LED brake & tail lights....they work perfectly

[carl]

I recently put LEDs into my 6 volt 50 Stude Business Coupe. My rear lights were never very bright. I was going to paint the inside white etc.....but I thought I should check things out first. I found that my voltage at the tail/brake light was 5.9 volts even with the engine running with 7+ volts charging. My Stude is an excellent original, with very nice original wiring....but what can you expect with 70 year old wiring and connections.

I did extensive research with excellent results. By the way, my Champion taillight only had the top socket with a working bulb. I'm guessing the Commander used both the top & bottom sockets. I had to add a bottom socket and I spliced it into the top socket...so now both top & bottom sockets light up.

I found a supplier that has the perfect bulbs in both 12 & 6 volts with both + and - grounding. They have a large collection to choose from. You need to be careful to make sure the bulb will fit the space provided. They provide spec measurements of the bulbs so you can figure the size will fit.

The 6 volt bulbs work with voltage below 6 volts so my low voltage problem was solved. They tell you the voltage range the bulb will work.

The supplier is found at "ledlight.com"

I've done 3 cars....my 50 Stude 6 volt, a 51 Ford Crestliner 6 volt and a 39 Chevy Woodie 12 volt.

The bulbs I used are: 64854, 68574, 62147 & 68465. I think the first 2 are 6 volt and the last 2 are 12 volt....I'm not sure....read the descriptions to make sure you get the right voltage.

These bulbs put out 900/750 lumens. They come with offset bayonets and parallel bayonets so you can get the right ones to fit your sockets. You'll also need to purchase an LED flasher (also from this site).

The result is having lights that are very noticeable even in bright sun light!!!!!

This worked for me and the advantage is the bulbs work with a range of voltages.

[StudeRich]

Your Single Rear Socket Car probably never had Factory or Dealer installed Studebaker Turn Signals.

[Lark Hunter]

These bulbs put out 900/750 lumens.

This spec puts these dead in the water. Tail and brake lights need to have a lumen ratio of no less than 5:1 to be easily distinguishable between one another. Your stock bulbs were 7:1, and most modern ones are at least 10:1. A bog standard 1157 bulb is just under 40 lumens on the low filament and just over 400 on the brighter one. These ones have a 1.2:1 ratio, so few people will notice when you step on the brake if your tail lights are on.

There are a couple of LED retrofit "bulbs" that can work well in many lamps, though I'm not sure how they would perform with the type of optics used in your '50 Champion. These would be Philips Ultinon, or the older Vision line; and Sylvania Zevo. Unfortunately, they're not available in 6 volt... and there are no skookum 6 volt LED tail/brake/signal bulbs on the market despite what the marketing tells you.

Your first instinct to paint the interior of the housings white and combing over wiring and grounds (never overlook grounding on 6 volt systems!) was the correct one. There are some decent incandescent upgrades out there that would net you ~65% brighter brake lights with only an increase of 4 watts per bulb. I posted more info on that in a similar thread regarding LED's in a '50 Commander last night.

[carl]

I understand what you are saying about the ratio between brake and tail....however my set up works as follows....
When driving at night the tail light is using only the top socket......when the brakes are applied the top socket brightens and the lower socket energizes providing a secondary very bright 900 lumens.....(2 bulbs lighting each 900) this is very effective and eye catching. It's very noticeable that the vehicle is either stopping or turning.

But the real benefit is during the daytime driving (which is 80% of my usage)......Applying the brakes....4 bulbs 900 lumens each. Use the turn signals and you have 2 bulbs flashing and 2 bulbs steady brake. These bulbs hardly draw any amps.

[BRUCESTUDE]

Thanks for the info Carl!

[carl]

Make sure you purchase LEDs that omit RED light......White light doesn't show up well for the tail/brake lights.

LEDs for the front turn signals should be White.

If you convert the inside courtesy lights, I think you'll be pleased. The 1951 Ford Crestliner inside courtesy lights have white plastic lenses that will melt and deform if the lights are left on too long. This problem is gone with the LEDs and the lights are easily twice as bright.