2014 Projects Thread!

The background was kinda green, now it has a light tinge of blue to it, I really like it a lot. I’m going to have to evaluate them over a period of time. I’m hoping to get some more and get my friends to use them, if they are good we should know fairly soon. I know there is a lot of crap out there, however you can’t run a company by selling crap. I’m wondering how many companies manufacture these LED’s VS how many companies market these products….but I also know that some companies will price-bait to get their products out there; look at what Toyota did in the 70’s and what KIA is doing now, the quality of their products has improved.
I may put some LED’s in my little Toyota pick-up. It’s been a really good little tool that has served us well for many years. We’ve hauled all kinds of stuff in it. Not a single mod on it except a few different styles of wheels, seems like whatever I do….I can’t get away from those 14in wheels.
I’ve been looking for power windows for years with no results. I had a few bites, but they all turned out to be manual.
I think your fox dash will certainly come alive with the LED’s. The fox dash is a very nice looking dash in even today my opinion, I like the way it is set up. I had the headlamp switch that had fog lights, and wired the fog light switch up as an immobilizer, I thought it was a pretty cool idea. At one time I had changed the bulbs over to 194R with are red, it looked pretty cool as well.
I think I Had more room in the car so far as when the fox interior was installed, I find the sn95 a little bit cramped.
I am extremely pleased that I kept the defrost vents in the car, some guys got rid of the defrost vents either to speed up insulation or couldn’t be bothered to persevere, I can’t see a defroster being an option….i’d like to have more time and money to do a really good job on my own stuff, it’s ok to do other peoples cars properly, but when finances are tight; you do what you can, and it is what it is.
Maybe next year……

Yeah, I'm trying to decide between green and white/clear for my dash lights. I've seen pictures of what happens when you put clear bulbs in taillights. I think green would probably make them look closer to the color they are originally only brighter, but clear would look cool too, like you have. Plus there are those parts of my instrument cluster that are yellow and red, and those would look funny with green bulbs, I'm sure.

I would run into that when I was looking for Fusions. I would search for a manual transmission and then look at the ad, and it would either just plain be a mistake, or say "manually shift-able automatic". Sorry, that is NOT the same thing and NOT an acceptable substitute. Idiots.

Yeah, I've always liked my dash. Especially back when I had my '79 Mustang, my first car. I LUSTED after an '87 or newer. The interior in my '79 was that awful chamois/caramel color that I thought was REALLY '70s looking. I hated it, haha. I hated the color, I hated the fake wood... Looking back now though, it was a pretty well optioned Ghia with cloth seats and console and stuff though. So, it could've been worse, haha. It had the I-6 though, too so it was NOT fun to drive in the slightest. Anytime I ever hear about people wanting to keep the 6 or the 255 or anything like that in an early Fox, my initial reaction is, WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU???!!!! But, I usually keep it to myself, haha.

I do have the foglight headlight switch too. That's a good idea you had for it! I was thinking of using it to turn on the middle two headlights after I put low/high halogen replaceable bulb headlights in. I think I like your idea better though! Have you ever been able to replace the backlights in those switches? Mine are out on the headlight switch, and I'm afraid to bust it open and look. I know you can get them new, but they aren't cheap.

I think guys that would eliminate defrost are probably the guys who don't really intend to drive the cars that much. I don't understand that myself. The closer my car gets to a fully functioning CAR, the more I like it!

