Convert Your Cluster & Control lights to LED's How-to!

[rlith]

Yep, another how-to... For a while I had some general colored bulbs in my cluster, you know, the crappy APC ones. The problem with these incandecent bulbs is that over time they fade...(In the case of the blue one, they faded to green, and the reds faded to pink).... So I finally got off my arse and decided to upgrade my cluster to LED's. Yes, I know, some of you say..."Why don't you go with EL Glow gauges?" Well, unfortunatly, we with the 94-97 clusters have a hard time getting the right gauges for that. (Some of you know what I'm talking about). Besides, what I ended up doing was cheaper and looks pretty decent. This how-to also applies to 98+ clusters as well with the exception of the gear indicator. So let us begin...

(Forgive some of the pics, my camera sucks for close up detail)

Tools needed:
Needle nose pliers
Soldering pencil
solder
15mm socket
7mm socket
Phillips head screw driver

Start by removing the drivers side kick panel and knee panel. Once this is out of the way we need to drop the steering column. (The cluster won't come out with the steering wheel up) On either side of the steering wheel column you will see a 15mm nut. Remove both. This drops the column. Let it rest on the driver's seat.

Remove both screws above the cluster. Now carefully start pulling the dash bezel towards you until it releases from the dash. Disconnect all switch harness's and set bezel in the back seat of the car (or where ever you want to).

Now, you will see 5 7mm screws. 1 in each corner, and 1 on the bottom just left of center. Simply remove these. Now slowly pull the cluster towards you. Ok, that's it. Cluster removed.

Shown here is the back of the cluster. There are 5 194 twist style bulbs (For gauge illumination) , and 10 t1 twist bulbs. (Idiot lights).


http://www.pghconsulting.net/led/cluster.jpg

Here we see the typical GM green socket. These suck. Why? Because they aren't slip on 194's. You actually have to disassemble the damn thing.

Here we see the original 194 socketed bulb and the new 4 LED LED bulb. (No resistors are needed as the resistors are built into the wedge)

http://www.pghconsulting.net/led/194.jpg

Simply use a pair of needle nose pliers and pull firmly on the connection tab on the bulb.

http://www.pghconsulting.net/led/194-1.jpg

The tab will slip out.
http://www.pghconsulting.net/led/194-2.jpg

Do this for both sides of the bulb, pull the old bulb. Straighten the wires on the new bulb so they go through the top of the bulb socket. When you insert the tabs back in, simply fold the wire over the connecting tab.

Now simply put the bulb back in the back of the cluster and move to the next one.

Shown here is a t1 bulb with a base, and 1 without. The cluster itself as stated above uses 10 of these. The HVAC uses 3, the 4x4 switch uses 3. For my T1's I used hyperwhite LED's for all the idiot lights in the cluster except for the turn signals. The turnsignals are now blue.

Now realize. LED's are polarity sensitive for the ANODE/CATHODE. After installing all bulbs. Push cluster into place and turn on your lights. Note which ones are NOT coming on. Simply pull the cluster back out and re install that bulb 180 degrees.

The HVAC controls use 3 t1 bulbs without a base.. Simply pull the old bulb and slip in the new. (Remember, turn on the lights to make sure you have your polarity correct)

Shown here is the HVAC with 1 incandecent and 1 blue led.


http://www.pghconsulting.net/led/hvac-1.jpg

Now of course, I abosultely hate the orange PRNOD321 lights. So of course I had to change that. On the bottom of the back of the cluster you will see a single t15 torx screw. Remove screw, lift up cover. Remove the circuit board and unplug connector.

Shown here is the light board for the gear indicator on the cluster.

http://www.pghconsulting.net/led/gear.jpg

Note your polarity on this board for the bulbs. Top in anode, bottom is cathode. Each bulb must be de-soldered and a new one put in its place. It takes about 5 mins per bulb to swap out. I used 5mm 2600mcd blue LED's for replacements. Again, no resistors are needed as existing resistors are in place from the original bulbs.

