The 928 uses 5008 (5 watt) bulbs. Couldn't find suitable LEDs with this socket so I'm converting them to use the more common T5 wedge bulb sockets.

The wedge type LEDs are very bright, so you can either match or exceed the brightness of the 5 watt incandescent bulbs.

Here's how::







All you need is some common tools:
- Laser printer
- post-it notes
- caliper
- ruler, scissors
- drawing pencil
- nibbling tool (RadioShack)
- sheet metal sheers/cutter
And some parts:
- galvanized sheet metal (26 gage), hardware store small sheet, $5
- Side Marker Socket, Conduct-Tite #85814, $4 each, Kragen Automotive

Here's the dimension details.



To print the grid paper on the post-it notes, go to this web site:

http://incompetech.com/beta/hexagona...onometric.html

you need to configure as follows:
- line weight = 0.05 point
- square side length = 0.345"
- check verticals and horizontals
- check "black"

Make a printout, then pencil in the outline using the dimension shown.
Cut a 1" strip of sheet metal, drill a hole for the nibbling tool.
Cut out the post-it note and attach to the sheet metal strip.
Nibble away to form the bulb socket holder
Notch the inside corners of the cross to allow inserting the socket.
Bend the tab in a vise to near 90 degrees, measure the tab height against the original factory part to ensure they are the same.

That's it.

Later, I'll detail the wiring. Simple, just need to adapt the pigtail to the factory harness and some clear heat shrink tubing (Radio Shack) to keep things from shorting out.

 

Hi Borland,
Would these work?
http://autolumination.com/otherleds.htm
Scroll down 1/3 way dwon and they have Ba15 bulbs in Luxeon LED and 9 LED clusters.

I'm going to have to make a large order soon if Borland comes up with more ways to upgrade the 928's vintage 80's lighting.

Ernest (NYC)

 

Haven't tried them. They look to fit, but I think you'd get better lighting with the more low profile wedge LED. The SuperStar (like the red one in the photo above ) seems to give the factory brightness and appearance. The other one shown in the photo about the same, maybe slightly less bright in the center of the marker lense.

http://autolumination.com/194.htm

Sampling every bulb can get expensive $$$$. Every LED is called "Super Bright High Flux" or "Nova Bright". I'm still looking for Quasar brightness, which I haven't found.

 

I've got a BIG manila envelope stuffed full of ex-LED experiments.
If I don't read my credit card statements too closely, I won't know how much I've spent on LED bulbs.

I finally "saw the light" after trying a MagLite 3W LED Upgrade Module in a 3 C cell flashlight. Wow! Bright and focusable. Think they use a form of the Luxeon LED techonology.

The low profile wedge LED's look like it'll give a better dispersion.
The Luxeon 3W 1157 taillight I've tried has a nice sharp point of light. But doesn't fill the rear lens as nicely as an incandescent bulb.

Ernest (NYC)

 

LEDs will get better and at lower cost. Just a matter of time.

There's a flashlight on the market now that uses CREE Inc.'s high brightness LED, but the prices on those LEDs are still too high. One flashlight manufacturer is marketing a flashlight with that LED to Law Enforcement, but the best price I've seen is $65. That's a lot to pay for a flashlight.

I think the Brake Light Upgrade Mod that I posted last week will take care of problem you experience with the single LED brake light.

 

Cool. This looks like it should work with my clear sidemarker lenses (from Nicole). I just finished mounting them and have been looking for amber bulbs.

 

Yep, it seems a lot fo folks are stepping into the LED apect of interior/exterior lighting.

As Borland says, it will be a little more time before LED's are ridiculously cheap. The parts already are. Its just a new phase being introduced and folks are retro fitting. I was thinking that once we pioneer out way through what works best, we can put together a list for one of the 928 parts suppliers to carry in a kit. Like for full or partial interior or exterior.

I am waiting for my LED maplight to arrive to see how the lighting will work in my car. My plans are to do full interior and full exterior with Xenon for the head and driving lights.

Trek on guys and lets figure this out for our cars.

 

Borland,

Nice write-up and nice work. Thanks for this.

 

Borland, as you know, I've also been slowly doing LED replacements.

I found the www.superbrightleds.com 15-LED #67 bulbs to work quite well for the side markers. At the moment, I've replaced my right rear (since it's easy to get to without removing a wheel well liner since there isn't one on my '90) and I'm satisfied with the results (probably a little more than some of the other replacements I'm trying).

I haven't been working on the car much due to other priorities (and the garage is damn cold, too; it hasn't been above freezing around here for awhile), but I might just head out there right now and do some more work on the LED upgrades. Next up is the front side markers, which are getting the clear lens treatment, too.

 

Ed,

The markers lenses are so big because Porsche made reflectors so big. Guess they wanted them to be seen in someone's headlights from a distance. In the center of the reflector is a small fresnel lense for the marker light bulb. The standard bulb makes use of this fresnel, but also lights up quite a bit of the reflector. I like the lower profile wedge bulb because it tends to broadcasts more light to the outer ends of the reflector.

Here's the pig tails with the connectors and clear heat shrink tubing. Just cut off the pig tails to 2.5" in length, crimp on the connectors, then with 1.5" of tubing installed, shrink the crimp end only. You only need to insulate one side as shown. Radio Shack sells a bag of multi-color shrink tubing with enough to do four lamps.

 

Barry,

FWIW, I'm finding that the 15-LED bulbs (since 6 of the LEDs are side-firing) work pretty well in practice. Here are a few photos that I snapped while working on this stuff over the weekend. Unfortunately, the photos show brighter areas as yellow, but that's some weird photo artifact that's not really what they look like in person.

Since I'm also doing the "clear front side marker" mod, this offers a unique opportunity to see what's inside the side marker assemblies.


Straight-on view of the assembly with the lens removed and with the original 5W incandescent bulb installed:




Edge-on view of same:




Straight-on view of the assembly with the lens removed and with the 15-LED #67 bulb installed:




Edge-on view of same. You can see it's just ever so slightly taller than the incandescent bulb:




The incandescent bulb and the LED replacement side by side:




Front left side marker, unlit:




Front left side marker, lit:




Front left side parking light (an 1157-LX3 3W Luxeon) marker and the side marker (15-LED #67), both lit:




For comparison purposes, here's the rear left side marker, with the original 5W incandescent bulb (remember, the "yellow bright spots" are a photo anomaly, they really look solid red):




And the rear right side marker, with a 15-LED #69 bulb:




Let's get a closer look. The incandescent rear left side marker, with the original 5W incandescent bulb:




And the rear right side marker, with the 15-LED #69 bulb:



These LEDs do look ever so slightly hotter in the middle (and you can definitely see the individual LEDs if you look closely), but I find it to be quite acceptable.

 

Ed,

Do the turn signals still flash correctly with the LED bulbs in there? Is the bulb out warning light in the dash activated by using LEDs in those side marker and front corner locations?

 

Flasher needs to be replaced with one (e.g., the superbrightleds.com CF13GL-02) that flashes with a wider range of loads (small loads, in particular) and/or load resistors installed. Then it works fine.

And the lamp control module needs to be disabled. See post #22 in borland's "Defeating the Lamp Control Module" thread. As you can see elsewhere in that thread, there was talk of trying to modify the lamp controller to actually still work with LEDs, but just defeating it is probably the most expedient solution.

 

Nice, Ed. I ordered the 15 LED bayonets for the sidemarkers yesterday based on your earlier comments.

 

Ed those are nice. Barry thanks for sharing