LED bulbs for tail light housing

[KlassicMotion]

Let me start by saying my main concern is for the tail light housing itself.  I have 4 or more sets of the plastic 510 housings, plenty more I've thrown away, because they are all rotted or brittle.  Obviously this is caused by the heat from the light bulbs.  The Reverse light housing is usually the worse, if it's even in tact.  The first remedy I've tried is:  remove the metal reflector from inside each section of housing, paint the inside of the housing with hi-temp chrome paint, and replace the metal reflectors in the housing.  This seems to help with the heat, and reflectiveness of the housing.  To go one step further, I thought I'd break down and spend the money for LED bulbs, primarily to keep heat out, mind you.

 

So I went to http://www.superbrightleds.com/  and bought a pair of turn bulbs, tail bulbs and reverse bulbs. 

 

Remember if your buying LED bulbs, you need to buy a bulb in the same color that matches your lens.  Red lens = red LED bulb, amber lens = amber bulb.  They also say you need special flasher units for the bulbs in your turn signals (I bought those, but mine aren't working, I will call tech support on Monday).

 

I learned that there are many different styles of bulbs.  I researched and decided these were the bulbs I was going to try.

 

So here is what I bought:

tail

http://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo/tail-brake-turn/1157-led-bulb-dual-intensity-45-smd-led-tower-/814/

turn

http://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo/tail-brake-turn/1156-led-bulb-single-intensity-45-smd-led-tower/526/

reverse

http://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo/tail-brake-turn/1156-led-bulb-single-intensity-3-x-13-watt-high-power-led/805/

 

My biggest concern about heat is resolved.  After 1 minute of being "on" you can grab the LED bulb and it was only a little warmer than the temp of my palm.  Try that with a standard bulb!

 

I took pictures of the different bulbs in the housing, but except for the reverse lamp (which I will show) the pictures don't really show any difference.  Visually the LEDs aren't any LESS bright than the standard bulb.  I would say it is debatable whether or not it's brighter..... I think they are marginally brighter for the 1157 and 1156 equivalents. 

 

For the Reverse light..... Hands down the LED I bought is brighter.  Again, the pictures don't show it like it really is, but you can still see the LED reverse lamp I bought is brighter.  These bulbs really project, and again, "no" heat!!

 

 

First up, the original Toshiba 1073 bulb:

 

 

The next two are the LED

 

[Z-train]

Actually,it's the UV from the sun that is killing your housings.

[DanielC]

Although the sun's UV does kill the white plastic taillight housings, on 521 taillight housings I have found the white plastic on the reverse light has deteriorated much worse than on the same taillight where the turn lamp, and the stop and tail lamp bulbs are located.  The turn and taillight part of the taillight assembly is much larger, on a 521, and have metal reflectors in them.  The reverse light part of the taillight does not have the metal reflector, that can dissipate some heat.

 

At least this is the case in Oregon.  In Oregon, we tend to have less sun damage on our 40 plus year old cars and trucks.  The rubber and plastic parts are generally in better shape than in Datsuns from the Southwest.  However, we tend to get a lot more rust.

[KlassicMotion]

Actually,it's the UV from the sun that is killing your housings.

 

I don't agree, since the housing is in the trunk blocked from UV light.....  It's usually the plastic furthest back of the housing, closest the bulb that deteriorates first.  You can argue that the UV light comes in from the lens, but again, it's the back of the housing that goes first.  I mean have you ever turned on your reverse lamp for 1 minute, then touched the outside of the housing?  It gets hot.

 

I had a '65 Mustang that I converted to to the 3 lamp sequential turn signal.  When you do the conversion, you have to buy new lenses too, because the heat from the 3 bulbs will melt the lens. I also drilled some small holes in the metal housing to dissipate the heat.  At the time, the LED technology wasn't where it is today.