Here is a pic of the bulb lit up... Little fuzzy but you get the idea. It's currently in drive.

http://www.pghconsulting.net/led/gear2.jpg

Arm rest controls and the rest of the controls on the dash were done with 3mm 200mcd bulbs to replace the built in incandecent bulbs. These were soldered in place of the old ones using a 310ohm resistor on the cathode. Don't try this unless you know how to take apart these switches! Practice on some old ones from a junker to learn how to take them apart and put them together!

So at this point all bulbs are replaced and the car is put back togeather....

HVAC----

http://www.pghconsulting.net/led/hvac.jpg

Center shift gear indicator--

http://www.pghconsulting.net/led/shift.jpg

And the cluster. Yes, I put in RED for all the small gauges and blue for the Speedo and Tach... Personally I like the way it fades violet into the red. Also all the damn needles look like Light Sabers! Of course you want to light to your own tastes...


http://www.pghconsulting.net/led/final.jpg

All bulbs purchased from www.superbrightleds.com (http://www.superbrightleds.com)

[LEADFOOT]

Nice. I want to do all mine in red, every bulb. Any way you can get the part numbers for me for all the bulbs? The cluster looks cool.

[XxInFaxX]

nice writeup. i like the red to purple to blue!!!

[rlith]

Nice. I want to do all mine in red, every bulb. Any way you can get the part numbers for me for all the bulbs? The cluster looks cool.

Simply go to www.superbrightleds.com in checkout you can pick which bulbs you want.

[sniper_moe]

I got a quick question about the cluster... with the led's will it look brighter in some placed or is it just in the pics that it looks that way?

[rlith]

I got a quick question about the cluster... with the led's will it look brighter in some placed or is it just in the pics that it looks that way?

My camera sucks, it's just the pics... The only places it's brighter are the needles. Plus I'm using different colors which makes it look slightly weird... (Which I like) Solid blue looks good as well)

[bvr775]

how bright is it in person. i like it, but i don't want anything that's going to be too bright(the cops really hate interior lights around here)

[jjwalker]

What is the input voltage on one of the bulbs? I want to make sure to get the right LED's instead of doing all that soldering and blowing them up!

[JROD©™®]

damn that is awesome...i would like to see my shiat all in red like a GTI...

[BlazinLow_inORE]

that looks sweet... good writeup

[ZR1-S10]

That looks cool. If it's not too bright I might go with all red on mine. But I have a 96, can you tell me whats different about the 94-97's? Also I want to put in a factory tech and I'll change to LED's when I put in the tach.

[Maximus]

Does your dimmer still work on them rlith.And how did you get the needles to glow like that.

[T Man]

http://www.sicgmtrucks.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=839&stc=1

[XxInFaxX]

oh wow...i have no words for that!

[T Man]

thank you. look for it more often, plus a ton of good ones

[rlith]

That looks cool. If it's not too bright I might go with all red on mine. But I have a 96, can you tell me whats different about the 94-97's? Also I want to put in a factory tech and I'll change to LED's when I put in the tach.

You have a 96 which means it pretty much the same as the 94, 95, 97...the - represented TO. :D

[rlith]

Does your dimmer still work on them rlith.And how did you get the needles to glow like that.

Yep, dimmer works fine.... They glow like that naturally with the lighting. :D

[rlith]

What is the input voltage on one of the bulbs? I want to make sure to get the right LED's instead of doing all that soldering and blowing them up!

You don't have to worry about that, all the bulbs for the cluster have the resistors built in. The only ones I had to solder were for the switches on the door and the dash (except the 4x4 switch which ise regular socketed T1's

[Blazer69]

i just might have to try that....looks very nice

[importmaster1300]

What LED's did you use? I bought one from Radio shack and it didnt work, did you use tha plastic holder that the old bulb used to go in?
On superbrightleds.com what p/n did you use?

[rlith]

What LED's did you use? I bought one from Radio shack and it didnt work, did you use tha plastic holder that the old bulb used to go in?
On superbrightleds.com what p/n did you use?


