TomoHawk

Beats me. I can't get the rheostat out.

That's a 1/8W resistor, right? You gotta get this project developed to a pretty-much-done state and submit it to ZCCM magazine- Every S30 owner should know of this and the PWM dimmer. It'll be just in time for summer.

As usual, these imported tower bulbs are of much simpler design than you'd think- it's just a friction fit, with one lead jammed between the plastic ring and the metal base, and the other lead soldered to keep it from coming apart. Never mind the glue- us 'melicans will just buy a dozen more to replace the one that fell apart, especially for $1 a dozen from China. If the bulb was made to real American standards, the ring would be glued to the upper AND lower parts, with BOTH leads soldered. #194 wedge bulbs are even simpler; the two leads come out of two holes and are bent up.

Somebody should send this idea to MSA, or another company that can make these in quantities. Every S30 out there should have one.

I have a few dimmers I got from the JY. Some just pulled out, so you have to dig into the panel to get the wires/connector, and some came out with wires or connector attached. Some had a knob that pops out for safety, and others didn't. The challenge is to mount it or add a long shaft so you can swap it for the rheostat, and to connect it to the wiring to control the lights.

d- Your interior looks great- like new even. I loose tons of points just because my interior looks "old" even after restoring & painting it ... I hope the 'mood lighting' goes off when you close the door. It would really bother me to have the interior or floor light up while driving- It would be a cool touch for auto shows, but I would rather keep my attention on the road.

I agree with you on all the points. I tried both bulb styles, but I used the paddlewheels in everything so far. I couldn't think of any place you would really want to hot-spot from the tower bulbs, except for things like the turn signal or high beam indicators, but I also didn't think you could cut off the end emitters. You can get LED bulbs with only the face or end emitters, if you need them. What if you glued the green cap (or part of it) over the end? I used a green '"Sharpie" marker to color the 7V bulbs that are in there now- could a bit of colored marker dim the light to taste? Otherwise, I think if the gauges will be slightly 'too bright' than I won't mind, as I am the only person to notice, and they don't check the illumination of the gauges at car shows, It will be interesting to see how you can put a resistor in the base.

Anyway, I took out the clock, because it out to be the easiest gauge to work with , with only the one bulb, and I installed both the tower style (with 10 chips) and the 'wedge' style (with 8 chips.) I powered the bulb using my 12V AA cell pack. Overall, there wasn't much difference in how well the face of the clock was illuminated, so I'm going to conclude that having the two LED chips on the end of the tower didn't have any affect in the illumination of the clock face . Granted, the gap for the light to get to the clock face was small, but the design of the clock had the light reflecting to the clock face. I think the other gauges are of a different design. Tower bulb with 10 chips: 'wedge' bulb with 8 chips

Thanks, but I don't think those "LEDs" would work for the S30 gauges, because they are large groups of very high power LEDs put together in a glass tube (like a festoon bulb) to be used in navigation lamps.

BTW- my heater control panel uses a bayonet socket too. The socket fits into a hole in the back of the lever panel. Right now, the socket is loose from switching bulbs so much- It stretched apart at the bayonet slots and I will need to squeeze it back into shape. This is a chinese wedge LED:

Automobiles are going towards the wedge bulbs now, and so the supply of bayonets bulbs might decrease. Plus, it might be easier and better to use the wedge sockets.

Do you think superglue would work? I have "thin" glue which has the consistency of water. You would drip it in to fill it, then give it a shot of the accelerator, or let it sit for a while to cure.

Yeah, that's about it. The chips came off in a big chunk, with the two leads hanging off. That's too bad, because I think those tower-style lamps will do the trick to illuminate gauges- with a bit of hand-painted white paint around the sides.

[oops- double post]

That's what I thought; that little circuit board looked like t would fit into a wedge socket, but the Zed gauges don't use wedge sockets. I usually like to get stuff made in the U.S., because it seems to be of better (man-style) construction. Or is there a way to convert to the wedge sockets for the gauges? BTW- I've also pulled (twisted) the upper "tower" part from a BA9s tower LED bulb, but it took more effort even though it was accidental.

Hopefully the next generation will come out a bit prettier..... (j/k) Anyway, I just finished a new getup that was inspired by the vintage races I go to- you know, MGTCs, old jaguars, Elvas, etc. I got an off-white Dickies jumpsuit and had a nice taylor lady alter it to fit well, sorta like a jogging suit. Then I got some coloured tape and some patches (American flag, embroidered name, Pennzoil, Michelin, etc.) and a custom iron-on transfer of my sponsor (Bronco's Garage.) Using some special fabric glue (for attaching patches to clothing) I coated the coloured tape and ironed it on to add stripes to the chest, arms, and legs, then added the patches, to create a vintage racing-style suit. All I have left to do is to soak the whole thing in the boric acid/borax solution to impart the fire-proofing, like they used to do before there was Nomex.

Be careful about the construction of your LED lamps. I have some that have small circuit boards soldered into the base, and they don't hold up to much force during installation or removal. The little boards just pulled right out leaving the base stuck in the lamp socket.

Mittens are for outdoor winter activities. Driving gloves are for driving, cycling gloves are for cycling, and when you are done with your activity, you take them off. If I were to keep wearing my racing suit or cycling uniform, I'd keep wearing the gloves- albeit, I'd be wearing the stuff on the right venue.

If a cyclist or two is killed in your area, then the legislators and LE people aren't doing their jobs well. Plus the drivers are truly st00pid. A cyclist being killed should be as rare as a nascar driver being killed. Obviously, choosing a safe road to ride is important, but everyone must share the roads equally and safely. A careless driver can make a country parkway a dangerous place.

That's why I quit training & racing myself. One guy on my team was killed, and another was permanently injured. I would need a computer to count the number of near-misses, and a couple I'll never forget. So I converted my turbo to the Minoura ICE system and I can ride miles safely without leaving the house

It was just under 20 LBs. depending on which wheels and tyres you were using.

I found an old photo of my cycling uniform.

Some photos.

Only the best fur! BTW- I recent read a book (Runways & Races) detailing a cooperative in the early 1950s between Gen, LeMay/Air Force and the SCCA to have sportscar racing at air bases. Since many appear to be in less need of use, maybe they can get the races going again, but without the scandal they had. It's a shame not to put those mile-long runways to a good use.

I If I didn't know you, I'd say you were related to the guy in the Datsun Black Gold commercial, or maybe on your way to meet your girl at the disco... A peek through the window doesn't indicate sheepskin seat covers, or a fur-covered fascia (dash.)