I own a CMC with no interior lighting or gauge lighting. I'm looking for a creative way to light my gauge cluster. I boughta thin battery powered rope light, it hides away nice but it doesn't produce enough light. Mainly need to keep an eye on the speedo. Any suggestions?
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Check the wiring/bulbs for your gauges. They have lights.
I'll bet the gauge lights are wired to a 12V + source BUT PO left off the critical grounds (12V -).
Wolfgang is probably right, if the bulbs and sockets were there in the first place.... Do you have the "IDIOT" lights???? If not, now would be the time to wire them in also.... All the required sockets and bulbs can be had at CiP1....
"Trouble Lamp." Got one like that and one like this. For gauge lighting, though, it IS best to use gauge lights.
Guess I deserved all that... there are no idiot lights, and no additional posts. The gauges were replaced before I bought the car with "Vintage Reproductions" - thats the name brand. Found this on web when searching them... http://www.auctionbandits.com/...car-dash-gauges.html
So everyone understands what I'm dealing with.
So you are saying the guages have no provisions for idiot lights and / or back lighting???
They should have back lighting sockets at least.... The idiot lights can be slapped into a bracket and mounted under the dash.... Any 12vdc after market assembley could be used...
Vintage Reproductions were what CMC provided when you bought their gauge package. Mine came with lights and they do have provisions in the back of each gauge cluster for snap-in bulb sockets. For indicator lights, you can go to Radio Shack's web site here and see a convenient sample: http://www.radioshack.com/fami...nt_content=CT2032232 . They are bright unobtrusive mini lights and sorta blend into the dash.
I used the R/S Model: 272-332 $2.69 snap-ins in red, blue, and green.
Ha! the gauges in the auction bandits add, Says, "never installed". I wonder how the speedo go 83,975 miles on it. Inquiring mind would like to know!
Check out Superbrightleds.com They have lots of led lights in many different configurations. Something might work. I've used a lot of their products both on the car and in and out of the house. Swapped out all the 4 and 7 w exterior lighting bulbs around my place for 1 w led bulbs, work like a charm and can run a lot more lighting on 50 w transformer and the drop with long circuits is not as critical.