You can't just go to rat shack and buy LED's and plug them in to a 12 volt socket. I bought all my LED's from superbrightleds.com. Did you look at the how to?

In order to use an LED you have to calculate forward voltage via the max voltage the bulb can handle to get the proper resistor value, then solder that resistor to the anode of the LED. The bulbs from www.superbrightleds.com already have the resistors in place at the base of the wedge... Your cluster uses 194 bulbs for the gauges and the center shiftgear indicator, and t1's for the idiot lights. Those are just plug ins... The arm rest controls and dash switches use 3mm led's (which you will have to solder the resistor in place). The gauge cluster (94-97) use 5mm LED's for the gear indicator on the cluster itself and you will have to solder those in but no resistor is needed as the circuit board already has the resistors in place. All you're doing in that case is swapping out the amber led's for what ever color you choose.

[Maximus]

I wonder what bulbs are used in first gens.Or what it would look like on a first gen.We kinda got the shaft when it comes to a gauge cluster.Us with I think around 89 up have a better setup then the older ones but still not a eye catcher.I would like to do it.Which ones are the brightest rlith.If I do it I wanna get the brightest ones.

[Maximus]

What is the difference in the 194 LED bulbs and the T1.5 screw in socket LED's.Wouldn't it be easier to just buy all T1.5 LED's for the whole cluster.Because their T1.5 LED's are cheaper than their 194 LED's.Just wondering why you didn't use the the T1.5's in all of them.Are they not as bright?

[rlith]

1st gen clusters use the same thing, 194 for the gauges, t1's for the idiot lights. They are 2 totally different bulb styles. You could not use 1 with the other, nor would you want to. the t1's are lower power, while the 194's have either 4,5,6, or 9 leds in the wedge base. The twist on bases of the t1's are wayyyyy smaller than the 194 twist base.

[Maximus]

OK so is the 4 LED bulbs the best ones to use as far as the light output over the single large LED bulb.I also wanna say again one great write up rlith.You have done so many for us here and on the old planet I consider you a highly valueable member.And if your not a Admin you should be.Just look at the write ups he's done guys.With pics and very detailed instructions.I bet he's done more than any other member.I know ive learned something from them.

[rlith]

Pics don't work

[Maximus]

Are they working now because I see them.

[rlith]

Are they working now because I see them.

Nope, don't see nuthin :(

[Maximus]

OK im gonna try and do this whole thing over again.I first wanna say that Super Bright LED's is the best place to get LED's period.They are a great company to deal with and their LED's are cheap.And they get stuff shipped out fast.I had one that was bad and I called them up and the guy said he would credit me or send me a new one.I said ok I will just take credit because I am gonna order some more for my rear view mirror and the lights in the floor board.I ask him how he wanted me to send the bad one back and he said don't even worry about it we'll take care of you.I was like WOW that's cool.So if you want LED's I HIGHLY recommend them.Ok on to the install.For first gen's there are a few differences from second gen's.On first gen's there are only two number 74 bulbs behind the AC/heat panel instead of three.And there are 6 twist style bulbs on the panel instead of five.Our safety belt bulb is next to the guages and uses the same style bulb as the guages.I used super white for it and blue for the guages.I only needed 8 white number 74 bulbs instead of 10 like rlith's.Yours might be different so check and see first.You don't have to buy the T1 LED's with the screw in base.All you have to do is pull the old bulbs out and put the new LED's in.Remember these are all polarity sensitive so if they don't work just take them out and plug them back in turned around.I also switched out my ashtray bulb and my dome light.The ashtray bulb on first gens are a 194 also.I used super white for it.And mine used a 4410 LED for the dome light.The rear view uses two of the same part number as the dome.I didn't know that when I ordered mine which is why I ended up with 2 extra 194 super white LED's.Which is what I used for the ash tray bulb and the safety belt light.So it worked out for me anyway.Us first gen guys don't have the good guages like secong gen guys do.They actually have needles were ours are hidden for the most part.Which sucks but what do you do.But I am very pleased with the results from swapping out for the LED's.Ok here are some of the pics from the install.I didn't take a pic of the back of the guage panel because I forgot but they look just like the second gens.So if you need to see what one looks like just look at rlith's pic.
Here is a pic of the dome light on and off.
http://www.sicgmtrucks.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=1015&stc=1
http://www.sicgmtrucks.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=1016&stc=1
Here are some pics of the ashtray bulb socket and some pics after it's installed on and off.
http://www.sicgmtrucks.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=1017&stc=1
http://www.sicgmtrucks.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=1018&stc=1
Installed when it's off and on.It's really bright at night.
http://www.sicgmtrucks.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=1019&stc=1
http://www.sicgmtrucks.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=1020&stc=1
AC panel removed,the gray wires are to the light sockets.
http://www.sicgmtrucks.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=1021&stc=1
With blue LED's installed and on
http://www.sicgmtrucks.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=1025&stc=1

