Vintage Thunderbird Club International

has anyone ever tried an led for the tail lights?

I bought a set for my '68 from Cougars Unlimited/Kim Paulson. They work perfectly.

well i thought i would go out on a limb and try replacement leds,after reading a little Sylvania makes an led called zevo oreilly had them.Bought four(two in a pack)changed out three and they worked like normal(i do have the electronic sequential module on the car not the factory one)replaced the turn signals with red, and the three middle with the red light covers with white. The only downside i noticed was the leds do not face forward so there is a noticeable sort of dark spot in the middle compared to the 1157 stock bulb when the running lights are on, really no difference when using the turn signals. The zevo bulb is supposed to not give feedback to the lighting system like other regular led bulbs. I went down this wormhole trying to lighten the electrical load on the car being i am now running the sniper system and did notice that running with ac on and lights and rear brake lights it was hard for the alternator to keep up, I now do not see the voltage drop that i had when hitting the brakes. Another downside they are expensive being there are so many bulbs.

Years ago I bought a bunch of LED 1157 to play with. Most of them were far too dim to be safe, so you definitely want to look at the lumens when you buy.

What I found is the tower type covered with square emitters make the most light, they cost a bit more, but the dim ones don't make enough light during the daytime for people behind you to see the brake lights come on.

I use these style 27 SMD LEDs for brake/tail lights on everything they'll fit.

Red for brake/tail: https://www.ebay.com/itm/183013317894
White for backup lights: https://www.ebay.com/itm/183013317883

Superbrightleds.com is also a good source for quality LEDs, they have a fitment guide and list lumens, light angle, etc. Super helpful for figuring out what base style and bulb will fit.

I cleaned up the reflector housing and painted it gloss white since the chrome/zinc/whatever reflective coating was failing and dark on one side probably from a leaky gasket. I also cleaned and lubricated the sequencer motor and mechanism at the same time, cleaned all connections, and replaced the factory relays with standard automotive sealed connector relays (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B074FSZWVT). Light are very bright without being obnoxious or blinding, backups light you can actually see a bit with now. Overall a big safety improvement with the perk of less power draw and much longer bulb life. Turn signals are now very quiet even without a back seat in yet and no insulation wrap on the assembly.

Dunk67, did the LED bulbs you use in turning signals work right out of the package, that is, without adding in-line resistors to make the blinking work?