You could try one of these universal kits for power windows in your truck. They're cheap, so if it doesn't work out, you're not out that much money, haha. I've actually heard though, they're pretty good. It could be like the Kia thing, pricing them cheap, just to get rolling.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/High-Quality-Universal-Electric-2-Power-Window-Kit-with-3-Switches-/271451209851

I did not know the 79 mustang had an I6!!! If the car was concours and had an I6 it would be worth more in parts than retail!!!! If you remember a hell of a lot of them had the 6 bangers.
When I was putting the LED’s in the dash, I wanted to fit a red led light in the area of the tach’s redline, whoa!! Don’t do it.
When I had the red light bulbs in the fox dash, the dash looked kinda cool but was not very brite and could be difficult to read at times.
I've seen those window regulators before, they are ok, the cables are flexible so you can mount them anywhere in the door. that's a really CHEAP price.
When I broke my headlamp switch, I found the lights inside, I don’t think I’d take one apart being old & brittle. they are very small light bulbs, best bet would be to get a new one, I think my headlamp sw from O'reily's had a lifetime warr.
wow the foglamp switch part of the headlamp switch is truly multi purpose, good idea though.

Yeah, I guess they started the '79 model year with the Cologne 2.8 V6, and then halfway through they dumped it and inflicted the I-6 on the Mustang. My brother's '79 Capri had the V6.

What did it look like with the red bulb in the tach redline area? You should take a picture, haha.

Yeah, I suppose if the bulbs are really small you might not even be able to get them anyway. That's too bad.

Mer(cu)ry Christmas!

well' it certainly made the right side of tach face and part of one of the gauge needles and grid lines red, but it didnt concentrate on just the upper end of the tach like I thought it might, it looked like the bulb was out of place.
I remember that engine, I had to do a timing gear in one, the fiber part of the gear shattered in the cold weather.
wishing you and yours a Merry Christmas.

Haha. The red bulb thing sounds Christmas-ey!

all went well for Christmas, looking forward to the new year.

Great! For me too! Santa brought me the power lock kit!

coolamundo!! I've been doing a lot of research on led bulbs, I had no idea there were so many types with the 5050 194 LED's being the most popular. I cant seem to find a reliable set for the tail/brake turn signal lights, there's a lot of bad reviews on all of them, I don't know if it's installation issues or bad bulbs or both. seem like a lot of people complain about the led tail/brake lights not being bright enough in the daylight. most of the manufactueres recommend using the same color bulbs as the lenses (red/amber) to give maximum effect. I'll figure it out soon unless you get there first.
get those locks in, I love opening my trunk and car from a distance. it's way cool when people give me a dirty look as they lock their car or open the trunk!!!!!

Have you found anything about the "High Power" LEDs that Superbright sells? According to them, they are the only ones they sell that are supposed to be brighter than incandescent. They're certainly pretty expensive for something that someone might not even be satisfied with. My concern with them is that they are very tall, and may not even fit in the housings.

That's sweet you have remote locks and trunk. I actually have a remote start kit too that I bought for my wife's car years ago that I decided would be way more trouble that its worth to try and bypass PATS and all the other crap on newer cars. Anyway, I decided I would put it on my Zeph. Imagine showing someone the car at a show and nonchalantly "you want to hear the exhaust? check it out" vrrrrooommm. hahaha!

Yeah….I have been stuck at home with a bad back ache, so I have been reading a lot about LED’s.
I have decided that it is best not for me to offer any info on any brands of these bulbs yet. I have purchased 30 194 bulbs; 10 from one vendor and 20 from another vendor. 10 of which I have installed in my car and have started seeding the others out to see if they satisfy my friends first, how long they last ETC. I have to be careful as I have installed them in these guys’ license plate lights. All of the bulbs I have purchased are the 5050 style, so yeah they are bright.
I would venture to say that after you research the different types of led and their construction you would disagree with superbrites statement.
There seems to be a lot of companies selling these LED lights, however I am uncertain m how many manufacturers there are.
There seems to be a lot of complaints about some bulbs and/or vendors, but there seems to be room for debate so far as installation, correct bulb fitment, polarity issues with the connectors ETC. so it clearly states by one manufacturer that you may need to cut off one lead from each side of the bulb to allow it to function, so this is a vehicle manufacturer socket concern, not a fault with the bulb. I may also be that the 194 bulb is not a direct fit for these vehicles, so us Ford guys should be ok.
All the bulbs I have purchased have performed meticulously, they are all proper 194 style bulbs. I further intend to investigate other colors: red, green & yellow. Along with other styles/types; however I would like to keep with the same venders to retain continuity and hopefully satisfaction.
It would appear that I will have to “go blind” on the turn/brake lights due to controversy over daylight performance as I do not have a 3rd brake light at the moment. I do have a transistorized flasher unit in my car, however there is even debate over whether it will function correctly without the addition of resistors.
I have a friend of a friend coming in to the shop in a couple of weeks for a lot of work, so I’m considering seeding his cluster as he has to have a repair on his PRNDL indicator. He’s all about “flashy” stuff, but if it all turns to crap, he’ll be certain to tell everyone he knows, I don’t know if he would tell ANYONE if he was satisfied, so that knife cuts both ways………
Go for it bull dog, put the remote start in, it would certainly be a PLUS. Just think; you could have the car warmed-up with the A/C blowing, nice little rumble in the driveway and be ready for flight!!! I haven’t even considered that mod yet.

