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do LED taillights look too "streetroddish"?

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by lorolr, Feb 11, 2010.

  1. Francisco Plumbero
    Joined: May 6, 2010
    Posts: 2,533

    Francisco Plumbero
    Member
    from il.

    If you put them behind glass lenses, yuck but oh WTF, you cant see an 1157 at all in the city at night its so bright, hate getting rear ended, I guess BS led is ok.
     
  2. Nice reference picture sawzall! Another reason I am going to run them!~
     
    Just Gary likes this.
  3. pecker head
    Joined: Nov 8, 2006
    Posts: 4,237

    pecker head
    Member


    Im running 265 out of a 55 with a generator , and 49 ford lights ! Just say no too LED"S
     
  4. HomemadeHardtop57
    Joined: Nov 15, 2007
    Posts: 4,328

    HomemadeHardtop57
    Member

    I dont care for the LED's for the look..but for brightness and safety there is nothing like em.
     
  5. need louvers ?
    Joined: Nov 20, 2008
    Posts: 12,903

    need louvers ?
    Member

    Leds for sure! In 18 years of daily driving in a huge city, the center of it I might add, my trusty '48 has been rear ended twice. Once catastrophically, like should have thrown it away bad, the other minor, but annoying. The second about ten years ago sent me searching to make things a hell of allot more noticeable. The first try was halogen, quite visible, but generated a bunch of heat. For the longest time I couldn't figure out why my taillight lenses were broken. HHMMM, heat build up in glass, sudden summer rainstorm --shit, new lenses. I went out and bought an LED kit for a '48 Ford from one of the suppliers here in town - problem solved! You can see my brake lights from outer space these days. I could care less if any one doesn't consider it traditional. Neither is fixing your car after it is hit by uninsured non residents a couple of times....
     
  6. I have never been rear ended at night after decades of driving with 1157 brake lights. In fucking Houston. Period.
     
  7. depends on the size of the lens and the placement......on small lites (modelA/T/B/39s etc.) hell yeah I like LEDs.on bigger lens maybe not just brighter bulbs.I gotem on my harley,maybe soon on the 56.......its your ass!
     
  8. here's my 2 cents,
    If the car is going to be driven alot, go with the LED's. There much brighter, making them much safer. You can still run the original housing so it doe'nt take away from the look of the car.
    Ford til 40 ran rod activated brakes, (seems Old Henry did'nt like hydraulics) We know the first thing, even traditional die hard hot rodders change is to juice brakes....Why because there safer! The same could be said for LED'S. I had a 36 Ford a few years ago with frenched 39 Tear Drop tail lights and i was told numerous times that my tail lights were very hard to see. If LED's would have been availible then, i would have ran them.:cool:
     
  9. Raunchy
    Joined: Apr 16, 2007
    Posts: 379

    Raunchy
    Member

    Run what you want. I didn't have any luck with the conversion type bulbs. So I am just running stock . I don't really like the looks of them personally.
     
  10. Hmmmmm....
    They look just fine on my KENWORTH.
     
  11. jmh
    Joined: Jun 30, 2008
    Posts: 438

    jmh
    Member

    Followed my buddy this past weekend in his 40 (Columbus Goodguys). His tail lites are VERY hard to see in sunshine past 2-3 car legnths. Wish he would spend the cash and get LEDs. I have them in my 39 and have been told they are brite and very visible.. JMO.. John
     
    Just Gary likes this.
  12. You can get quartz bulbs for stock light sockets. They are bright and still don't look like LAX when you hit the brakes.

    Second thing about LEDs is that you have to go with a no load flasher if you are going to have turn signals. I'm no expert on the subject but it seems to me that you would then need to go with LEDs on the front or use two flashers. I could be wrong about that.

    Anyway quartz lights are a simple solution and an alternative.
     
  13. 40fordtudor
    Joined: Jan 3, 2010
    Posts: 2,503

    40fordtudor
    Member

    agree big time---here in Texas everybody drives like they're in a Nascar race. right on your ass for the most part---keepin' mine.
     
  14. Toner283
    Joined: Feb 13, 2008
    Posts: 1,327

    Toner283
    Member

    Not necessarily true. our coupe has LED's in the taillights and regular bulbs in the front turn signals and we did not need a no load flasher. you only need a no load flasher if there are no bulbs in the turn signal circuit at all.

    either way, a no load flasher will work with bulbs just as well as LED's. only difference is instead of a bi metal strip to turn the bulb on & off it just has a small electronic timer to turn the bulbs/LED's on & off.
     
  15. There is nothing traditional about LED headlights, period......

    WTF, isnt this suppposed to be the HAMB? Isnt this site about building traditional hot rods?..... Cause LED lights are as traditional as a fagstang II front end.

    I seeee soooooooooooooooooooooooo many threads on the internets about people getting rearended, and talk to people at every car show about how they have a had a car shoved up their a55 because they had dim lights, ya right!!!

    LED = LAME
     
  16. tiredford
    Joined: Apr 6, 2009
    Posts: 560

    tiredford
    Member
    from Mo.

    If your running disc brakes and radial tires what difference does it make!!
     
  17. EnglishBob
    Joined: Jan 19, 2008
    Posts: 1,029

    EnglishBob
    Member

    It's your car and if you like them then do it.
     
