dash lights are dim, even on the highest setting ,try and dim them and you cant see them, could it be a headlight switch ?
It is the nature of the Fords of that time. At night, unless you are in a real dark rural area, the stock 194 bulbs do not do very much to illuminate the full dash like a modern car does. The fix is to go with a brighter 5w bulb (stock is 3w) - new bulb number is 2825
With the generally frail and crumbling cluster plastic, I'm not sure I'd want to use a bulb that creates additional heat... A 300 hour rating(see link, maybe typo?) tells me those are going to operate very hot, the 194 have a 2500 hour rating... http://www.bulbtown.com/2825_MINIATURE_BULB_GLASS_WEDGE_BASE_p/2825.htm
About the same physical size as 194's ...maybe a little fatter. Cost $7 for four bulbs on eBay years ago. They came on that slow boat from China that we here about all the time. Took 2 months to get them. My cluster is not as bright as a new car but I can see the gas gauge now. Painting the inside of the cluster white helps too.
All you need is new bulbs. They get dim after so many hours of use.. I installed green LEDs in my cluster (there are only 3 for the illumination) and they look great.
The factory bimetallic flasher will not heat up when using LED lights and the turn signal will not flash. I used a Tridon ep37 electronic Flasher to replace the factory flasher. Some name brand LED's down play well when mixed with other name brands LED's. When I tried to use red color Painless Wiring LED's in the back and white Matrix LED's up front all kinds of problems surfaced. To name a few...the turn indicator in the instrument cluster would not work, both front parking lights would flash at the same time and the rear would not flash.
to install those cluster lights, can you get to them just from under the dash or do you have to remove the cluster, I was thinking about getting the green also
If you use LEDs in the side markers you will have issues. The system uses the bulb filament to make a ground connection when they flash. LEDs do not have a filament that allow for a ground connection. I have posted this a few times before. From the service manual: DESCRIPTION AND OPERATION DESCRIPTION The parking, sport, rear, side marker and stop light circuits are controlled by the headlight switch. When the headlight switch is pulled out to the first detent, only the parking lights and side marker lights come on. When the headlight switch is pulled out to the second detent, the parking lights, side marker lights, headlights and sport lights on vehicles so equipped all come on. Maverick requires activating a toggle switch in conjunction with the headlight switch for sports lights. On all vehicles except Mustang, the side marker lights also function as emergency flashers. The side marker lights on Mustang do not flash. OPERATION On Thunderbird, Ford, Mercury, and Lincoln Continental a cornering light bulb is in the same light body with marker bulb on vehicles so equipped. The cornering lights are fed from the turn signal circuit in such a way that when the turn signal switch is activated, the cornering light on the turn side will burn with a steady glow. All Vehicles Except Mustang The side marker lights are connected in parallel with the feed circuit (from the headlight switch) that feeds the minor filaments of the front parking and rear lights. Each of the four side marker lights (two on each side) completes its circuit to ground through the dormant major filament of its respective left or right front parking light. Therefore the side markers glow with the parking lights. The side markers are on when the parking light major filament is dormant providing a ground as described in the foregoing. When the turn signals are activated however, the major filament of the turn-side parking light is fed intermittently for turn signal operation. This intermittent feed interrupts the side marker lights’ circuit to ground causing them to go off. As a result the affected side markers for the direction of turn selected will flash alternately with the front parking/turn signal lights. The side markers on the opposite (non-turning side) will continue to glow steadily. The turn signal system supplies an intermittent feed to the major filament of the turn-side parking light as described in the forgoing. The same circuit also supplies and intermittent feed to the side marker lights (on the turn side) but flowing in a reverse direction from that supplied by the headlight switch when it was on. The two side marker lights complete their circuit to ground through the dormant minor filament of the turn-side parking light. Thus the side markers and front parking lights flash simultaneously with each intermittent feed. The lights on the opposite side remain off. Micah