[Maximus]

I tried to get as good a pics of the guages as I could but they are not to great.I used 5 blue 194 LED's for the guages,1 super white 194 for the safety belt light,and 8 super white 75's for the turn signals,check engine light and so on.Here are some of them I took at night and in the day light.
Daylight with LED's off
http://www.sicgmtrucks.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=1028&stc=1
Daylight LED's on
http://www.sicgmtrucks.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=1029&stc=1
Night time LED's on
http://www.sicgmtrucks.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=1031&stc=1
Sorry the last pic is so blurry but I couldn't get it to take any better.This swap is pretty easy to do.You can really see your guages clearly and even on bright sunny days with the guage lights on they show up bright and clear.Once I get the LED's for my rearviw mirror and floor lights I will take pics of them at night too.Thanks to rlith for a great write up.I wouldn't of thought of doing it or what LED's to get with out it.Two thumbs way up for this mod.I like it so much the TA is next to get them.I think I might go red with it though.I'll post pics of it when I get it done.

[rlith]

Very Nice... I'm gonna have to Organize this thread a bit..:D I'll work on that tonight, Thanx for the pics maximus....Definatly a help..

[importmaster1300]

I will post mine when I get them.

[Maximus]

Very Nice... I'm gonna have to Organize this thread a bit..:D I'll work on that tonight, Thanx for the pics maximus....Definatly a help..Go ahead and clean it up and make it a sticky rlith.When I get my rearview mirror and floorboard lights done I will take pics of them and just send them to you to edit in to the thread.All credit goes to you on this bro.I couldn't have done it as fast as I did with out your write up.I really love the mod.At night my guages really light up the cab lol.

[importmaster1300]

Here is mine:

http://www.sicgmtrucks.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=1039&stc=1

[Maximus]

Looks awesome man.I told you that you would be glad you done them.Im gonna take pics of my interior when it gets dark.I installed super white LED's to replace all of my interior lighting.Again it looks real good Import.What did you think of the install,easy wasn't it.

[importmaster1300]

Hell yeah it was easy, the only time consuming thing was turning the bulbs 180.

[rlith]

Hell yeah it was easy, the only time consuming thing was turning the bulbs 180.

Then test fitting the cluster to make sure you got the bulbs right :D

[importmaster1300]

hell yeah, lmao the first time I only had 2 workin, then I was like WTF? All I had to do is turn em' around!

[XxInFaxX]

good goin slick. way to get the anode/cathode in right!

[GmcnotChevy]

Hey guys I haven't posted here in a while, good to be back.
On the gauge lights i went to the local parts store and bought standard 194 twist on sockets to replace the factory ones that were wired into the socket, and i got the eurolite 194, andit took about 5 mins after you get the cluster out. the result was 110 % better i'll take a picture later.

[Maximus]

Pics would be great.I should have updated this thread about some issues I have had.The 194 style LED's are still all working great and bright as hell.But every other one I bought has had atleast one LED and up to 4 on a larger bulb to stop working.And I have not had them very long.Im gonna email the guy and see what he says and I will post up what he does about them.There is no way a LED should go bad that quick with out something wrong with the unit.

