LED Lights ?????

[mustangmendez]

For safty reasons does anyone make LED lights for a Cobra Yet ?
Front and Rear
I have seen some bulbs but they look like they are to big .
Tony

[TomH]

I don't know about the LED bulbs, but you might find this interesting. http://www.ledtaillights.com/ 0r http://www.heeters.com/LPFrames.shtml

[super38]

Yes Speedway Motors catalog page 55 has 1" 1156 replacment led bulbs in red and amber for $8.95 and 1" 1157 led bulbs in red and amber for $14.95. Haven't tried them myself. but would be interested in hearing if anyone else has. http://www.speedwaymotors.com

[Carroll DeWeese]

Go to www.performanceunlimited.com. They have led lights for Cobras. They fit the regular socket but are brighter, more dependable, and take less power than a bulb. LEDs are yery directionsl. They are fine for the rear of the car (brake lights and turn signals) but you probably do not want them for parking lights.

[RallySnake]

Tony,

I tried the LED Bulbs and found that they are not as bright as the standard 1157 bulbs. I also tried red tinted halogen bulbs and they were not as bright, either. I believe that if my lenses were clear they would be fine, but through the original rectangular red plastic lenses, too much light is lost. I have not tried clear halogen bulbs, yet. All the stores around here seem to be sold out and I don't want to pay shipping from JC Whitney.

I don't think clear lenses would look good on the Cobra either!

Paul

[ROSS WEAVER]

I tried using the halogen bulbs in the taillights and had a problem with them melting the sockets. They give off too much heat. They were definately alot brighter, unfortunately only temporarily. Had to replace the sockets. Still looking for a way to make my taillights more visable.

Ross

[cobrajeff]

I recently upgraded the rectangular taillights in my ERA FIA. Here are some of the things I found:

LED bulbs, because they are directional, will not work in the Lucas style lamp (the socket points up to the sky, instead of rearward). Halogen bulbs WILL work well in this style lamp.

Halogen bulbs are very hot, and very bright. I have not had any problems with halogen bulbs in my ERA over the past two years. The Lucas lamp is "open", with no back-can to it, which lets the heat out. If the back of your taillamp body is enclosed, then I would not recommend the Halogen bulb, due to the heat issue as Ross mentioned.

I changed to a new Superformance taillamp, which looks just like the Lucas rectangular light on the outside, but had a completely enclosed back-can to it, with two separate bulbs. The bulbs face rearward, and I THOUGHT I would be able to use the new LED bulbs (low heat, low energy consumption, reported to be very "bright").

Bench tests clearly demonstrated to me that the $10 LED bulbs available at local auto parts stores are NOT as bright as a STANDARD 1157 bulb! I did not try the $16 LED bulbs from Performance Unlimited, they claim to be brighter than other brands of LED's.

I rewired my car to separate the brake light function from the turn-signals. I now have a standard 1157 bulb in the upper position performing tailight and turn-signal functions, and a Halogen 1157 bulb in the lower socket performing ONLY brake light function. When I hit the brakes, it REALLY lights up back there.

I further increased the light output of the new lamps by enlarging the opening of the back-can retainer, AND enlarging the opening in my fender to gasket size ("ported" taillights?)

I think the hot Halogen bulb will be OK in the enclosed back-can, when used ONLY for a brake-light. I am afraid that it might get too hot (with an enclosed back-can) if used for the taillamp function.

Regards,

Jeff Burgy

[Turk]

Jeff,
Only you would have "ported taillights".
What next, turbo wipers?

TURK
Happy holidays Jeff.

[cobrajeff]

Turk -

If the back-cans had been plated instead painted, I would certainly have "polished" them, you know.....then they'd have been both "ported AND polished".... (sick, I know....)

Happy Holidays to you and your family, and the rest of the Gasholes, too!

regards,

Jeff

[RallySnake]

Jeff,

By ported taillights, do you mean that you used the lower portion of the lense to pass light through? This is the area meant to be the reflector, right?

I had thought of doing the same thing, but I thought that a reflector was required by most state vehicle codes. I guess I could add separate reflector though, huh?

Good write up Jeff, thanks.

Paul

[cobrajeff]

Paul -

By "ported" I mean I opened up the holes in the fenders, about an 1/8th inch each side, and 1/4 inch top and bottom. The original opening in the fender was smaller than the gasket pattern. The original style Lucas back-plate only has a small opening at the top - the Superformance has an upper opening and a lower. I also cut-out the center of the Superformance plate to open it up even more.

