Brighter stop lamp
-
- Sergeant Major of the Gee
- Posts: 475
- Joined: Sun Jan 19, 2020 1:17 pm
- Location: W Simsbury CT
Brighter stop lamp
In the quest for a brighter stop lamp, I decided to build an LED board using the brightest LEDs I could find. Lumileds Superflux seem to be some of the best, used for many OEM applications. So I build a board to fit into the tail lamp housing, which would give the largest amount of room for more LEDs. I planned on just using the stop lens, not the light housing.
Built the board, tried it out, pretty bright, but not as bright as I had hoped.
Did a little research on 12v bulbs like the 1157. Turns out the 2357 is much brighter, and a common bulb.
Seemed to put out even more light than the LEDs.
So, I pried off the lens bezel using an open end wrench as shown. A little heat from a mapp torch removed the old bulb from the housing easily. I took the new bulb, and gently ground off the two nibs on the sides of the base. Using some cardboard to locate the bulb square in the housing, I used two part epoxy to mount the bulbs to the housing. I also painted the insides of the housings white. According to my research, the white color is supposed to reflect more light than silver paint.
I created some new lens gaskets out of closed cell foam sheet, and carefully crimped the light bezel back onto the housing.
A pair of channel locks worked pretty well to fold the lip back over.
I think these are going to work well, they were cheap, and didn't take long to modify. As long as you clock the bulb terminals correctly and mount the base sticking out the proper amount, the bulbs should work with the stock bulb connectors on the wiring harness.
removing bezel housing painted white bulb held in position epoxy used to mount bulb LED board assembly
Built the board, tried it out, pretty bright, but not as bright as I had hoped.
Did a little research on 12v bulbs like the 1157. Turns out the 2357 is much brighter, and a common bulb.
Seemed to put out even more light than the LEDs.
So, I pried off the lens bezel using an open end wrench as shown. A little heat from a mapp torch removed the old bulb from the housing easily. I took the new bulb, and gently ground off the two nibs on the sides of the base. Using some cardboard to locate the bulb square in the housing, I used two part epoxy to mount the bulbs to the housing. I also painted the insides of the housings white. According to my research, the white color is supposed to reflect more light than silver paint.
I created some new lens gaskets out of closed cell foam sheet, and carefully crimped the light bezel back onto the housing.
A pair of channel locks worked pretty well to fold the lip back over.
I think these are going to work well, they were cheap, and didn't take long to modify. As long as you clock the bulb terminals correctly and mount the base sticking out the proper amount, the bulbs should work with the stock bulb connectors on the wiring harness.
removing bezel housing painted white bulb held in position epoxy used to mount bulb LED board assembly
45 MB - W Simsbury CT
Built to drive!
Built to drive!
- dpcd67
- G-General
- Posts: 11818
- Joined: Mon Jul 25, 2011 3:41 pm
- Location: Iowa
Re: Brighter stop lamp
I have that lathe.
No idea how to make that light bulb though.
No idea how to make that light bulb though.
U. S. Army 28 years.
Armor Branch
Armor Branch
-
- Sergeant Major of the Gee
- Posts: 475
- Joined: Sun Jan 19, 2020 1:17 pm
- Location: W Simsbury CT
Re: Brighter stop lamp
If you can run a lathe, you can definitely mod your bulbs!
45 MB - W Simsbury CT
Built to drive!
Built to drive!
-
- G-First Lieutenant
- Posts: 607
- Joined: Mon Aug 27, 2007 8:40 pm
- Location: Wheeling, Illinois (Chicago area)
Re: Brighter stop lamp
Bryan,
I like your modification. But I am confused- did you use the 2357 bulb in the old tail light bulb housing? And, if so, what was the LED board used for? Or did you make the LED board, then abandon that in favor of the 2357?
Thanks,
Chris
I like your modification. But I am confused- did you use the 2357 bulb in the old tail light bulb housing? And, if so, what was the LED board used for? Or did you make the LED board, then abandon that in favor of the 2357?
