We bought new roof marker lights to replace the original factory units since the original lights had lost their shine and the seals were shot. However, we decided that we did not ever want to have to replace one of the 194 bulbs in these lights. So we decided to convert them to LED. The question was how? Then we found Lumileds and our problem was solved.
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At least so we thought. It turns out that these modern marvels are very technologically advanced and required specialized circuitry to enable them to function on a 12v electrical system. Fortunately, we found an electronics guru who was able to create, not only the circuitry we needed but fabricate it in such a way as to fit within the very small space available in each roof light. We started with white led stars thinking they would be perfect replacements. We were wrong. The white led’s ended up giving off a very yellow light because they were so bright. So we contacted Lumileds and they sent us several amber led stars which ended up being the perfect solution. The amber brilliance of these Luxeon led stars is phenomenal.
With a little finesse and patience, we were able to get the Luxeon Stars mounted into the lights and seal them with silicone to prevent moisture from condensing inside the lens. Then we soldered the factory wiring connectors to the circuit boards. Now, all we had to do was plug them in and secure them to the roof. That was a small problem because we thought we’d be able to get new hardware from Ford. Unfortunately, that was not the case and we had to visit the salvage yard to replace the clips we lost at the body shop. The screws were replaced with regular hardware store stainless steel screws. Once the lights were installed, the moment of truth was upon us. We pulled the headlight switch and all of our goals had been met. We now have brilliant roof marker lights powered by Lumiled’s Luxeon Star led’s that outshine regular 194 bulbs, and should not ever need to be replaced.