DIY LED tail lights?

Anybody here done this? Looking at doing this on my Z and possibly miata and wanted to know what potential hurdles will be in my way.

Do you mean running LEDs in place of your stock bulbs? I've got all-led exterior lighting on my Miata.

1. Get good ones, not eBay specials.
2. Match the color of the LED to the color of the lens, it'll be much brighter than using white LEDs for everything.
3. Deal with the hyperflash. On an NA Miata, it's a matter of changing out a resistor in the flasher unit.
4. If one's not working, change the polarity on the socket. I had to do this on my CMHSL.

They won't melt snow off the lenses anymore, but otherwise I like mine. They respond faster than incandescent, last effectively forever and are as bright as stock. I can provide the part numbers I used if need be.

And LED headlights - good ones - rock.

In reply to Keith Tanner:

Im thinking more along the lines of building a board to put in the lense.

Then good luck :) A number of the points still apply, though.

In reply to Keith Tanner:

I screenshoted those points. Should help get me going in the right direction.

There was a decent how-to article in Mopar Action a few years ago. They made an LED version of the 69/70 Charger tail lights and go into what to buy and hooking it all up. Looks like it's the 8/2013 issue. I've been planning to try it with Spitfire and 1800ES tail lights, but haven't made the time.

that's a good idea. I would like to replace the lamps in my vehicles to LED. Eurocars have notoriously small brake lights

Back when I had a 3rd gen T/A I wanted to this...primarily because their taillight housings appeared to simulate LEDs, but also so I could program them to mimic the taillight patterns of other cars.

I want to do this to my Miata:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X51b_d4d6KQ

A friend of mine suggested using this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00BMHP960/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1455932818&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=red+led+strips

It looks like it might be a workable solution if I can figure out how to mount them.

As a state inspector I would have to fail a car if I saw that you were not using DOT approved lighting in the OE fixtures. Ya I know. . .. But them are the rules. So be careful about what you do with respect to lighting.

while I do not doubt you, Dean. It also depends on what state you are in to see what you can get away with. Here in NJ all they worry about are emissions and noticeable safety failures (cracked windshield, busted out lights, latches that don't) so stuff like that would fly under the radar.

In reply to mad_machine:

Also not really applicable to classic and antique registered cars in PA or NJ.

Ian F wrote: In reply to mad_machine: Also not really applicable to classic and antique registered cars in PA or NJ.

completely applicable. I tried registering a fiat in PA with antique tags.. I gave up after arguing that the European rims the car had with in fact A: fiat rims, B: As old as the car (they were older actually), C: that they were available on the 124 (only in Europe).. along with a host of other changes the "expert" was sure was wrong with my car .

So yes, LED taillights would be right out on an antique registered car in PA

In reply to mad_machine:

Old rules.

PA no longer requires pictures for antique or classic registration. Both my Mini and Spitfire were done without submitting pictures. No official from Penn Dot ever inspected either car, despite having out of state titles. CA for the Mini and MI for the Spitfire.

Unfortunately, was not the case when I bought the E30 so I registered it normally, which turned into a nightmare when the car failed emissions miserably so I could never actually drive that car legally (although I drove it anyway for 2+ years).

HERE'S a thread with some discussion of what goes into a properly-designed LED tail light. Getting it right on your own would be pretty tough.

The thread is a dozen years old, and the information on replacement LED bulbs has changed somewhat.

Keith Tanner ... Can you add more to the "good LED headlights" comment? I have Exomotive's H4 bulb Dominator headlights on my Exocet, and they have pathetic light output, even with upgraded halogen bulbs. I dig how they look, but need to figure out how to make them work.

In reply to einy:

Good = not cheap. Figure on $300+ for a pair. A quick bit of googling shows about $350/pr for TruckLite 7" style lights. Can probably be found for a bit less with more searching.

Good = Trucklite or GE Nighthawk, or OE. I am skeptical of putting LED bulbs in a halogen headlight housing due to their directional nature, I think the light paths in the light will be wrong. Haven't tried it, though.

The Exoceters are starting to look at off-road light pods for headlights. These will likely have the wrong pattern for low beam driving, but it's possible there are some that could work.

Btw, the inexpensive COB LED lights being sold on Amazon for DRL use come in a range of colors. We used a red one for a CMHSL on the XXXocet, and it worked really well. They could be either supplementary lights or put inside a housing.

I have to say I did install retrofit LED lamps into my Disco's reverse and rear fog lights.. (only the driver's side fog, the other I left out) and I do not know the brand, but they are the one pepboys sells with all the leds aimed out to the sides from a tall cylinder.. and they are BRIGHT. Much brighter than the stock lights with just as even a light spread.

While it may not be the effect you are looking for, in the Z I'd be inclined to get four of the 2x6" or so oval trailer lights and mount them behind the stock lenses. Either get the clear lens ones if they fit or just regular red ones and disassemble them and use the led boards out of them. DOT approved light source behind a DOT approved lens and no worries.

For my old Dodge pickup I cut out a couple of pieces of aluminum sheet into the shape of the stock taillight lenses, cut holes in them for the trailer light grommets, and covered them with red reflective tape. Sure it's not original, but in both lighting and reflectivity they should beat the stock 50-year old bulbs hands down.

Keith Tanner wrote: Good = Trucklite or GE Nighthawk, or OE. I am skeptical of putting LED bulbs in a halogen headlight housing due to their directional nature, I think the light paths in the light will be wrong. Haven't tried it, though. The Exoceters are starting to look at off-road light pods for headlights. These will likely have the wrong pattern for low beam driving, but it's possible there are some that could work.

I've just installed LED worklights (round, 5.5") inside my grill area to 'help out', and wow ... I can actually see at night now! I might play around with a LED h4 bulb retrofit in the Dominator housing just to see if they work. Thanks for the brand info, Keith - I'll see if they have H4 sized bulbs available.