UPDATE
I went out the AM when it was still dark, (and COLD) to change the side frt side marker lights in the Toyota pick-up and the Camry, the pick up went with out a hitch, however the Camry had 3 bulbs fail out of the packet...
I kept those bulbs separated from the other lot. I then fabricated a tester from an F150 3rd brake light assy and tested these bulbs and they functioned just fine, so I went back to the Camry, one of them functioned if you wiggled it just right, I'm going to have to inspect the connectors in the bulb housing and look for shellac or something on the bulb connections and ensure the electrodes are straight and aligned, I'll probably find a faulty bulb socket connection (dirt/corrosion).
I wouldn't normally bark too loudly, except 3 bulbs in a row....as mentioned they worked fine in my tester.....even when wiggled and shaken. Close examination of the bulb bases revealed the electrodes were not fully seated into the corners of the bulb base and they were also not as straight as they could have been, making poor contact on the copper bulb sockets connector. I have installed these "faulty" bulbs into the frt marker lights on my pick up so I can monitor them for operation-so far no problems even after giving them a good clout with a rubber mallet.
these bulbs could have been mistaken for faulty bulbs if they had not been tested.

I heard something about how every bulb needs its own individual ground. A guy was complaining they were very dim, and that's what people told him to do.

I had a bunch of sockets fail on my Zeph a couple of years ago. All of my taillight sockets are new now. I replaced them all with 3157s.

if I were to disagree with Superbright's statement, what would I think then?

People seem to really like these "Plasma" LED bulbs in the classic Cougar community. They work differently somehow. Light comes out of little pinholes in the sides or something. I don't know how it works. Anyway, I think they only make red 1157s right now.

I'm sorry; I'm mainly dealing with the 194 leds, the "peanut shapes" at the moment. i'll move over the turn/brake bulbs later.
never heard of the PLASMA LED bulbs yet, might be a better alternative than the others.
cant do much work at the moment, but have been reading a hell of a lot.
led's require only the same fixtures and fittings as the regular bulbs, haven't read any concerns with grounds yet other than the problems some guys experience with the cars  light plug sockets, maybe that's why he needs a separate ground.
I'd be willing to try superbrite's leds if they were competitively priced. i'm certain they are high quality, "but why put a silver studded saddle on a pig, it don't make it a horse" I am willing to accept failures to see the difference in lighting and longevity of service. hell if I bought superbrite leds, they would triple the value of my car....only takes 10-15 mins to whip the cluster out of my dash in case of a failure; only time will tell.
have a read-up on led's when you get some time, it's pretty interesting stuff.
just don't use the can bus type turn & brake bulbs in your car, it may not operate correctly.
it's all new stuff to me at the moment, next year I may be using superbrite's if these don't last, because I really do like the difference between the LED vs the tungsten lights. (then I'll have to eat my words-oh well)
yeah I replaced all my sockets years ago when I did the mustang dash, I changed them all over to the 3156 & 3157 types, it was amazing how they fit the Fairmont lenses perfectly, what a bonus!! I always keep the gaskets from the bulb socket housings when I replace them, so I have fairly new gaskets as well.
hey have a great day, the sun has come out over here & I'm looking forward to going outside for a while.
watch this video on youtube: Tips for Installing LED Bulbs! from Diode Dynamics

