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SilvrSausage · 01-21-2007, 01:59 PM

I love the look and low amperage draw of LED lights.

There are some very nice, virtually original looking clearance and marker lights out there. (Also some crummy ones, so caveat emptor!)

What I am wondering is, on a vintage trailer, would these be considered an enhancement, or would that clash with the vintage-ness of the trailer?

This is a SUBJECTIVE matter; there is really no "right" answer. I just wanted to get a pulse from vintage airstreamers: Original or LED?

Thanks,
-SilvrSausage

Fyrzowt · 01-21-2007, 02:03 PM

Not to me.
IMO, anything that makes it more visible (within reason, I'm not painting it safety orange) and will keep the crazies from running into me is a good thing, and will keep my vintage unit safe for longer.
Dave

wahoonc · 01-21-2007, 02:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SilvrSausage

I love the look and low amperage draw of LED lights.

There are some very nice, virtually original looking clearance and marker lights out there. (Also some crummy ones, so caveat emptor!)

What I am wondering is, on a vintage trailer, would these be considered an enhancement, or would that clash with the vintage-ness of the trailer?

This is a SUBJECTIVE matter; there is really no "right" answer. I just wanted to get a pulse from vintage airstreamers: Original or LED?

Thanks,
-SilvrSausage

SS,
I personally don't have a problem with GENTLE customization of vintage units. Anything that is a safety upgrade and/or can be easily reversed is fair game in my book. Now if it was going to be shown in a Concours event it might be a problem. My oldest unit is a 1975 and I am making upgrades as I go. The interior is going to look pretty much original but with some twists. Some of the OEM fixtures are being rebuilt using modern fluorescent insides

I may go with the LED exterior lights as they do look sharp when reflected off of shiny aluminum.

Aaron

SilvrSausage · 01-21-2007, 02:10 PM

Not what I was thinking about , but reminds me of someone I read put color-changing accent lights under their vintage airstream, which they said looked awesome reflecting off the highly polished sides at night. Now THAT isn't stock or vintage by any stretch! Neat, maybe, if it is your taste.

Aerowood · 01-21-2007, 02:12 PM

Welcome to the forum. I personally do not see the advantage of useing LED just for the sake having LED, for the running or clearance lights, as these lights are powered by the alternator of the tow vehical while the trailer is under tow. Unless the original lights are completly corroded out and need to be replaced anyway. The interior lights are a different thing altogether as they pull power from the trailers on board batteries and LED lighting uses considerable less amps prolonging trailer batterey life between charging cycles.

SilvrSausage · 01-21-2007, 02:39 PM

Thank you for the welcome.
The draw of incandescent running lights does add up. Less draw on the tow vehicle is a good thing, running or not. I sometimes go off hiking in the dark, always way farther than I intended, so sometimes I leave my parking lights on in the middle of nowhere as a beacon. Mainly, though, I like the LOOK of the light they emit.

I am replacing fixtures that are variously old, decrepit, and missing. For the running lights, I have found some that are virtually identical to original, right down to the hole pattern, but they look a little different lighted. The round tail lights on my Streamline will be a bit harder to find, but I think I've found a few. I'm also upgrading the middle-side running lights to include turn signalling.

For that, I had to go to a slightly different appearance.

If you are shopping for these, again, quality is all over the map. Pay attention to bulb count. Stop/tail/turn fixtures come with 15 to 60 LEDs each. Some of the ones I ordered online turned out to be fit for my utility trailer instead.

In any case, like the compact fluorescents all throughout the house, I feel good knowing they use less energy (whether the difference is noticible at the pump or not.)

Thanks for the opinions so far!
-SilvrSausage

Inland RV Center, In · 01-21-2007, 03:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SilvrSausage

I love the look and low amperage draw of LED lights.

There are some very nice, virtually original looking clearance and marker lights out there. (Also some crummy ones, so caveat emptor!)

What I am wondering is, on a vintage trailer, would these be considered an enhancement, or would that clash with the vintage-ness of the trailer?

This is a SUBJECTIVE matter; there is really no "right" answer. I just wanted to get a pulse from vintage airstreamers: Original or LED?

Thanks,
-SilvrSausage

Changing the old tail lights out for the new style Leds, is a great idea.

Yes you have made a change, but the change you did make did not ruin the original trailer looks as much as it tremendously improved your safety.

Looks is subjective, true.

Safety, can never be too much, or for that matter subjective.

Safe is safe. No in between.

