Brighter Turn Signals

[GTtim]

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Try it once, Tim. do one parking lite (or taillight) white and use foil on the other. Do your eyeball "test" at night and see which one is brighter. I'm betting you'll readily see the difference.[8D]

Hey Bob, thanks for the encouragement. I'm a little paranoid about paint, I don't get along with it as well as I should. I'm going to the counselor to try to resolve some of these issues. [8D] Seriously, my hat is off to all of you that have found the best way to do a thing and are able to follow through on it. I usually try to do things the right way, not take short cuts, but my time is limited, I have a business to run and family things to take care of also, so somethings get put off until later. I never claimed that the tinfoil quick fix was better than painted white, I only claim that it is quicker and better than nothing and causes no harm in the doing. It was a tip that I remember from an old Popular Mechanics magazine. As soon as I can screw up my courage and find the time I'll paint the insides of the lights white, until then the tinfoil will do the job and make it a bit better than it would have been.

Tim K.
'64 R2 GT Hawk

[bige]

My guess is that while the white may be brighter, taking the second step and painting a silver metal housing to get a little more reflectivity wasn't in the manufacturer's budget. Also, white paint may flake off or turn less white with age whereas the material the part was cast in will not change much or require maintenance. IMHO.

Siver or white, just as critical is making sure the inside of the lens is clean and the grounds are good.

Regarding LED's, My El Camino has both type of lights in the rear. For reasons too long to explain here, I have to switch to all LED. But looking at the rear with all the lights turned on there doesn't seem to be a big difference in brightness between 4 1157's and the light bars under the tailgate. It's a different look and the LED's are very crisp, but they don't drown out the regular lamps. While researching the lights for the El Camino, I read that LED's are more effective if the lamp is the same color as the lens. I.E. red bulb through red lens is more effective than white bulb through red lens.

ErnieR