1960 ELDO LED INTERIOR LIGHT BULB REPLACEMENT

[Low Eldo]

Good Evening, I am looking to replace all of the interior bulbs in my 60' Eldo. Map light, the door lights and the rear seat lights. Can anyone direct me where to procure?

[TJ Hopland]

I have been getting LEDs for various applications from this place.  Unless someone here has the details you will have to consider the options yourself and hopefully choose the best fit for each location.  The original bulbs radiated the light in pretty much every direction, LED's have a narrow pattern so the type and arrangement makes a big difference on how they will perform. 

Take something like a map light.  They may list 5 options that all should plug in but are gonna be different shapes.  First concern is will the longer ones fit in the housing?  You may be limited to a shorter one.  Once you get an idea what fits then you need to look at where the LEDs are.  Some of the designs have more on the end and others have more around the body so it will depend on which way the bulb is pointing and if there is any sort of reflector or lens involved.

You also have to consider the brightness/lumens.  Is it something you want to be brighter?  Or are you going for the original look?  Nice thing is the LEDs produce less heat and draw a lot less power so in some cases you can safely really increase the light output without too much concern for overloading and melting things.  Then there is the color.  2700k is going to be pretty close to a classic regular bulb.  The slightly newer stuff like krypton and halogen were maybe 3000k. 

https://www.superbrightleds.com/vehicle?find=1960-cadillac-eldorado-6598396&sid=0PSErm0yoF

[Low Eldo]

Thanks TJ, I appreciate the in depth response. I don't mind the lighting the way it is but I do want to draw less power.

Anything else you might think of, feel free.

How does the FiTech work for you?

[J. Gomez]

Jimi,

LED lights have improved in the last few years with improvements on light dispersion, focus, etc.

You have to look at the type of bulb you have in your application and match it with a LED replacement. The only caveat is LEDs have a polarity and thus they can't be installed in a reversed application.

If your socket is wire with the positive in the tip and ground on the case straight replacement can be done with LEDs, if the other way around on the wiring LEDs will not work.

I've replace almost all of the older filament type bulbs on my 1956 except for those that can't be done e.g. glove box, GEN indicator, etc.

Good luck..!

[Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621]

What's the concern about power draw? All lamps combined probably draw less than one amp. 

[TJ Hopland]

Did someone mention concern over drawing too much power?  Too little is more of a problem.

Interesting thought about the polarity.  Could easily design them not to care but it adds to the cost so not sure they would all do it.  I have never noticed any notes or markings or options related to polarity in the automotive leds so maybe they do just make them not care?  I did just get some from them for my lawnmower which includes some 194, the little ones where the there isn't a socket per say just the pinched glass and those could plug in either way.  I guess I will have to go out and see if I just got lucky plugging them in or if it doesn't matter.

And for anyone else that saw CAN lamps listed I had to look up what a CAN lamp is.  Basically the deal with those is they add I assume a resistor so to the electronics it looks like an old school light bulb.  CAN is the communications protocol that started getting common around 05. The computer isn't talking direct to the bulb but it could be monitoring the line to make sure thing are acting right and if its not it pops up a warning saying that your tail light is burnt out.  A regular led may trigger that alert but the CAN ones mimic the old bulbs so the line should look normal.  IF they can light looks like what you want you can use them in non computer cars,  I just installed them in my 1980 lawnmower and they work fine.   

[Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621]

Did someone mention concern over drawing too much power?  Too little is more of a problem.

See Reply #2 above.

[Low Eldo]

As the 1960 Eldorado segregated the left door, rear seat light and map light from the right, requiring an additional lead on the plunger door switch (and they being ridiculously expensive) it was recommended to me that I use the traditional 2 lead plunger switch and changing all of the corresponding bulbs to LEDs. That would facilitate all interior bulbs to light at the same time regardless of which door is opened. I appreciate the responses, and additional comments are certainly welcomed

[Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621]

All courtesy lamps should illuminate when either door is opened. The map light may also serve as an additional courtesy lamp "on certain body styles" according to the 1960 owner's manual. Partial illumination related to which door is opened doesn't sound like normal operation.