[20Xtreme02]

Has anybody counted how many there are of each type of bulb in a late-model S10? It would be nice to now how many to order without tearing the dash apart to count them and then again a week or two later to install. If not, I guess I have a project.

[Maximus]

Read the beginning of this thread were rlith tales you how many of each bulb second gens have.

[20Xtreme02]

Oops, sorry. How do I determine which leg of the LED in the anode and which is the cathode for connecting the resisitor or does it matter? Maybe I can still rotate the LED 180 degrees to make it work.

Arm rest controls and the rest of the controls on the dash were done with 3mm 200mcd bulbs to replace the built-in incandecent bulbs.

Is the above sentence right RLith? 200MCD? I found 100 3000MCD LED's for $13.50. Would I go blind if I used those?

[steves1991]

Thats the coolest cluster Ive ever seen, do you know how to do anything like that to a gen. 1 s10???? or possible a sunbird cluster

[Maximus]

I did a first gen cluster if you look through the whole thread.It still works great even now.

[Maximus]

I did a update in another thread telling about the bulbs that I had go bad were all replaced buy the company free of charge and shipped to me in 2 days.I would say that the SuperBright company is one of the best I have ever delt with.And their LED's are the cheapest going and they are bright as hell.I also bought some new LED's that are nonpolarized that were just plug and play.

[Nickelin'Dimer]

Hey, has anybody tried the high-intensity LED H3 replacements offered by Superbright? I'm wondering if they will match or at least come close to the candlepower (Lumens?) of my 100w bulbs. I've fairly recently just converted my '94s factory fogs to driving lights with a set of aftermarket lenses and reflectors that came with housings of the same design as OEM. Took my time and sealed them carefully with clear silicone to keep the moisture out. But now I've heard that the higher wattage halogens mat be too much for the factory ABS housings to take, and having just visit Superbright's site I've gotten thinking that there may be a better way to go. So how 'bout it, guys? Anyone had better results in lighting with them?

[TreasonAgainstCaesar]

Sorry, haven't tried any LED replacement bulbs, so no personal experience. Do they give a light output rating in either candlepower or lumens? Is that actually an H3 bulb? You could check out silverstars or another aftermarket high quality bulb that matches the wattage of your stockers.

[Maximus]

I would like to see some LED driving lights in actions.With a good high wattage LED and reflector you can shoot a hell of a long bright beam.I have two LED flashlights one with a 1 Watt LED and a second with a 3 Watt LED that are brighter than any flash lights I have ever owned.They put big huge Maglites to shame.The 1 Watt uses 3 AAA batteries and the 3 Watt uses two C cell.I use them all the time and have yet to have to change batteries.LED's are a great lights source that is bright and doesn't need a generator to stay that way.

[Jay_Pollard]

wow...nice write up for sure. Kudos for that one..im thinkin thats the next mod for my 05 jimmy...its 5 speed tho, so I dont have to worry about doin the prnd321..also no power options, to that makes it even easier..just the HVAC (i'll have to check mine b4 I do it, cus my controls are slightly different than the ones in the write-up) maybe someone has done it on the newer HVAC Controls? Yea, No?? And im gonna do My 4x4 push button switches too...most likely go completely red, with white needles maybe...not sure yet..we'll see.

[TreasonAgainstCaesar]

Yeah, rlith had some great right ups. I know he's on one/some of the other forums, too, but is he still active anywhere since he's not around here anymore?

[Nickelin'Dimer]

Uh, Caesar... Yes, they're H3's and personally I steer clear of the Silverstars (At least the sealed beam versions) because of lackluster results. I got much better from Wagner BriteLite's like I used on my '85. Ah well, I guess I can always get those lenses like I saw on DanielSternLighting.com and put some high-efficiency H9004's in them. Oh, did I mention I have a '94? 'Cuz that's why this is my only option.