Andy

Lumatic · 01-21-2007, 03:54 PM

All my clearance marker lights need to be replaced. LEDs only cost a buck or so more and the mounting holes are the same. That's my plan. As for the tail lights I'm still thinking. I may keep the originals if don't find too much corrosion when I open em up, but if there is I think that will make up my mind. Thinking out loud I might even go way out on the limb and put one of those little blue center lights in. Neon underneath cool but I wonder how long it would last. I try to drive during the day so I can gawk at the scenery anyway so I'm not that inclined to light it up like a Pimp My Airstream. Chistmas lights on an Airstream is cool though.

TomW · 01-21-2007, 04:00 PM

I think the brighter, LED stop lights are great on any vehicle whether it be a trailer or tow vehicle. But I got behind a small cargo trailer on the interstate one night which had LED clearance lights installed on the back and eventually had to pass the trailer because the clearance lights were too bright for me to drive safely.

I am not saying that all LED clearance lights are too bright, but the ones on this trailer were.

Tom

bobchevy89 · 01-21-2007, 04:37 PM

Hey Silver Just change them and save the old ones . if you ever sell your unit you can give the new owner the orig. ones to them.leds are nice..

Bob

Ganglin · 01-21-2007, 07:03 PM

If you were to buy stop LED's to fit a 71 - square tail light - where would you find them and how hard are they to replace.

LI Pets · 01-21-2007, 08:34 PM

You asked "do they wreck the vintage asthetic?"

No- but the real question may be will you get "wrecked" without them?

Turn your lights on and and go back an 1/8th mile or so and see how the current ones look.

68 Overlander · 01-21-2007, 08:53 PM

LEDs make sense in every aspect in my opinion. There is one thing to keeping it original and I truly respect the vintage look but if you follow that all the way through, you must use the same mattress for the bed. There's things that just make sense to modernize. Lighting, brakes, tires, electrical, plumbing, etc.

SilvrSausage · 01-21-2007, 09:08 PM

Quote:

Turn your lights on and and go back an 1/8th mile or so and see how the current ones look.

The ones that are still there are intact, but dim and intermittent due to the ravages of time. The ones on the passenger side are completely gone due to interaction with a freeway soundwall on the maiden journey home.

Therefore, I have to decide (quick) whether to invest in original or LED. The various side lights are already getting upgraded, because they are generic and I found excellent identical LED replacements.

It looks like I'm gonna go with the L.E.D. tail lights, too!

Thanks for the ongoing input. I'm all for the LEDs; my girlfriend is more the traditionalist. I also have to keep trade-in time in mind.

Cheers,
-SilvrSausage

Safari64 · 01-21-2007, 11:34 PM

I adapted Grote LED truck taillights to fit inside my original 1964 Bargman wedding cake lenses (by combining ideas from previous LED conversion threads). They look completely stock but they are MUCH brighter (spelled SAFER).

I also prefer the vintage stock look but opt for safety, especially at night on mountain roads.

Has anyone adapted 1960’s teardrop Bargman / Autolamp clearance lights to LEDs, retaining the original base and lens? If so, how did you deal with LEDs being directional?

Safari 64

SilvrSausage · 01-28-2007, 11:37 AM

As far as retrofitting fixtures, there are 1156 and 1157 style replacements out there, both straight and 90 degree directional. Hopefully the 90 degree style can be rotated once installed; the directionality of LEDs can be a blessing and curse.

Alumatube · 03-10-2007, 01:10 PM

Silvr, where did you find the LED marker lights you are satisfied with? We have to replace our rear marker lights (all messed up) and would like to go with LEDs also.

Thanks!
Susan

overlander63 · 03-10-2007, 01:53 PM

www.LED-R-US.com

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alumatube

Silvr, where did you find the LED marker lights you are satisfied with? We have to replace our rear marker lights (all messed up) and would like to go with LEDs also.

Thanks!
Susan

Jacob D. · 03-10-2007, 03:12 PM

I replaced the stop-turn lights with the big LED lamps that Inland RV sells, and since they're the same diameter as the originals I don't think they spoil the look at all. The old ones were so incurably dim (and corroded) that I really was worried about someone running into the back of the trailer.
Here's a photo of the back with all LED lights, I think it looks nice:

I also replaced all the teardrop running lights on mine with LEDs, but using the original housings & lenses. (If there are LED teardrop replacements that match, I haven't seen them, and replacing the bulbs with LED bulbs didn't produce enough light.) I replaced the bulb & holder with an LED array on a PCB, which gives a diamond-shaped light that I think goes pretty well inside the teardrop lens. I wrote up a how-to although it's not that complicated.

davidz71 · 03-10-2007, 06:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by overlander63

www.LED-R-US.com

I highly recommend them also. I purchased two of the 1379A amber and two of the 1379R red LED units. I had to make some modifications with the ground connection on each light but they sure are bright. I'm debating replacing the three rear red units with LED.