Substitute for an 1157 bulb in a tight space?

Now, not to be the voice of gloom and doom, but the next problem you will have is the heat inside the glass lens from a close fitting bulb will have a bad habit of breaking said glass lens when you drive the car in the rain.... You can go ahead and ask how I know this, but trust me. I hate to say it again after you plainly said no LEDs, but they did save the day on my Plymouth after several broken glass lenses, and, are far more visible, and a bunch less offensive shining through a dark red glass lens. Just a thought.

 

Good information I'm sure it will be helpful to folks.

 

Part #3300720 from J&P Cycles. I used them when I had a cycle shop. Never had much problem with them.

 

Those are the same bulb as the ones 32Vicky posted a link to. They are the type I was looking for. I got a pair of them for $2.85, I ordered 3 pair. Thanks though.

 

I wonder if a 1/4" hole in the bottom might let the housing breathe a little and help or if the Firestones will just fling water up inside?

I will have a look at the led lights. The problem I have with them is seeing the little dots of light behind the lens.

Edit: just had a quick look at some of the led 1157's, most of them look as long, if not longer than a standard bulb.

 

drill a 1/16th inch hole in the bottom

 

Nah, it won't. My taillights on the Plymouth were open to the inside of the trunk, and every year I would leave Phoenix for Washington in the summer where it rains, and every year I would drive home with broken lenses. It got much worse with the halogen bulbs too, because they generate higher heat in most cases.

Then there was the always present lack of light through the dark red taillight lenses. With incandescent bulbs it was always dim, better with halogen. The LEDs though are about 16 times as bright, and I am lots less averse to seeing "dots" in my tail lights than I am to being crashed into from behind... Which I was in this car twice, rebuilding both times.
Beyond that, nothing worse than being pulled over regularly because "your tailights are out".

Now, all that said, several companies make small, flat LED arrays in different shapes that are no more than say 1/4" thick. I happened to use a kit made for '46-'48 Fords behind the Plymouth's tail lights that is about 1 1/2" X 3" wide. I'm sure electronic stores locally can help you find some that are about 1 1/2" or 2" or 3" in diameter that will fit down into the body of the light, and in deeper like that it "mellows out" the "dottiness" of the lights through a glass lens, yet gives tons of light for others to see.

 

Did you paint the inside of the light assembly Gloss White? Using 2357 bulbs and painting the inside white, along with regular cleaning of the lens inside and out keepsthe lights bright and keeps you safe.

 

I've tried halogen bulbs also, but their lifespan in a small tail light is killing me

I'm going to try to find a weird shape from these guys

http://www.superbrightleds.com/cat/led-vehicle-replacement-bulbs/

BTW, discount code Pirate14

Edit.
CP to lumen converter to compare data
http://www.convertunits.com/from/candlepower/to/lumen/steradian

 

See, that's the thing. You are all thinking pop in 1157 replacements that still stick out into the glass lens and look, well, L.E.D.ish... If you hit any electrical supply in your area or on line, you can buy L.E.D. arrays on say a 1 1/2" round piece of printed circuit board. Take the old bayoneted socket out, throw it away and screw or rivet the circuit board in and it'll be golden. It also pulls the L.E.D.s back away from the glass lens so the individual LEDs diffuse a bit and don't look quite as synthetic, yet still provide tons of light to be seen.

My stuff sees daily use on the streets of a town that has about 6 million folks running around, (probably much more because we still can't come up a with a good way to count the illegal aliens) and I have been tagged twice from behind in the '48 because my taillights were too dim with even 12 volts and halogen bulbs. That's twice that car has been clipped, and both times clobbered by uninsured folks that fled back to Mexico when it was time to pay the bill... And, twice more in other vintage cars with the same complaint registered. I'm pretty hardcore "traditional" with almost everything on my cars, and my refusal to drive late model cars itself, but being seen FAR outweighs the type of lights shining through my tail lights...

 

Good to know about the LED's on circuit boards. You're right, I was only looking at the 1157 LED replacements. Those all looked as long as a standard 1157 and my real problem in the first place was the length of the bulb. If I can get them on a circuit board that might work. I'm not against being seen at all. I can put in down in the bottom of the housing like you suggested, that will work. The lenses I have are a "Fresnel" type lens anyway, with a bunch of rings inside to redistribute the light. That may also help to hide the dottiness. Thanks for the tips.

 

Here's a pic of one I just found. This will work I think. I just can't tell for sure from the description if it operates as a dual filament. It says it's compatible with 1157's but I'll have to check into it.

 

Little late here Scott but Mac's Antique auto has the little dual element, 1157 base, part #V13465HR12 and they are a whopping 1.05 a pop. Has the same candlepower as the #1157 according to the text.

 

if its tagged 1157 it is dual , they only have 3-4 as tail lights and the rest are brake lights , ( had a set in a OT car they are bright ) I have the 50 pontiac set up ones for my car and tested them out and they light up the drive and yard real good and my neighbor who lives behind me asked WTH they were as he lives 300' away and he can see them clearly .


also when ordering a LEd bulb if the lense is red order red LEds , it will make the light brighter than if you use the white ones .

 

Got room to mount bulb socket on a 90 degree?

 

Grand General make every conceivable light in LED I know not very traditional but in case anybody is interested that would be the place to look.Run them in my truck last forever and lot brighter.Love the 1157 tower bulbs even changed the running lights on my boat to the towers.

 

FYI: got the small globe 1157's the other day. They are plenty bright. I'll give them a try and carry spares.

 

Be interesting to hear how these worked out. I still have some old Dietz chrome base marker lights so I thought I'd put some on the model A bed trailer I picked up last week, something that looks like it belongs there, but same problem - no room for a big 1157. Of course I realize this after I order a pair of red lenses for them. I suppose I could use four of them but that would be a little silly.