[TreasonAgainstCaesar]

Uh, Caesar... Yes, they're H3's and personally I steer clear of the Silverstars (At least the sealed beam versions) because of lackluster results. I got much better from Wagner BriteLite's like I used on my '85. Ah well, I guess I can always get those lenses like I saw on DanielSternLighting.com and put some high-efficiency H9004's in them. Oh, did I mention I have a '94? 'Cuz that's why this is my only option.

You did. I just knew that my '02s fog lights are not H3 bulbs, and I was lazy, so instead of researching, I asked you. I've had really good luck with my silverstars, and I think they're really bright, but that's my opinion. Also, I'm sure that different styles might not perform as well as others. Good luck!

[Nickelin'Dimer]

Okay, movin' along... I can't wait to do the same LED mod to my dash, only I'll take my time and color-match my idiot lights (Something I read somewhere about using the same color light as the lens for best results) and hyper-(Xenon?)-white for basic illumination. Heck, think I'll do the overhead too. Say, has anyone tried the bulbs offered on eBay by warden_jp2002? I'd just like to know what results others got as I am interested in his 3057/3157 13W red stop/turn signal/running lights (Too bad they're not made in amber). Anyways, anyone?

[plant.one]

i got all my interior LED's from http://stores.ebay.com/V-LEDS_W0QQssPageNameZstrkQ3amefsQ3amesstQQtZkm . nice guy, good product from what i've expierenced... and he does have full 2057/3057 in red, amber and clear as well as the blinker voltage regulators for our trucks :)

[87wildside]

Yeah, rlith had some great right ups. I know he's on one/some of the other forums, too, but is he still active anywhere since he's not around here anymore?His last activity was 9/6/07. He may have a lot of other things going on more important then S10s or he may have got burnt out.

[Nickelin'Dimer]

Hmmm, nice bulbs. And I like what I see brightness & color wise from V-led. Think I'll go there when I'm ready for them (Money's tight, hence my name). If I figure out how to post pics I'll show y'all the difference I get between the Hi-intensities (That's what I'm gonna get) and the incandesants. Shame they didn't list total lumens (candlepower?) output for them, as they should, so we can know if they're equal-to or brighter than the in-can'ds (Like they should ). Oh well, guess I'll just hafta go by the pictures.

[98'S-Dime]

His last activity was 9/6/07. He may have a lot of other things going on more important then S10s or he may have got burnt out.

Yea i hope he comes back hes got a lot of information that id like to know. has any of the Admin. talked to him or anything?

[plant.one]

Hmmm, nice bulbs. And I like what I see brightness & color wise from V-led. Think I'll go there when I'm ready for them (Money's tight, hence my name). If I figure out how to post pics I'll show y'all the difference I get between the Hi-intensities (That's what I'm gonna get) and the incandesants. Shame they didn't list total lumens (candlepower?) output for them, as they should, so we can know if they're equal-to or brighter than the in-can'ds (Like they should ). Oh well, guess I'll just hafta go by the pictures.

buy the Super Flux LED's from him.. they're incredibly bright... i've bought both high flux and supers and there is a noticble difference... it did work out well as i used the super flux for the main dome and the high flux for in my map lights which i wanted dimmer anyway. the difference IS significant though.

[Nickelin'Dimer]

I guess I should mention I'm also lookin' at replacements for my markers, turn signals & brake lights. Anyone know about those? Namely the dual-intensity supers?

[jspear]

Just did the dash in all blue with some blue Eurolite 194's. The LEDs have 2 per bulb so they are not super bright, but I like em just fine. But, the dimmer doesn't work with them???? I don't often use the dimmer anyways, so I'm not too concerned. Great write up though, but I should mention that when pulling the tabs out, sometimes the stock bulb base chips. These glass chips are hard to see, as my bleeding finger found out. Thanks for the write up again.

[Mikz86TA]

You would have to change the dimmer circuit for it to work. Or it will be bright, and then dim a little on the lowest setting. On 98-ups, there is a wire throughout the truck called the LED Dimmer. Found behind the deck and at the BCM on those. Its possible to rewire that to the dash and other places where a LED was installed. I havent done it cause it dosent bother me.