 

Although the sun's UV does kill the white plastic taillight housings, on 521 taillight housings I have found the white plastic on the reverse light has deteriorated much worse than on the same taillight where the turn lamp, and the stop and tail lamp bulbs are located.  The turn and taillight part of the taillight assembly is much larger, on a 521, and have metal reflectors in them.  The reverse light part of the taillight does not have the metal reflector, that can dissipate some heat.

 

At least this is the case in Oregon.  In Oregon, we tend to have less sun damage on our 40 plus year old cars and trucks.  The rubber and plastic parts are generally in better shape than in Datsuns from the Southwest.  However, we tend to get a lot more rust.

 

The 510 housing sounds pretty much the same.

[Z-train]

I have 3 77 810 wagons.All local cars.All had some degree of housing damage.I bought a housing off someone in the NW.It was almost pristine(inside).The only difference was the amount of UV exposure.

[KlassicMotion]

I have 3 77 810 wagons.All local cars.All had some degree of housing damage.I bought a housing off someone in the NW.It was almost pristine(inside).The only difference was the amount of UV exposure.

 

Are you sure it wasn't just a low mileage vehicle?  My 510 has 50K on the odometer, it sat outside in the Cali sun, and the housings are some of the best ones I have.

[KlassicMotion]

Here's a pic of my roof.  It's obvious the car has sat out in the sun for quite some time. 

 

[Tristin]

Ive been looking at building a new set of taillight harnesses... this would be a nice upgrade. A bit pricey, so Id like to see some solid long term results before I make a purchase. 

[Z-train]

If it was a radiant heat issue,every housing in the country would be ready to crumble.I have no way of knowing how many miles were on the donor car.But since it was being parted out........

[KlassicMotion]

Ive been looking at building a new set of taillight harnesses... this would be a nice upgrade. A bit pricey, so Id like to see some solid long term results before I make a purchase. 

 

If nothing else, I would suggest swapping the reverse lamp bulbs.  I'm convince that will eliminate the issues in that section of the housing.  A cheap fix for that and other sections, would be to use the hi-temp chrome paint inside the housing.

 

If it was a radiant heat issue,every housing in the country would be ready to crumble.I have no way of knowing how many miles were on the donor car.But since it was being parted out........

 

That's cool.  I'm convinced it's due to the heat from the bulb, so I'm going this route.  And thus far I'm satisfied that I've done some good towards the battle. 

[Tristin]

If nothing else, I would suggest swapping the reverse lamp bulbs.  I'm convince that will eliminate the issues in that section of the housing.  A cheap fix for that and other sections, would be to use the hi-temp chrome paint inside the housing.

 

Not against spending the money, just want to see if its worth it first. Id rather steer away from paint if possible. Eventually its going to crack and flake and will need to be redone.Id like a more permanent solution if possible. Im already rebuilding the wiring. 

[Z-train]

I did the reverse light LED thing about 6 months ago.When i put it in reverse,daylight appears behind my car.

[KlassicMotion]

Not against spending the money, just want to see if its worth it first. Id rather steer away from paint if possible. Eventually its going to crack and flake and will need to be redone.Id like a more permanent solution if possible. Im already rebuilding the wiring. 

 

I had to chuckle, because I've got housing that are cracking and peeling!!  I guess there just isn't much we can do.  We just need to find someone that can reproduce these in modern materials.  Aren't there some guys on Ratsun from Thailand and Taiwan selling some re-pop parts?  We need to get them on the band wagon to start producing new housings.

[Tristin]

I had to chuckle, because I've got housing that are cracking and peeling!!  I guess there just isn't much we can do.  We just need to find someone that can reproduce these in modern materials.  Aren't there some guys on Ratsun from Thailand and Taiwan selling some re-pop parts?  We need to get them on the band wagon to start producing new housings.

 

Sure, they will reproduce the housing and then either of two things will happen:

 

1. They will call them NOS Nissan pieces and charge you 3X what they should. Then when you get them and notice they are reproductions, they wont return your PMs.