Yeah, I'm familiar with 194s. I'm looking at a cheaper set to go along with the Scott Drake one I want. I really like the idea of going to LEDs too, and not just for how they look. Especially for like the dome light so I can have the door open for more than a few minutes without killing the battery.
So, you have a no-load flasher, huh? What does it sound like? I've been thinking my flasher "sounds old", and would like one that sounds more like a newer car. Just one of those things that I think about that no one else ever would, hahaha.

I haven't gotten to the video yet, but I will.

It's sunny here, but 2 degrees, haha.

Watched that video, and then I decided to check out Diode Dynamics. Their 3157 bulbs seem expensive at first at $30/pair but really, what that says to me is that they don't bother with the cheapie ones customers won't be happy with. And I think they make their own bulbs in the US. That says a lot too. Only problem is, getting the $90/pair ones get pricey quick since our cars need 2 pair of those AND 1 pair 3156s, just for the taillights!

They have a bazillion different kinds of 194s. I wouldn't even know where to start there, haha.

i'm also onto another company that sells this stuff, one of my electrician friend/freaks turned me onto another site.
this is the problem with modifying stuff, sometimes things go great, sometimes not, but it always comes clean in the wash!!!
a few years from now LED's will be cheaper i'm sure.
i'm thinking of adding another 3157 socket to the rear tail/brake lamp assy in place of the 194 bulb so I can add sequential lights later, that's another down the road gig, I've got another boat load of things to do around the house......
a guy came in today wanting an A9L PCM, and offered me a 12 pack of coke,,,,,,,WTF'ZZ:xtp I told him I couldn't find it!!!!
anyway, loads of work to do tonight.

What is the other company you're looking at that sells LEDs?

I imagine the price will come down on them, but they'll never be as cheap as incandescents, I don't think because they have added value, they last longer, take less power to run, and are brighter--usually.

So if you are changing from a 194 to a 3157, you would have to cut out where the 194 plugs into the reflector, and then glue in one for a 3157, right? Sounds like a lot of work, haha.

Yeah, I think I would have told that guy I need a bit more than that, haha.

look at DDM Tuning, they have a lot of LED's, they are supposed to be ok.
yeah, I will wait till the weather is warmer, then cut some socket holes out of some damaged tailamps to see if I can get away with it, and if I can then I'll cut the ones out of the Fairmont and glue them in. there is no reflector in these taillamps, just painted silver.
I've given this guy loads of parts before, switches, relays and a bunch of other parts, so I guess he thought he was paying top dollar for the PCM.
he came over once for a set of 10 holes, so I was going to let them go for scrap price and he balked, even had the caps.....

Yeah, I guess giving too many parts away can backfire, huh? What a tool. There are people out there desperately looking for a nice set of 10 holes, and this guy won't pay scrap price?

I wonder if that parts store rattle can chrome paint would be good for taillight reflectors? Or if it would even be good for anything? haha