The second bulb is mounted behind the "reflector" (lower portion) part of the lens - it still functions normally as a reflector, and now lights up when I apply the brakes.

regards,

Jeff

[zimmy]

Yesterday a few of us were together and were talking about the LED replacements that I put on my car. I used a 1" by 4" LED strip designed as a brake and turn signal set and mounted it in the Lucas rectangular lamp at the rear of the Cobra. Here is the link to the guy that sold me the LED. He really knows his stuff and is very helpful. They work great. They are extremely bright and very visible even in direct sun. Contact me if anyone has any questions. I modified a set for Blackjack and he is very pleased.

http://www.lambertenterprises.com/

If anyone needs help on how to modify the bracket to mount them just ask me.

[cobrajeff]

All the time I was working on my taillights, I thought, I ought to go get my camera and take some pictures - I'm sorry I didn't - just couldn't stop while I was working on it.

Anyway, here's a sketch of what I did. The upper lamp is my stock ERA single lamp, which is essentially the same as a Lucas lamp. The lower lamp is the new Superformance lamp with two bulbs.



I made additional modifications, as mentioned earlier, by opening the hole in my fender to gasket size (indicated by cross-hatch on lower picture, using the more 'open" ERA gasket (from the top), and trimming the divider out of the SPF back-plate (shown by cross-hatch in lower picture. In addition, I used a Halogen bulb in the lower position for brake lights.

I cannot recommend to you to modify the SPF backplate as I did - to do that, you must take apart the lens/backplate/bezel assy, and then put it back together again. This assembly is held together by small bent-over metal tabs on the chrome bezel. I don't have to tell you what happens to the little tabs when you try to bend them out, then bend them back over again

Hope this helps clarify things.

regards,

Jeff

[Bill Wells]

Jeff, glad you got the lights in . Do you draw cartoons too ? let me know if you want to try my Performance Unlimited LED bulbs in your rear light brake bulbs for another light test comparison and I will bring the bulbs over to you. Bill.

[427sharpe]

I have lights like the upper pic of cobrajeff, and found a simple way to fix the problem was to make a backplate and cover the interior of it (side toward the bulb) in mirrored plastic. The plastic I used was something I found at an Oreillys Auto Parts, they sell it so that people can cut out a piece to replace broken side mirrors. A 4x6 sheet was about 4 bucks. The inner reflector fixed the dim light issue, and I use a 2057 bulb.

[mustangmendez]

You guys trip me out .In a good way all this time I thought something was wrong with me ,eat sleep dream Cobra
Stuff always looking t o make somthing better . Its always been tuff to be at the inlaws and try to carry a consversation like this ?

Big T

[Jack21]

Pondered the same question. Making the Lucas park, tail, signal, and brake lights brighter to make car more visible at night. Ron Francis wireworks (wire-works.com) is a Street Rod shop just outside Philadelphia that carries bulbs called "Brite Lites" that do the trick on street rods, and Cobras. The lights are brighter making you substantially more visible to other drivers at night. They're not halogens, too hot, just larger filaments. They are direct replacements for your standard Auto Supply Store bulbs, snap right in, and illuminate you in the dark a whole lit better. Not expensive, and they work.

[mustangmendez]

Well I got with my buddy Cobra Dude at the Austin Meet today.Top subject Led lights .Due to the direction light from a led light replacement and the rectangle light used on some of our Cobras the bulb placement is up and down throwing the light upward or downward not back .Cobra Dude founder of his own digital gauges with the brightest digital light out there Soon to be in my Cobra has a super idea .Build a circuit board with the right LED lights with the right brightness pointed in the correct direction .Super light ! I really believe he can pull this thru .
look at the brightness of a new traffic light with the LEDS very very bright !
Tony

[zimmy]

Tony:

Read my post several ones up and you will find a link to Lambert Electronics. He has already built the circuit board (1x4") that works great. I have already converted my Lucas lights and one other set for a guy in our club. They are great. Write me if you have any questions.

[RallySnake]

Jack21,

I like your idea. The LED lights sometime do not work well witht he flashers anyway. I ordered the Ron Francis bulbs.

Thanks,
Paul