Dash Lighting

13 SMD LED’s - 194 Connector - Crystal Aqua Ice Blue

The problem with lighting on classic cars was the technology available at the time. The Light Emitting Diode (LED) has since flourished and become widely available for almost any application. You can literally get an LED with any connector and color you want. It’s fairly easy to pick what color you want your dash to be, but the hard choice is where to get them from.

Aqua Ice Blue lights on the Stock ‘67 Camaro Cluster

The bulbs used in Turbo Camaro were purchased on an auction labeled “194 13 5050 SMD LED Crystal Aqua Ice Blue.” Quality items can be had on eBay if you research the manufacturing source. These bulbs were a quarter of the cost of local shop versions.

Keep in mind the stock ‘67 gauge cluster uses white (yellowed) bulbs that shine through a green film. Your new bulbs need to be bright enough to overpower that green hue to achieve the color you want. Also, remember that dash lights are dimmed by the headlight switch rheostat. Many LEDs do not dim smoothly with old-school switches; ensure your selection is compatible or be prepared for them to stay at maximum brightness.

These LEDs are great substitutes for many automotive applications. We even gutted our Equus 6088 Tachometer and replaced the internal circuit board LEDs to match the color scheme.

Turbo Camaro still has an old-style dome, shift indicator, and heater control light bulb. Once these are updated to LEDs, the details will be posted here.