I'm not sure how the circuit is wired in 1960 but on a 1962, the switch has two leads - one for the front lamps; the other for the rear. By manipulating the door switch, I could get either the front or rear lamps to come on or none at all which was usually the problem I was having. After I removed and disassembled the switch, the contacts were sooty after many years of arcing. After cleaning the contacts, all the courtesy lamps now illuminate as they should when either door is opened. I only did the driver's side switch because that was the one with the problem.

[David Greenburg]

I replaced the interior lights on my '60 with LEDs awhile back because I noticed what appeared to be scorch marks on a couple of the lenses. I figured that something that was cooler and drawing less power would be safer. I don't particularly like the color; it's more of a bright white than the gentle yellow glow of the originals.

[Low Eldo]

As I understand it, the 3 lead plunger switch does isolate each door and the corresponding interior light by driver and passenger. Either door illuminates the map light

[Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621]

Maybe David Greenburg can chime in on the "half-lights" question since he has a '60 Seville.

[David Greenburg]

Eric-

Not sure I understand the reference to "half lights." If you are referring to which lights come on when a door is opened, on my car, both sides of the interior (the door and rear compartment quarter panel light) as well as the map light come on when a door is opened. 

[Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621]

Eric-

Not sure I understand the reference to "half lights." If you are referring to which lights come on when a door is opened, on my car, both sides of the interior (the door and rear compartment quarter panel light) as well as the map light come on when a door is opened. 

See reply #7. Thanks for confirming.

[TJ Hopland]

I don't particularly like the color; it's more of a bright white than the gentle yellow glow of the originals.

Were there color options where you got yours?  Or did they at least have a color temp in the spec?  If there was a spec what was it?   

I see looking at super brite's 194 options just as an example there are some that are only available in a 6500K which is not even close to a color you would have ever seen in a car before.  5000 was a typical fluorescent shop light or institutional sort of color so 6500 is a decent jump further away from a classic bulb.  When you get much over 5000 they start to get blue in em and blue was a color you just didn't get from a regular bulb.  Some other versions of the bulbs are available in multiple colors including some  closer to the 3000 range.

2700K is the classic light bulb. 2100 would be the 'antique' open flame sort of color.  3000 at a glance you may not notice is different than 2700 but if you had them side by side you can see the difference.  All this goes for lights you are buying for your house or yard too.  If you care what it looks like don't go by the cool warm sort of thing look for the actual number.     

[David Greenburg]

TJ-

It was a number of years ago and I don't recall the extent of the color options. I just remember being happy I found something that fit. But I've got a couple of extras floating around so I'll see if there's a number. A cooler number would probably help.

[Low Eldo]

David, can you share the bulbs you used? I believe both door bulbs, one above the door handle and one on the trailing edge of the door, are the same. And the map light, which I think is a different bulb. There are several vendors that I have found, but none are helpful in doing a comparison between incandescent and LED.

Thanks

[bigoilman]

Just replaced several of mine on my '60 CDV.  Pretty straightforward except for the glovebox light which required a reverse polarity bulb (negative center post, positive metal body).  The ones in the ashtrays were almost too long. Not fun fishing the bulb out when it got depressed in the socket and ejected itself.  I crimped the body a little with a pair of needlenose pliers and that shortened them enough to fit.

[TJ Hopland]

Using super bright as the vendor and the 60 glove box light as the example their list says its a #57.  They list 5 options, one is noted as polarity sensitive and the other 4 are not.  The 4 are listed as AC/DC which among other things means not polarity sensitive.

I looked up the 194's I bought recently and they are noted as not sensitive so I didn't just get lucky plugging them in.  If you click on their note about polarity sensitive they say if it doesn't work flip it (which is easy with the 194 style bulb) so you don't have to worry about damage at least. 

[Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621]

First thing I would be investigating is why the interior lamps on one side are illuminating depending on which door is opened. Something is not right there.

Since power draw was mentioned as the reason for conversion to LEDs, what's the concern about the draw?