

    TTR F1 Veteran
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    Once a year ! And some think I have OCD maintenance/service issues. :eek::D
     
  17. Lowell

    Lowell Formula 3
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  18. Bryanp

    Bryanp F1 Rookie

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    When I lived in the swamps of Virginia, it seemed like corrosion/crud would appear in months. Whereas now, living in Santa Fe, we say "what is this 'corrosion' you speak of?"
     
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  19. Wheels1

    Wheels1 F1 Rookie
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    I will try but the shop has closed down, but I still have the owners mobile number.
     
  20. Lowell

    Lowell Formula 3
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    Previously I co-mingled two messages in a mistake.

    I still would like to hear the place in the wiring where a resistance build-up caused a fire.

    Also how much damage was done?
     
  21. racerboy9

    racerboy9 Formula 3
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  22. Wheels1

    Wheels1 F1 Rookie
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    Sorry, I asked today but they have no record of the bulbs.
     
  23. Wheels1

    Wheels1 F1 Rookie
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