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LED lights have become increasingly popular in both the aftermarket and at the OEM level. While some OEM’s have been incorporating them for the last two decades in various forms, such as dash lighting, it is only recently that we are seeing a larger proliferation of the lights into nearly all aspects of automotive lighting.
LED’s offer several advantages over standard filament/incandescent bulbs. They last for thousands of hours, often the LED will outlast the vehicle or the circuit board it’s attached to. LED’s also offer brighter lighting with lower power draw, this not only puts less stress on the vehicle electrical system, but also improves safety through better visibility.
Upgrading older vehicles has become more popular as well, and Automedia recently did just that with the tail lights of a classic Mustang. Using a kit from Mustang Project, they were able to bring the tail lights of a classic pony car into the 21st century. Perhaps the coolest part of this installation is that it required no modifications to the car. There were no wires clipped, and no drilling, cutting or replacing lenses. From the outside of the vehicle the only indication of the LED’s are that the lights are brighter and illuminate faster.
This type of project is only slightly more complicated than changing the tail light bulbs, requiring removal of the lenses, and use of the specially designed sockets to hang the LED panels from. Automedia has a full write-up with gallery and step-by-step instructions available outlining the project in detail.