  18. lostforawhile
    Joined: Mar 23, 2008
    Posts: 4,160

    lostforawhile
    Member

    thats a great idea!! how are they on heat? my project is too off topic for the board, but I can tell you it's really hard to find non broken,or cracked taillights, took me years to find a set, I would like to keep them that way. I just don't want to melt them. as far as the Led's, if they are behind a glass lens with a diffuser, how is anyone going to ever tell the difference? I agree that if you can see the individual LED's it looks as tacky as you can get, but if's it diffused by a lens, and you can make your lights super bright, why not? for all other people know they might as well be halogens. also traditional or not, I would put a third brake light on anything I was driving, I have one right at eye level, not way down. made a housing and bracket and mounted one of those super bright LED trailer markers in it, you can't see the LEDS at all, just a super bright red light when I step on the brake. it's hard to ignore. too many idiots on the road to risk being rear ended, sometimes you have to give up a little bit of tradition .due to the brainless society we now live in. another trick, if you mount an led assembly inside of a tradionall housing, get some of that diffuser material they use for overhead lights, cut a circle to fit in the housing, and mount it behind the lens, if it's done right, you won't be able to see the material, but you will have a nice even bright light. I wouldn't do this with a traditional bulb, but just with the led's. that stuff is just like the diamond diffuser material in modern lights. it just keeps the light from being one point, and spreads it evenly
     
    Last edited: Jul 15, 2010
  19. Um, Ryan has a MII front end on his 38. You calling him a fag?
     
  20. Well said. Until a few months ago, I didn't own a car with LEDs. How did people ever survive 100 years of the Automobile before now? I think the new head and taillights are TOO bright; I have to shield my eyes at times. Don't get me started on the blue headlights...:mad:
     
  21. Thanks I wondered about that.


    I put yellow lights in my parts hauler/bad weather vehicle. Only yellow on low beams white on highs. Anyway its a damned funny thing they got headlights in red also these days equally as awful as the blues but in good old Missouri those are legal as well as the blues. The yellows are not so i have to change bulbs to get inspected. Go figure.

    A lot of the new cars have lights that are way too bright. I'm good with brights headlights if they are adjusted right. But there is really no need for extra bright tail lights. Well there wouldn't be if you had to know how to drive and practiced what you know to get a drivers liscence.

    I figure it this way my true hot rod is fast enough to get out of the way and I pay attention and practice defensive driving when I'm on the road. Always know where to go, don't tail gate and you should be alright the majority of the time.

    Never the less I still believe if you think your tail lights are too dim get some quartz bulbs.
     
    Last edited: Jul 15, 2010
  22. DanIam
    Joined: Apr 5, 2010
    Posts: 98

    DanIam
    Member

    Well said. Hot Rodding was about pushing the envelope both in style and function. Hot Rodders would definitely have used LED lights if they were available. Sometimes the "spirit" of Hot Rodding gets overshadowed by the quest to stay "traditional". I think true Hot Rodders would scoff at the limitations people on their builds in order to fit into the "traditional" box.
     
  23. M.Edell
    Joined: Jun 5, 2009
    Posts: 4,179

    M.Edell
    Member

    :confused:

    All fine and Dandy except..uh..this is a Traditional Hot Rod Messageboard..:confused:
     
  24. lostforawhile
    Joined: Mar 23, 2008
    Posts: 4,160

    lostforawhile
    Member

    another thing to think about, is how much faster they light up, if they are mounted behind glass, they look like halogens, but it takes a standard bulb a second to come to full brightness, that one second might be the difference between someone hitting you, and someone not hitting you. if for no other reason, use to to protect all your hard work from idiots. I'm a careful driver and i watch the guy in front of me, but I can tell you, even paying attention, it's really hard to see a dark hot rod, with tiny dim lights at night, nearly impossible in the rain, the average blabbing soccer mom, isn't going to see you until she runs her suv up your exhaust., if you know what I mean
     
  25. Yes, but the HAMB isnt about pushing the envelope in both style and function.....
    Its about traditional hot rods..... Right?
     
    Last edited: Jul 15, 2010
  26. M.Edell
    Joined: Jun 5, 2009
    Posts: 4,179

    M.Edell
    Member

  27. hkestes
    Joined: May 19, 2007
    Posts: 585

    hkestes
    Member

    I have the Technostalgia LED's with the rapid flash (flashes 3 times before staying on when you hit the brakes) on my 48 Plymouth and could care less if they look streetrodderish. It looks better than demolition derbyish.

    Mine is my daily in and around Dallas and I want the extra visibility. With the standard bulbs and stock lenses the tail lights were dang near invisible in bright sunlight even with the 12 volt conversion.
     
  28. lostforawhile
    Joined: Mar 23, 2008
    Posts: 4,160

    lostforawhile
    Member

    I can understand traditional, but if you have traditional looking taillights and have super bright bulbs in them, what difference is that going to make, I'm not talking about those ugly lights where you can see the LEDS , I can't stand those things, but if you mount the LEDS inside of the housing and it keeps the back end of your car in one piece, why is that not traditional? who can tell the difference?
     
  29. Toner283
    Joined: Feb 13, 2008
    Posts: 1,327

    Toner283
    Member

    One small problem with your statement. this thread is about TAIL lights, not HEAD lights.

    and yes, LED HEAD lights look stupid.

    I view LED taillights in the same vein as disc brakes and seatbelts. not originally equipped on most of the cars on this board but not a bad idea to counter the stupidity of the cell phone using coffee drinking not paying attention SUV crowd. I will willingly trade this small bit of tradition to not have to repair my car after some idiot rear ends it because they were not paying attention.
     

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