[jspear]

Ya, I'm not gonna bother, too much hassle for a dimmer, and with only 2 LED's per bulb, its not blinding to the point of annoyance, its just right.

Here's what all blue 2-LED bulbs look like

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg23/jspearjspear/LEDcluster.jpg

[jspear]

sorry for the large image size

[Mikz86TA]

They look nice. I did the blue as well. But on the stock 98-up gague cluster layout I have its kinda blotchy. Some areas the LEDs are directly behind and light up brighter than others. I need to redo them with some wide-angle LEDs one day. Just other sh*t going on to really care about that detail =) I like the way the orange needles light up with the blue LEDs as the backlight now tho....kinda a neonish orange glow. Ive found them hard to get a good realistic picture of tho

[neo71665]

The wide angles made a world of difference on 2nd gens. We put the single 10mm wides in my brothers 98 after I had luck with them in my 87 and his doesn't have the blank areas. We went the cheap route and ordered the ones off ebay, 10 for $10 shipped. I've had the same in mine for over a year now with no problems. They are no good doe anything but the dash gauges but they do work better than his 6 LED superbright bulbs he had in there and a lot cheaper.

[Nickelin'Dimer]

Okay, that covers the 2nd-series cluster, but what would work best for the first like I have? I worry that if I go with one in the center that don't use an inverted cone it won't spread right. And what about the outer four? Should they be non-inverted? Is forward-only SMT okay? The same questions apply to the warning lights since I want them to light quickly (What the heck, hey?). Basically I want to reduce the draw for the cluster in all ways and this is it, but I don't want it improperly lit obviously. And I do dig the "Light Saber" needle effect since that will help pinpoint readings in the dark. Anyone?

[neo71665]

I have all mine replaced with inverted in my 87. Lights up just fine.

[Nickelin'Dimer]

Uh, I meant 2nd-gen, 1st-series cluster. Just to clarify.

[Hollywood#3]

Looks good makes me want to do mine in blue..

[neo71665]

Umm the 94-97 clusters you mean?

[Nickelin'Dimer]

In a word, neo: Yes. Specifically the '94 full-cluster.

[TreasonAgainstCaesar]

In a word, neo: Yes. Specifically the '94 full-cluster.

Is that the same cluster that jspear posted the pic of? Sorry, don't know exactly what all the different clusters looked like.

[Nickelin'Dimer]

Actuallly, to be exact... It's the same as rilth (The guy whom started this thread) has from what I make of the shots. I just want the light to be spread properly (evenly) with no bright spots (and light-saber needles, hopefully). It's this or go mega-bucks and get Dakota Digital to make me one that'll plug-in (Hmmm... I wonder if the LED cluster from the 1st-gen S-Blazer will at least bolt-up?).

[jspear]

My cluster a 95 w/o the tach so its an "early style" 1st gen cluster of the second gen clusters. If that makes sense

[Nickelin'Dimer]

Okay, I dig your lingo. And you used what LEDs again (For the record, I'm going with white except for the signal & warning lights)?

[Black Knight]

How many and of what bulb do I need for 98 cluster? I tried reading rlith's post, and it confused me. I want blue 4 LED per bulb, and hopefully the dimmer switch to work with it. Any info appreciated, i am thoroughly confused.

[jspear]

I used some Eurolites that I found at a local store for cheap, but they only have 2 LED's per bulb and if I was gonna do it again, I would look for more LED's/bulb as they could be a bit brighter. Try superbrightleds.com for a good selection.

For the record, you will need "194" bulbs for the guages and t1 bulbs for the idiot lights (SES, seatbelt, airbag etc). Other's won't work. The HVAC also use t1's

I didn't swap out the gear indicators, so check back to rlith's post for that.

You would have to change the dimmer circuit for it to work. Or it will be bright, and then dim a little on the lowest setting. On 98-ups, there is a wire throughout the truck called the LED Dimmer. Found behind the deck and at the BCM on those. Its possible to rewire that to the dash and other places where a LED was installed. I havent done it cause it dosent bother me.