2. They dont even send the parts over from Thailand once you pay for them. They wont return your PMs.

 

 

I had found a US company that does automotive light molds. I wonder if the 510 market would support a good sized run of repop housings if they were nice quality.

[KlassicMotion]

Your problem is the 510 market.  Not many people want to spend the money.  Personally I'd be willing to spend upwards of $60-80 for a pair, but more than likely they would want $100-200 per pair, and I don't think many Datsun people will pop for that.  I guess I could pop for the $100 or more, I would just have to sell the few sets I'm hording to make my money back.  But how many other people could pop for that?

 

I've not had any problems ordering from the guys in Thailand on eBay.  Quality isn't quite what I'd like, but sometimes it's all you can get.

 

Hell, the LED bulbs I bought are made in Taiwan.  I just look at it as an upgrade from Chinese made parts!

[KlassicMotion]

**Edited**

 

I got this offer in the mail today.  Thought I'd post it for anyone interested.

 

http://www.superbrightleds.com/

 

It's a promo code for 10% off until July 4th.

 

promo code:  070413

[Z-train]

I got this offer in the mail today.  Thought I'd post it for anyone interested.

 

It's a promo code for 10% off until July 4th.

 

promo code:  070413

For Superbrightleds.com

[KlassicMotion]

Yeah, sorry.  I had a link in there, but it directed to the wrong page, and I deleted it... and forgot to add it back in.  Sorry, I will edit

[KlassicMotion]

So I just recieved the second set of flashers from SuperBright.  The first set of flashers I ordered had the exact terminal location as the original flashers in the car, but it did not work (see pic one).  I contacted tech support, and he had me swap leads on the terminals, and they worked.  I can't explain it, but either the factory flashers are labeled wrong, or the new flashers are labeled wrong.  I return the first set of flashers and they sent me a different part number (FL2-RED).  This one works.  So if anyone else orders a setup from these folks, make sure you order the red flasher units (FL2-RED).

 

The LED trun bulbs I bought for the car are much brighter than the orginals.  It hurts to look at the turn signals with the LEDs in place, versus being able to tolerate looking at the lens with the 1156 bulb in place. 

 

All in all.  I'm happy with the upgrade.

 

[nismosilvia]

I like what you've been doing KlassicMotion. Nice writeups.

 

My guess for the deteriorated housings is longterm mosture damage mixed with heat. Trapped water in the housing during a hot summer days will act like a magifying glass.

[cruznude]

Reading the post and maybe I missed it but- how much were you spendin on an average for these led bulbs?  I'm sure that they have the interior bulbs also for the crappy dash lights...

[KlassicMotion]

The first post has links to the exact bulbs I used.  It looks like I paid $25 and $16 for the different bulbs.  They may be pricey compared to the parts store selection, but I believe the design of these bulbs is the best for the application.  Yes they do have LEDs for the gauge lights as well.  I will probably pick some up in the near future.  Here is a link to another post about that:

 

http://community.ratsun.net/topic/16444-led-gauge-cluster/

[loungin112]

This is an old topic, but I was wondering if an update as to how the LEDs are fairing could be given? Are they still performing well after 3 years? Any issues or regrets? Are there other manufacturers/suppliers that are better than the original source?

[KlassicMotion]

Everything is going well. I have no plans to change the setup. And from what I've seen on the forums and Facebook, Superbrightleds.com is the most recommended company for sourcing bulbs. My buddy didn't take my advice, and he bought led bulbs at NAPA, and I can barely see them in traffic.

[datzenmike]

This is the thing. I compared somr $23 led tail lights right there to the 40 year old original ones and there was no difference in light that I could see. If I'm buying a light bulb it's for a brighter bulb so that in poor driving conditions I have the advantage of being seen sooner. $23 EACH!!!! just to save a few watts... forget it. I did find a set that have a very bright LED and a projector type lens that   focuses the light straight back rather than in all directions, although there were smaller side facing ones on it also. .