Retrofit to LED lighting

[Itsanss]

Just wondering if any of ya'll have retrofitted an existing light to take a 12V LED bulb....? Got a 1958 Texas Maid Falcon that's getting a makeover and this thing is going to be battery powered for the time being. I know LEDs draw very little power compared to incandescent bulbs and every little bit of power saved will help!

So, is there a 12V LED bulb socket that I could wire in that ya'll recommend?

Thanks!

 

[64osby]

I bought some 1157 LED bulbs that fit the existing sockets for my LoneStar. As I recall the were about $14.00 for 2 bulbs on xbay shipped from xhina. This was a few years ago, prices may have dropped.

Look for high Lumen bulbs (6000) with 360 degree lighting.

They work great for me. Don't know if they meet CG rules but the lakes that boat are on are small. One or two miles ranges would put the person viewing on land or on another lake.

 

[ondarvr]

You didn't say what bulb you are trying to replace, but just get the numbers off it and look on eBay, shouldn't be more than a couple of bucks to replace any of them with LED.

 

[gm280]

These days there are LED type replacement bulbs for every incandescent bulb used in automobiles. So go to most any auto parts store and buy them and install. Not much to it. JMHO

And honestly, LEDs should never cost anymore then the usual incandescent bulbs they are replacing. The LEDs actually cost less to manufacture then incandescent. But we all know that LEDs are big items presently and the manufacturers are enjoying much profit.

 

[Scott Danforth]

1000leds is a good webside

 

[Itsanss]

Holy crap! I had no idea there were LED replacements for the incandescent with the same receptacle! But I guess I should have figured that were the case. That's great! And easy! lol Thanks so much for pointing that out, ya'll

 

[gm280]

Holy crap! I had no idea there were LED replacements for the incandescent with the same receptacle! But I guess I should have figured that were the case. That's great! And easy! lol Thanks so much for pointing that out, ya'll

Yes Itsanss, there are LEDs for every type incandescent bulb these days. When I was searching for the bow and rear navigation lights for my boat, the prices for LED versions was so high price in comparison to regular incandescent versions. So I bought the regular versions of those lights and will buy LEDs for them and install. That also allows me to use either type bulb if push comes to shove.

Same with home lighting. Just recently the prices have come way down for home LED replacements. With just a few lights left in our house, we swapped over to nearly every light to LEDs now. We still have a few chandelier bulbs to get. But they are still pretty high. I can wait for them to drop in price. :thumb:

 

[Itsanss]

Yes Itsanss, there are LEDs for every type incandescent bulb these days. When I was searching for the bow and rear navigation lights for my boat, the prices for LED versions was so high price in comparison to regular incandescent versions. So I bought the regular versions of those lights and will buy LEDs for them and install. That also allows me to use either type bulb if push comes to shove.

Same with home lighting. Just recently the prices have come way down for home LED replacements. With just a few lights left in our house, we swapped over to nearly every light to LEDs now. We still have a few chandelier bulbs to get. But they are still pretty high. I can wait for them to drop in price. :thumb:

Right on! I am definitely more familiar with home LED lighting. Ain't technology great? :joyous:

Looks like my light sockets are in pretty sorry shape. I'll need a socket and pigtail AND bulbs. Hopefully I can find some for cheap!

 

[gm280]

Right on! I am definitely more familiar with home LED lighting. Ain't technology great? :joyous:

Looks like my light sockets are in pretty sorry shape. I'll need a socket and pigtail AND bulbs. Hopefully I can find some for cheap!

Again Itsanss, you're in luck. They do sell such sockets for most every type bulb you could need. Once you know the bulb number (ie 1157, 1293, 194, 912, etc.) you can buy the appropriate socket as well and replace them. Almost everything can be replaced if you know how and where to search. I had to do such searching in my days to build a lot of different projects. The parts are out there...