Smith Gauge Lights

[Joe's Garage]

Does anyone know of a replacement bulb or LED for the Smith gauges? I've been told some may burn out in 1-2 years depending on use and have the opportunity to install something more reliable and possibly a little brighter before I install the gauges into the dash. Replacing bulbs after the fact would be a whole lot more time consuming.

As a data point, what kind of life do Smith gauge bulbs have before they need to be replaced? If what I heard is not true then I won't bother, thanks for any advice.

[streetrod1927]

Try Nisonger in CT. The sell smiths gauges.

[ACademic]

I changed all of my bulbs from the Sylvania LL194 (2.75 watts) to the LL168 which is the same style but about 3.5 watts. It actually helps quite a bit. The tach bulb is an oddity though...good luck finding a brighter one that fits that unique socket. Check out Holden at Vintage car parts Classic car parts Lucas car parts & Belstaff Jackets from Holden Vintage & Classic in the UK. They apparently used to stock part number LLB501 for a 5 watt bulb. It replaces the Lucas 2 watt original bulb (LLB297). I never tried them because it wasn't worth the postage to the States. Last, check the voltage at your gauges. Many dimmer switches/boards are known to drop voltage and you might only be getting ~10v at the dimmer.

[cycleguy55]

superbrightleds.com has 168 /194 base LEDs from 5 to 35 lumens. You'll probably want 30 or 35 lumens. https://www.superbrightleds.com/cat/...,194,197,8902:

You could also check with Moss Motors - they supply parts and accessories for a myriad of British cars. Here's their page on LEDs for gauges: MossMotors.com - Restoration Parts And Accessories For British Cars

[Joe's Garage]

Thanks for the info ACademic and cycleguy55, I'll check those sites out.

[ERA 778]

I was concerned about the lighting for my dash as well. There is an old thread from a member named Blas about a set of instructions he provides to change out all of the light bulbs on the dash. I did it to my ERA before I finished the car. It was pretty straight forward. The instructions are very well done and complete. As I recall, the tachometer is the most difficult part to convert.

Thread is called: Smith's Gauges Lighting Upgrade

Hal

[Joe's Garage]

Thanks Hal, I saw that thread earlier and went back and read all of it. I've sent Blas an email with my Smith repro part numbers to see if what he has would work with my gauges.