For Sale: Replace Your Fiber Optic Lines With LEDs!

jkruse

jkruse

Jeremy Kruse
NO LONGER AVAILABLE - OUT OF STOCK

I completed Bob Brown's famous LED replacement for the X's fiber optic switches and I'm so happy with the results I've decided to make some more for those that want them!

To Buy

I'll be charging $49 for the assembly plus $6 to ship Priority Mail (Total: $55). They're all made to order, so P.M. me with the number of switches you need to light up and if any of them are for power window switches.
When we've got everything all squared away and you're ready to buy I'll send you my PayPal information, and once payment is received I'll make and ship the part!

More About the Assembly

I have tweaked the original design a bit to make it somewhat easier to make and instal. Instead of installing everything into a plastic LED socket, the positive side is loaded onto a slide terminal that plugs directly into the yellow/red wire's existing plastic connector and the negative side is on a ring terminal that fits where the old fiber optic assembly was bolted into the floor.

The End Result

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Nice bright switches! Here's what they look like at night:

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In this photo the lights lit by the assembly I'm offering are the headlight, hazard, defroster, rheostat and fog lights.
 
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Way to go Jeremy

Nice job.
I'm glad you've decided to pick this up.
Folks have been asking for these and it's nice to see someone has stepped up to make them.
I had all I could handle with building up Headlight harnesses. :)
I didn't want to do these too. There is only one other person I've made one for. (Bob Grasch)
Thanks for posting! :clap:
 
Very nice project

I would like to order one but have a question that others may have so I'll post here. As I'm in the early stages of my rolling resto, I'm not sure how many switches I'll end up with so can these be made with a standard set of LED's plus a few extra "blanks" that can easily have additional LED's installed at a later time?
 
Of Course!

I can make them with however many lights you want! If you want to have one for each blank switch on your dash I can totally do that for you!

Generally speaking though, you might not want extra LEDs hanging out behind the center console or under the blank plates where power window switches would be because they are very bright and you might end up with weird light coming up from behind the panels!

Of course, some electrical tape around the lights would solve that problem too.

All a matter of personal preference!
 
Sent you a PM....

Hi Jeremy, I have a question I didn't think to ask in my PM.
I figured I'd better post it here as others may have the same question.

I remember pulling strands of fibre optic "wires" from my '78's console.

Are they the same between the early and late model X's?

I'm not sure if there is a difference, so will your set up work in an early X?

OK.....so 2 questions....:)

Thanks.
 
Here is my comment on LEDs on the X. Reading a magazine test on the X, a test driver states this about a stock X: "Night time instrument illumination is most effective. Unfortunately it also causes severe reflections in the windscreen." I would think brighter lights as LEDs would make this worse. New cars have all these fancy illuminations and i cannot stand all these lights. I turn them down to the lowest settings. It kills your night vision. I never had any problems with the lights on my X but everybody seems to complain about them hence these LEDs conversions.
 
I have not noticed any glare from these lights, even on the highest settings. Perhaps the glare was fixed on later models?

The stock brightness was not enough for me because I do most of my driving in the city where with stock lights it was brighter outside at night than it was in my car's dash, making it difficult to read. On unlit backroads, I just turn them down if they prove to be too bright.

Also, LEDs last longer and produce a nice clean white light instead of the yellowish light normally given off.

All a matter of preference!
 
I have a 77, so I have the same question of applicability to the older dashes.
 
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Excellent

I wonder if there are small black rubber caps that can be placed on the LED that is not in use until such time it will be and can be removed and not leave it sticky from having tape on it. I will PM you shortly, I need to take a look at those A/C buttons and see if each one has it's own spot for an LED.

Awesome project!

jkruse said:
I can make them with however many lights you want! If you want to have one for each blank switch on your dash I can totally do that for you!

Generally speaking though, you might not want extra LEDs hanging out behind the center console or under the blank plates where power window switches would be because they are very bright and you might end up with weird light coming up from behind the panels!

