Late Model Corvair LED Tail Light Conversion Kit

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1 Late Model Corvair LED Tail Light Conversion Kit There are just a few things that require close attention when installing these LED tail light conversion units. Other than basic hand tools and soldering supplies youu will only need to purchase a replacement turn signal flasher for under the dash. LEDs lights pull so littlee power compared to the old filament bulbs that a standard thermal flasher will not get warm enough to blink properly. I recommend a 2 pin electronicc flasher from Autozone, Pep Boys, etc. Blazer brandd # FL32 is a 2 pin drop in flasher. Tridon # EP34 also works but is a 3 pin and you have to add a short ground wire lead under the dash (easy to do). Precaution: These flashers are designed to blink at a steady speed under all conditions. These flashers will NOT give you an indication thatt a bulb is malfunctioning so you must get in the habit of checking your light more often. I simply watch my car s reflection in a store or gas station window to verify that all of my lights are functioning.

2 LED Circuit Board Notes: Do NOT touch the tops of the LEDs. The little clear domes are not rigid epoxy lenses like you might be used to seeing on standard LED products. The domes are a soft silicone material that is easily damaged. The silicone material in the dome lens helps to disperse the excess heat generated by the LED. NEVER power the LED circuit board directly with 12 volt power. You will instantly damage the LEDs. These high powered LEDs must be driven with a constant current source designed especially for these LEDs. NEVER power the LED circuit boards until they are attached to the tail lamp housing properly. The small aluminum heat sink/circuit board is not a sufficient heat sink for more than a few second at full power. The power leads are pre soldered in place already since it is hard to solder to a heat sink without the correct equipment. The danger in soldering them yourself is that if you take too long to attach the leads the heat from the soldering tip soaks into the LEDs very quickly and can cause an early LED failure. LED Driver Notes: The constant current LED driver is a commercial unit that I modify for use in vehicles. It is a switching driver which means it is very efficient and can operate in a tightly enclosed (watertight) space without overheating. I have added an additional circuit to create the dual brightness feature required to make the LEDs operate at two light levels. The driver is polarity protected both on the input and the output side. Because the driver is a switching power source there is a slight possibility of hearing some interference in your AM FM radio when the brakes or turn signals are in use. This is rare and is usually remedied by simply moving the driver to a slightly different position or by making sure your radio antenna has a good ground wire. The same driver is used for both the marker/brake/turn lamps and the backup lamps. You simply omit connecting the white wire when used only for back up lamps.

3 Kits Parts: 4 light set shown (2 red, 2 white) Preparing your tail light housing: Remove the housings from the vehicle and clean them thoroughly inside and out. The back of the tail light housing must be flat and free of any paint inside where the LEDs are attached with the adhesive heat sink tape. The housing is used as a heat sink and if the LED board does not sit flat it will not be able to transfer heat into the housing efficiently and could overheat the LEDs. Normally this area is flat and unpainted but if not you must correct that. Sometimes 40+ year old tail lamp housing have a few dents in them. Remember, the metal housing is used as a heat sink so if you paint them while they are out do not lay on the paint too thick and do not paint the small inside circle section under where the LEDs will be

4 mounted. You want as much heat as possible to transfer to the metal housing. If you do choose to paint the inside of the housings for addedd reflectivity, bright silver is the best choice but you don t have to paint them to obtain satisfactory performance. Install the LED Circuit Boards into the housings: Being careful not to touch the LED domes, place the includedd hexagonal thermal heat transfer tape on the back of the circuit board. The tape is very thin and protected on both sides by a removable liner. I find an Exacto knife is handy to separate the liner from the adhesive. Once the thermal tape is secured on the back of the circuit board do a test placement inside the housing and observe when it is centered properly. Once you are ready, remove the other protective liner from the thermal tape and now position the circuit board once again in the center of the housing. Gently tough the board down to the metal and

5 if all looks straight, press it down gently but firmly using a thin screwdriver or similar tool that won t slip and damage the LEDs. This assembly should sit overnight to help to adhesive obtain a full bond before using the LEDs. Install the provided plastic dust caps to seal the old bulb socket hole. Splicing into the factory wire harness: As much as it seems like a good idea, I do not recommend using an old bulb base as an adapter to try to make the system an easy, no solder, plug and play arrangement. The factory tail light and back up light sockets are very prone to having poor connections and would be a serious safety flaw in your new LED lamp system. Using the supplied 3 conductor wire lead with the female connector, splice into the existing wires directly below the sockets. Solder and tape the connections securely. If you choose to leave the old empty sockets in place (bulbs removed) you have the option of easily returning to filament bulbs if there is an emergency. On my vehicles I have removed the sockets completely for a neater engine compartment. Wire Input Lead Color codes: Red =Connect to brake/turn light wire White =Connect to running lights (aka marker lights). If you are wiring back up lights the white wire is not used. Black = Connect to any good grounding point (The factory harness does not have a ground wire in the tail light section).

6 To Complete the Install: Once the light assemblies are mounted in the vehicle and thee LED drivers are secured, proceed to plug in the matching connectors. I strongly recommend a small amount dielectricc grease (aka spark plug boot grease, etc) be squirted into the connectors during assembly to help prevent corrosion. The LED driver can hang from one of the lens retaining screws that protrudee into the engine compartment.