Thanks,
Chris
Chris Doran (ccdoran@hotmail.com)
GP 9671 (5-01-41)
Slat 103178 (12-12-41)
GPW 75591 (10-42)
Bantam T3-C 25038 (Early 48)
GP 9671 (5-01-41)
Slat 103178 (12-12-41)
GPW 75591 (10-42)
Bantam T3-C 25038 (Early 48)
-
- Sergeant Major of the Gee
- Posts: 475
- Joined: Sun Jan 19, 2020 1:17 pm
- Location: W Simsbury CT
Re: Brighter stop lamp
I desoldered the 6V bulb from the original housing, then installed a 2357 in its place.
It turned out brighter than the LED board, so I went with the 2357s.
It turned out brighter than the LED board, so I went with the 2357s.
45 MB - W Simsbury CT
Built to drive!
Built to drive!
-
- G-First Lieutenant
- Posts: 607
- Joined: Mon Aug 27, 2007 8:40 pm
- Location: Wheeling, Illinois (Chicago area)
Re: Brighter stop lamp
Are you running a 12 V system? Or is it still 6 V?
Chris Doran (ccdoran@hotmail.com)
GP 9671 (5-01-41)
Slat 103178 (12-12-41)
GPW 75591 (10-42)
Bantam T3-C 25038 (Early 48)
GP 9671 (5-01-41)
Slat 103178 (12-12-41)
GPW 75591 (10-42)
Bantam T3-C 25038 (Early 48)
-
- Sergeant Major of the Gee
- Posts: 475
- Joined: Sun Jan 19, 2020 1:17 pm
- Location: W Simsbury CT
- armyairforce
- G-Lieutenant Colonel
- Posts: 1010
- Joined: Sun Oct 04, 2020 6:13 am
- Location: Co. Durham, UK
- Contact:
Re: Brighter stop lamp
I did a light mod on my GPW in 2018. Originally I just replaced the combined brake/tail bulb with a single brake/tail LED. Before fitting the bulb I cleaned and sprayed the inside silver to help the internal reflectivity - shown below.
The system worked, but I discovered the brake part of the LED wasn't significantly brighter than the tail light when illuminated. At a distance, it could be difficult to tell if the brake lights were on, so the following year, I pulled them apart again and added a second LED wired into the brake circuit. OK, so not exactly authentic, but neither are LEDs. However, almost every time I go out in the Jeep on English roads, there seems to be someone out there trying to kill me, so I wanted the brake lights to be clear and obvious.
The second LED was fitted into the case with silicone, to one side of the original brake/tail LED.
Hopefully this animated GIF shows how it worked out.
The system worked, but I discovered the brake part of the LED wasn't significantly brighter than the tail light when illuminated. At a distance, it could be difficult to tell if the brake lights were on, so the following year, I pulled them apart again and added a second LED wired into the brake circuit. OK, so not exactly authentic, but neither are LEDs. However, almost every time I go out in the Jeep on English roads, there seems to be someone out there trying to kill me, so I wanted the brake lights to be clear and obvious.
The second LED was fitted into the case with silicone, to one side of the original brake/tail LED.
Hopefully this animated GIF shows how it worked out.
Steve Carr - Only dead fish swim with the stream
My Websites
My Websites
- JIMN
- G-Major
- Posts: 897
- Joined: Tue May 23, 2006 4:24 am
- Location: Southern Ohio
Re: Brighter stop lamp
ArmyAF,
Where did you get those LED bulbs?
Where did you get those LED bulbs?
1941 Ford GP, 1944 Willys MB, 1943 Bantam T3
-
- G-Corporal
- Posts: 25
- Joined: Sat Jan 22, 2022 9:33 am
- Location: Upstate NY
Re: Brighter stop lamp
Excellent
-
- G-Private First Class
- Posts: 9
- Joined: Wed Mar 17, 2021 2:36 pm
- Location: Swindon England
Re: Brighter stop lamp
The inside of the lamp bowl should be painted with Matt white.The light source needs to be contained within the bowl not projected out like a headlight.
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 4 guests