Of course, some electrical tape around the lights would solve that problem too.

All a matter of personal preference!
Click to expand...
 
socalx19 said:
I wonder if there are small black rubber caps that can be placed on the LED that is not in use until such time it will be and can be removed and not leave it sticky from having tape on it. I will PM you shortly, I need to take a look at those A/C buttons and see if each one has it's own spot for an LED.

Awesome project!
Click to expand...

Maybe a simple vacuum line cap.
I've made three. One in my car, two sold and shipped. I made 10 lights, 5 center console, 1 headlight, 2 power window, 2 aimed at footwells. Love it. I was going to wait to hear from my "customers" and might offer some for sale as well. They take a long time to make though.
 
I have a '81 X and it's the only X I've ever worked on. It has the same type of connectors and switches listed in the original post for this project by Bob Brown linked to in my original post.

I know that switches are different for the earlier model cars and the later model cars, but after looking at Midwest Bayless' site it seems that the fiber optic lines themselves are all the same, but the plastic pieces they fit into to hold them in place behind the switch are different. Still, they should work since the LED tips have the same diameter as the tip of the fiber optic ends.

That said, I can't be 100% certain that this is the case and that these LEDs will work since the only X I've ever worked on is an '81. If someone wants to give it a shot in an earlier model I'd be happy to make one and if it doesn't fit, I can give a refund upon return.
 
SoCalX19:
The lights behind the heater controls have their own light, it's the same size as the warning lights in the instrument cluster. The fiber optic lines feed the little lights behind the switches in the center console (Defrost, Hazzard, etc.), the headlight switch, and if you've got them, power window switches.

JVanDyke:
I thought about lighting the footwells but I decided that my carpet is too crappy right now to put a spotlight on it! I also gave some thought to putting one light on a push button switch and having it come on when the glovebox was open, but ultimately decided I didn't want to put any extra holes in the glove box.
 
jkruse said:
JVanDyke:
I thought about lighting the footwells but I decided that my carpet is too crappy right now to put a spotlight on it! I also gave some thought to putting one light on a push button switch and having it come on when the glovebox was open, but ultimately decided I didn't want to put any extra holes in the glove box.
Click to expand...

my footwell lights are just loose, pointing in the general direction, just enough to put a little light on the floors in case you drop something, I like it, should probably clip 'em on something or zip tie or something.
With my newly renovated white face gauges, diffusers gone and LEDs bulbs in place, the gauges light up wonderfully, as do the switches, waiting on a shipment of the LED mini warning light bulbs so I can put one behind the heater controls.
 
The first two sets were sent out today via Priority Mail!

I hope to see some results posted on here soon!
 
Early console

If someone with an early 74- console gets one of these could they please post photos/review please. If it works well I am thinking of ordering one too.
 
Got mine today - Thank you.

My crazy schedule will not allow time to install for a while but I will be sure to post back. Thank you!

jkruse said:
The first two sets were sent out today via Priority Mail!

I hope to see some results posted on here soon!
Click to expand...
 
I got mine yesterday

I got them in but need to investigate the righthand window switch. When I press the switch I can hear the relays clicking but no go on the window. I know this has nothing to do with the LED's and I ran out of time to work it out yesterday. I will get to it later today. Otherwise things look great the switch indicators are bright white. I love it. Once I have the switch sorted out I will send Jeremy pictures. He can post them if he wants to. I have given up on trying to post pictures.
 
I will put the lights in for you.

Rudy:
Ship your X out here to me and I will install the new LEDS while I am doing mine and ship the car back to you. I checked on the shipping and it will only run you about $3500 R/T. While you are at it, add a couple of thousand more for Ant-knee and Bob Brown to come out to Tulsa to assist me.

A hell of a deal - just for you, my friend!!!

Allen
 
Hey Jeremy,

I am very interested it buying an LED fiber optic replacement kit. One question, are they dim-able with the center rheostat?

Thanks

John O.
 
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