The rear taillights have no chrome reflectors, the backs of the lenses are just painted silver, I don’t see why silver/chrome paint wouldn’t hurt so long as it is high heat paint. I kinda think the Fairmont/Zephyr’s were the second version of the Model T, cheap & nasty, just slightly more reliable but with a little bling…..like the fancy chrome dome lights with “map reading” lights and don’t forget the “fancy” OEM horn switch!!!!
Yeah the guy is a loveable rogue, he’s nice enough, always willing to help, but he has this ability to charm his way to just about anything. He lives well above his paygrade, always has a low paying job, but he has so many toys, I worked on his boat, he a fiberglass boat with a 351 inboard engine with a dura spark ignition. The ignition system took a dump, so he conned me into working on it so he could go out for the weekend with the other guys. Well; when I got to it, some body had swapped the module, that didn’t work, they re-wired it, great…. So he brought it to the “wizard”, I had to rewire it back to its original configuration, all I had was black wire, rewired it all in black……tried it and it wouldn’t start, no sparks, so I told him he needed another dura spark module, so he gave me a new looking module, so I tried it and it didn’t work, I thought I wired it wrong, had to go thru the system again to find it was right, so I said the module was faulty, however he didn’t tell me this “new” looking module had fell into the water when the boat sank ……..dammmmmm, anyway; somebody in the shop coughed up for a new module to see if it starts, and it did, then we found the timing was wrong ETC,ETC,ETC. at least I got paid, I got a whole six pack of cokes that hadn’t been opened and all the cans matched! And it goes on and on, with his Fox body mustangs, a piece here, a piece there, always something weird….if it weren’t so funny it would be sad. So yeah, I’ll probably end up short again. However it must be said, if you need help, he will step-up and if nothing else he will at least be there. I’ve known him for years, everybody always called him “brew” just found out last year his name is David!

Yeah, I think that was one of the reasons F/Zs were sort of forgotten after the Taurus came out. I don't think they had that good of a reputation for quality, like you say, haha. Ford probably wanted to forget about them.

Funny you mention a boat with inboard motor. I had one of those "What if" trains of thought yesterday where I was wondering just how much trouble it would be to take say, an old bare aluminum boat hull--16-20 foot or whatever and an Explorer 302, and build yourself a hot rod boat. I don't really know a lot about them like how much you could get one of those transmission/prop setup thingies for. Or how hard it is to set it up to be cooled by seawater. Or how I would make it steer, haha. I'm guessing I could do like a cable or hydraulic actuated rudder or something. I was also thinking it would probably be good to add a skeletal steel frame to it (and therefore need welding skills) so it doesn't twist the boat in half and drop the motor in the water, haha. The ol' wheels are always turnin'. haha!

Your friend sounds like an interesting guy though. haha

yeah the inboard motor thing would be well above my capabilities.......I'd think fiberglass would be the way to go.
I was cruising an 02 explorer the other day, it was rev-limed to 4,800, that kind low isn't it???? it was a 4x4 though, I'll try a 4x2 when the chance arrives.
Brew's a good guy, he just has his ways, he's a great chassis builder. We'll probly all be set if he wins the lottery.
how are you getting on with those locks?

Haha, I've seen people work with fiberglass, and NO THANK YOU. That's not for me, haha. I'd just like to have a boat at some point. It's pretty low on the priority list though.

My Aviator probably isn't that different from that Explorer you were driving. Was it a V8? I know my tach doesn't show a redline, but I've never explored how high it will go. It's so torquey, I don't need to.

I haven't tackled the locks yet. I've been really busy lately and by the time the weekend comes, we're so exhausted we just sleep the whole time. I didn't even get dressed yesterday, haha. Luckily I was able to convince my son to nap, so I got to sleep too. I'll still need to find a way to get wiring into the doors. Drilling through by the kick panels shouldn't be too bad, but the doors are another matter. I wonder if I can get at where I'd need to drill from inside the wheel wells...

yeah the explorer was a 5.0.
I drilled my holes for the locks from inside the door with an electric drill, went pretty easy, just look for the place the OEM wiring goes thru.
I'm trying to do a deal with a couple of LED suppliers for some cheaper prices so we can sell them at the dealership, if it goes thru, I'll get you set-up with your Zephyr. it's early days now, so I'm not too excited yet.

Yeah, I think what stopped me from drilling from inside the doors was the window track. Of course, if I do the power window surgery at the same time, the track would have to come out anyway.

That would be cool if you got that LED deal. If I do a retailer search for Scott Drake, I get a body shop that's not too far from me. I'm skeptical about that though. I don't see why they would sell parts retail at a body shop. Haven't checked it out any further though. I was hoping to find someplace that might have that stuff in stock, but I really doubt that place would do that.