LED Dash Light Kits - installed pics

Hey all, just thought I’d post some installed pics of the LED gauge light kits we’re now selling. These are the same images you’ll see on our website, but better quality.

1967 - 1968 LED dash lights
1969 - 1970 LED dash lights

They are pretty bright! Especially noticeable when you see the turn signal indicators / hi beam light.

I like these next two shots because they answer the obvious question: how much better are the LED bulbs than the original incandescents? I took these comparison shots at the same exposure, so it’s scientific and stuff. It’s also worth mentioning that we put in new blue diffusers as well, so that helps the brightness and color too.

Oh yeah, and here are what the kits look like. This is the 1967-68 kit:

And this is the 1969-70 kit:

So, are there downsides? Sure. For one, it’s a somewhat involved project to disassemble / reassemble the dash. But that’s not the fault of the bulbs. As far as the bulbs go, there are a couple small issues. For one, we’ve found that they don’t quite fit as snug as they should, so you may have to fiddle around a bit to get them snugly in place. Also, the dimmer function on your light switch will only “kind of” work. It dims the lights somewhat, but you don’t get the full range of bright / dark like you do with the incandescent bulbs. I personally don’t think this is big cause for concern, as most people will probably want them on full blast anyway. But to solve the dimmer issue, some have suggested using a resistor in the circuit, or even a single incandescent bulb somewhere to draw the right amperage or something like that. The older thread has some discussion on that topic. Long story short, it’s a pretty nice upgrade IMO, and is probably something I’ll do on my car when I get to that point. What do you guys think?

P.S. Anyone in the neighborhood with a 69-70 want these installed in their car so we can take sample pics for that generation? Get in touch…

Those are bad ass pictures Andrew, well done.

This is great upgrade especially if you have a couple bulbs aready burned out. Are there any clearance issues with the diffusers?

WOW! Those dash photos look great. This is something I really want to do. As always it great to see that WCCC’s points out any issues they find with a product. Well done guys.
Steven

I can’t get over how clear they are, best examples for LED lights I have seen, Great Job taking the pictures Andrew.
If these are the HiPo Parts Elite Series, I guess I should have waited to get these. These are less money than what I paid, good deal!
Andrew, what would these dash lights have looked like with the old defusers, Just a little dimer or also a different color?

SNAP!!! I just re-installed my dash last night. But the dash pad is not installed yet… Gonna add that to my cart tomorrow. Timing is everything!!!

I like the way they look, much better no doubt. My only question is has anyone driven with them to see if they are bright enough to cause a distraction to the driver?

Al, I have The Mustang Project LED kit in mine, and have not noticed them being a “distraction”.

I have the HiPo Parts Elite Series lights in factory color installed in my dash and they are not a distraction at all. The kit WCCC is now selling looks exactly like the one I got from HiPoParts.

Maybe a dumb question, but will these work with the 67/68 XR7 dash?

Yes there is an XR7 kit that gives I think, two extra lights, one for the clock and I think the other is for the oil pressure gauge. I got the luminous paint as well, White and orange/red.

Thank you! As for the clearance issues, here is what Darrell told me just now (he’s the one who did the installation). Apparently the tips of the bulbs almost touch the diffusers, and in some cases he made them touch on purpose, to hold them in place. He says the looseness problem is just with the illumination bulbs, all the others fit fine. As I’m writing this, he’s on the phone with the manufacturer to let them know about the problems, hopefully they will be able to come up with a solution. The issue seems to be that the two little “nubs” on the illumination bulb bases don’t quite stick out far enough to firmly grab the sockets. It’s especially a problem on 67’s because of the metal sockets, which have smoother “tracks” than the plastic ones, making it easier for the bulb “nubs” to slip out.

Thanks! I really like how they came out too. And yes, these are the HiPo Elite bulb kits. Good question about the old diffusers, we didn’t try that. But based on the used ones I’ve seen, they are usually pretty cloudy, and sometimes a little melted or burnt. The color does seem to have a slight green-ish tint on the old ones, probably has something to do with the heat and / or age. But I think the main reason for the color difference is that the incandescent bulbs have a warmer, yellowish color, whereas the LED’s are a cool white. Of course the other good thing about the LEDs is that they don’t get hot, so even if they touch the diffusers it shouldn’t matter.

Thanks for bringing this up! For some reason we only have the Standard kit listed right now. XR7’s will need additional bulbs… we will get the XR7 kits in stock ASAP and post here when they’re available.

So, long story short, you can make these work with some fiddling. Or, if you don’t mind waiting, we might be able to improve the fitment somehow. This might be something to do a how-to video on, or at least a series of pictures.

Oh yeah, another thing that helps it to repaint the orange on your needles. We used this product on the needles in the pics above and it definitely helps them to “pop”.

Andrew, do you have any pictures using the LED lights with the original Green filters?? I would be willing to be your test mule for the 70 but I’m not sure if I want to go with t he Blue or stay with the green. Thanks
Zoli

Zoli, the original filters are in fact blue, but they tend to get slightly discolored over the years. Plus, the yellowish tint of the original bulbs combined with the blue filters makes the color look green.

We actually have 3 different color options on the filters: blue, yellow, and red. I’m curious to see what the yellow and red ones will look like. I think green would be a cool option too, but they aren’t made in green as far as I know.

They for sure should be made in green, the green backlit dash is one of the coolest parts of the Cougar interior. I was happy when I got my USA-1 stereo installed and saw that the screen is backlit green. Somewhat of a match.

Those are some excellent pic’s :thumbup: I’m glad you had more than the 2nd one of the speedo cause I saw that and said, damn I really need to get my eyes checked (odometer) :laughing: The clarity of the pics really shows especially with the before and after. I am glad you don’t offer a 73 kit since I just went down to the local autowhatever store and replaced all my dash bulbs with the original style. Well done :smoke:

I just ordered the 70 kit. Will report back and let y’all know how it looks. I am jacked to have a nice bright dash.

This is kind of a bummer for me seeing I want them for my 67. I’m thinking maybe a dab of silicone could keep the bulb “nubs” in place inside of the socket after the silicone dried. Any thoughts on this idea? I still have my factory AM/FM Mercury radio. What type of bulb does it use? I’d like everything to match and right now the radio is as dim as the rest of my dash bulbs. Any thoughts?
Steven

I put LED lighting in the AC/heater control and the rally clock too. The stock bulb for an AM/FM radio would be a bayonet base I believe. Putting an LED replacement in its place should be no problem. Deciding which sort of LED replacement to use would be the most difficult part.

That’s a really cool setup. I currently have the dash out of my 68 XR-7 so when the kit becomes available I’m sure I’ll order one.

Those look great.