If you have a 98+ then find this wire, if you have a 94-97, you may have to install an LED dimmer switch - but really , I wouldn't bother because its not bothersome at all

[neo71665]

If you find the 10mm diffused light ones they work just as well as the multi LED heads. They also throw the light off to the side to reflect instead of the normal focused beam a regular LED throws out. The pic is a bit blurry but you get the idea:http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l217/neo71665/Truck%20crap/blazerHVAC001.jpg

I got these off ebay, 10 for $10 shipped and fixing to swap mine over to white. My brother has the same ones in his 98 but they are white and I like them better. This one he has a LED that needs to be resoldered. Its the white and unless you know about LEDs you can't get true white with a normal LED unless it has a coating on it and those wear off.
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l217/neo71665/BS002.jpg

[jspear]

Looks good

[White-V-6-S-Ten]

Is it easier to do this on my 03 Rlith?

[White-V-6-S-Ten]

Looks great!

[Nickelin'Dimer]

Agreed... And that top shot is in your '87 Blazer? The instrument/control head looks like that found in the 1st-gen Astro minivans. Say, were exactly did you get those LEDs?

[Mikey 08]

Son of a *****....I must be ****ing retarded. I just spent the better portion of an hour and a half trying to get those sons of *****es in. I need a god damn step by step on how to do this **** with pictures and everything please...anyone....I got the knee panel most of the way off. But I cant for the ****ing life of me figure out how to drop this ****ing steering wheel. I need someone to point out where the damn bolts are that hold the column up. If I can get the column out and dropped I will have no problem, but I can drop it and there is no way to get the cluster out without the SOB dropped. So someone please show me what I need to see http://www.s10forum.com/forum/images/smilies/smile.gif

[Mikz86TA]

Calm down.

What year? Why do you need the column dropped?

[Mikey 08]

It is a 97. Don't you have to drop the column in order to get the cluster out? I kept getting hung up on the steering wheel and some little tables right above the cluster, no way to get it out....any help would be awesome

[Mikz86TA]

There are 2 bolts halfway down (10mm I think) that go upwards. Those hold the cloumn in place partially. Should clear it with those out.

[Mikey 08]

See I can't find these bolts....I will take my dash out tomorrow and take a pic and hopefully someone can point me in the right direction

[Mikey 08]

Here is what I am running into...look at the one pic where it is red, there are little tabs there and it is preventing me from getting the cluster out...oh and great, I busted off the emergency flasher tab on the column as well :)

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j225/AllStarMike2k5/DSC_1923.jpghttp://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j225/AllStarMike2k5/DSC_1922.jpg

[Mikey 08]

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j225/AllStarMike2k5/DSC_1924.jpghttp://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j225/AllStarMike2k5/DSC_1925.jpghttp://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j225/AllStarMike2k5/DSC_1926.jpghttp://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j225/AllStarMike2k5/DSC_1927.jpghttp://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j225/AllStarMike2k5/DSC_1928.jpg


anyone quickly point them out to me? Where are the two nuts I need to drop the column?

[Maximus]

You need to take out the black bolts on the green part of the cluster.Then you can remove the cluster.There is a clip that holds your gear indicator on.It just slides off.

[Mikz86TA]

To drop column, the bolts are vertical and found from underneath.

[Maximus]

Im talking about to just pull the cluster out.I didnt have to drop my column down at all.It can be removed with dropping it.

[Mikey 08]

To drop column, the bolts are vertical and found from underneath.

This was the most help i've gotten :) ...thank, that made it so much easier...I got them out and changed them and put them back in about 1 1/2 hours, not horrible, just a little bit of work, ill post pics later

[01blzxtreme]

well guys, ive been trying to look at pictures because without them im lost...lol
i want to make my blazer cluster into led, but i dont know which leds to order which have been the best so far and pics would be helpful.
i want to make it all blue and clear out the needles aswell
as soon as i get a list or help ill order the leds and get started... i tried the search already and found only this thread