Dash lights

[CaptRandy]

Is there any way to increase the intensity of dash lighting? Seems like there is one small bulb per instrument and it only faintly lights the unit op when I put the dash lights on.

 

[nomad]

Cleaning the bulb's and guage windows made a difference on mine but I had things apart anyway. Not sure if its worth the trouble otherwise. I'm talking about the small guages with the separate bulb.

 

[glemon]

Little British Car Company sells some upgrades with more wattage and light, but it gets a little pricey to order multiples, you can get LED lights as well, but a little trickier to get the right ones, many are somewhat directional, like a flashlight, and you want one that diffuses light in all directions or a multiple LED light that shoots the light in multiple directions. If you want to venture out beyond the usual British car suppliers you are looking for a 12 volt bulb with E10 screw base. Google that or search on E-bay, all sorts of things will come up.

 

[Jim_Gruber]

Cleaning and painting the inside of the cans white helps tremendously in reflecting light.

 

[dklawson]

Start with Jim's suggestion to clean and paint the inside of the gauge case. It does make a big difference.

If that is not a big enough improvement for you, visit Britishwiring.com and look up their bulb holder C614. It uses the newer wedge mount bulbs instead of our car's traditional screw-in bulbs. With the wedge mount bulbs you have more choices for bulb wattage and you will be able to buy the bulbs locally. If you want to keep your original lamp wiring, consider using ScotchBlocks to tap into your old lamp wiring rather than permanently splicing the new bulb holders in place.

https://www.britishwiring.com/Push-in-Bulbholder-to-fit-1-2-tube-p/c614.htm

 

[CaptRandy]

Guys, thanks for the responses. I will take advise and clean/paint white to improve "reflection". Also thanks for the site for upgrade wit\ring bulb holder.

 

[Rut]

Someone posted a restoration of their gauges awhile back and it involved a strip of LEDs mounted inside the case along with painting the interior white. I've tried unsuccessfully to locate the thread, but would like to review it again.
Rut

 

[RickB]

In a late model Midget where is the standard ground location for the dash lights?
Mine have only intermittently worked since I've owned the car and I'm thinking there's a ground lug under there that could use attention.

 

[Jim_Gruber]

Rick,

It more likely is in the Light Switch. Those do come apart and you can clean the green out of them. There is a picture of a heater switch I disassembled and cleaned and successfully put back in service at Gerard's WebSite. Hmmm, headlights then are ok, no intermittent with headlights. Could be in the switch but I'm back to thinking about an intermittent ground for the dash as they are all run to a common ground.

 

[RickB]

Rick,

It more likely is in the Light Switch. Those do come apart and you can clean the green out of them. There is a picture of a heater switch I disassembled and cleaned and successfully put back in service at Gerard's WebSite. Hmmm, headlights then are ok, no intermittent with headlights. Could be in the switch but I'm back to thinking about an intermittent ground for the dash as they are all run to a common ground.

I did replace the light switch with a NOS Lucas light switch early on as the car came without a switch - or more accurately with a lump of melted plastic that was once a light switch.
Most of the new switch's life it has been a switch that triggers relays for the headlights so those have always been fine.
The issue is with the dash lights. When they come on they are good and bright (as bright as any lbc dash lights I've ever seen).
The trouble is that they are intermittent, and more likely to come on during a really good rain storm than any other time.
Thus - I want to know where the common ground point is under the dash of a 78 Midget.
I have been under and back behind there quite a few times but haven't seen it yet.

 

[dklawson]

I don't know of the specific location for a ground terminal on the gauges but it is not uncommon to make a ground wire jumper string. All you need is a length of black wire and a bunch of ring terminals. You put a ring terminal on one of the mounting studs for each gauge and run a length of black wire from terminal to terminal. Then run the final length of wire off to a good earthing point on the chassis somewhere behind the dash.

 

[bthompson]

My lights brightened a good deal (which is to say, from very dim to Lucas dim) when I cleaned all the connections and made sure I was getting full voltage at the lights. The combined resistance had pulled my gauge lights down to about five volts. I bypassed the dash dimmer switch as well, which gave me more voltage at the bulbs.

Rick, it's been awhile since I had my dash apart, but IIRC the lights ground through the body of the gauges, and then through the dash to the body. I don't think I saw a separate ground strap for the lights. Maybe running a ground strap from the body to the dash would help? Doug's solution would work too; it would certainly guarantee continuity.

 

[CaptRandy]

Think I will put the volt mater across the wires and see what volts are coming to the light bezel. IfI can then run a fused wire from the fuel box to the light if necessary as well as a better ground.

 

[Deleted member 8987]

The absolute fix is a torch (flashlight) clipped under the dash.
Pull and use as needed.
Remember, Lucas invented dash lights with three positions....dim, flicker, and off.
Plus they inadvertently invented intermittent windscreen wipers.

Rick- Have you bypassed the dimmer?

Dave

 

[RickB]

Rick- Have you bypassed the dimmer?

Dave

One of the first things I did when I got the car.
When they come on they are bright, they just don't make an appearance very often.