Has anyone seen these LED tailights in person? 1970 Challenger

[bigblue73]

So did you get them in yet Russ - You will need the (2) no-load flashers after the installation of the rears.  I wish my boards where white - my set came though the standard green and in makes my tail lights look dark in the day light.  Post up this pics!

[_Russ_]

Havn't got them in yet. Chally wasn't ready last week, and only picked it up 2 days ago.

Weather looks dodgy here this morning, so it's possible I may have the day off - at the very least a very short work-day. If so, I'll give it a burl and hopefully get it done. If not, I'll have at it on Saturday.

[_Russ_]

OK, so I got the day off work. 

Just finished filming the "before" video ... then it starts to rain again.  The car's outdoors and I have no cover to work under, so I'll just have to wait it out and do it as I can.

[_Russ_]

...and they don' fit!  

Brad & Mike ... how did yours fit inside your lenses?

In the instructions it mentions there is a chance not enough of the LEDs on the upper edge are folded down - some fit/some don't - not sure how that works though if all lenses are the same. Spares are included so you can remove & install new ones to bend, but that's way out of my scope of abilities.





That one small section - 5 bulbs, maybe 7 - are in the way. Everywhere else I can get the bezel to sit on the housings gasket. It will still go on as is, but will leave a significant gap which will allow moisture, which is a no-no. It's the same on both the left & right panels.




What I need to know is what will happen if I break those few bulbs so they fit, will the entire board fail to function? Repairing/replacing is beyond my skill-set, so it's something I'll have to find a local to do. I've emailed Larry to see what he says.

What a pain in the arse.

[_Russ_]

Ok, more nonsense ... 

Decide to test fit anyway just to see if they worked, and the next problem came to light.

The length of the wiring with the 1157 plug is at least 2" too short. Due to it's position, by the time it runs to the housings plug-hole, it only just sticks out, leaving you absolutely no room to try an insert/twist into the standard light socket.



Might be possible for those with small fingers, but I've tried for about half an hour and still no go.

I then tried to fit them without the rear housing and I just can't get it to twist into the socket. Doing it by hand, the wiring is at risk of ripping out when I try an twist it in because there's nothing to grab onto, and using some sort of tool is a no go as the metal on the plug is just far too flimsy and crashes/deforms as soon as you touch it.

At this point I'm just going to take them to my local auto-electrician, have him sort out the bending-of-the-leds, and also bypass the 1157 plug/socket and just hardware them directly into the wiring harness.

More money!

[brads70]

Russ, on mine I couldn't use the think black plastic insulator plate that came in the kit. I went to walmart got a nylon? placemat and cut it up to fit in place of the black plastic piece. That was the only way I could get the lens to fit back on the housing. Actually I cracked the lens figuring this out.
When you call Larry would you mind reminding him that I'm still waiting for my 3rd controller unit?

[_Russ_]

I'll give that a try actually as it looks like it would fit if there was no backing plate - or at least 1 much thinner. I'll wait until the weekend before giving it a go though.

[brads70]

Here are a few pictures showing what I had to do to make them fit.
I also had to "fine tune" the led board with a disc grinder so it fit in the red lens also. Not much though, just a little.

[_Russ_]

Nice! Thanks Brad.

[brads70]

Those LED's you talked about removing.... that's why I had to clear the housing as seen in my picture?

[ShelbyDogg]

Those sound like a real pain in the butt to install. Paying for something that has to be modified then wires lengthened kind of sucks.

[_Russ_]

Those sound like a real pain in the butt to install. Paying for something that has to be modified then wires lengthened kind of sucks.

Too true. Especially at this price.

Wouldn't be a problem for someone that knows their way around electronics, as it's something that could be remedied in 5 minutes - but for someone like myself that's not familiar with how this stuff works, it means I have to involve a 3rd party - which usually results in more money being spent, and definitely time wasted.

The wire lengthening I can handle, but I'm not gonna chance the LED removal/replacement.

[MEK-Dangerfield]

I guess I got lucky. I had no fitment issues.

[ShelbyDogg]

Seems like "larry" is the only one that could be supplying the controller, and he's already had 1 "small heart attack"     Who are you going to take the box to when it quits working? The Tv repair guy down the street? Does the controller have any markings on it like Larry buys them then adapts them to his custom made boards?

[Killer_Mopar]

Those sound like a real pain in the butt to install. Paying for something that has to be modified then wires lengthened kind of sucks.

  I've been subscribed to this thread since it started and have been completely let down. Theres no way I'm going to grind, cut, & modify a brand new part and HOPE it works. It wouldn't be so bad if it were significantly cheaper......but to me it is priced as a 'plug-n-play' part, so you shouldnt have to deal with all these issues.

Russ, I wish you luck and thank you for the feedback - hopefully the bad publicity gets these issues resolved.