led on a cadillac

hi all, i want to install LED lights on my 1980 Cadillac Coupe (the rear taillights). I have a Lowrider Magazine issue where it has a how to do it yourself. It says to use LED lights from trailers at your local "truck stop" and select the style and size for the application it'll go on. On mine I'll go with a long rectangles. What I need to understand is this and I quote from the magazine 'because of the low voltage required to generate light from LEDs, your turn signal flasher will need to be replaced because the load has already been burned into the old flasher. If the load gets below the voltage of one light bulb, there will be no change in the flash sequence (fast rythm). If this happens, you will need an electrician to hook you up with dides to represent a load. For you do it yourselfers, just tie in a light bulb and wrap it in black tape, making sure that it's not on constantly " end quote. I'm a do it yourself so where do I tie in the light bulb in the wiring of the car; before the flasher or after the flasher? It does not say where and there is no reference in the pictures used in the magazine. The pictures only show the modifying of the edges of the LEDs and the taillight housing in which they'll be placed in. Thanks for reading and let me know.

Edgar

They actually put that in a magazine? 

The flasher works by using bimetalic strips that heat up when current is ran through them.  When they get hot, they bend.  When they get hot enough the bend to the point where contact is no longer made, and it breaks the circuit, causing the metal to cool back down, and bend back to its normal state (thus making contact again and repeating the cycle).

If you remove the bulbs the current will be reduced and the strips won't bend.  The correct way is to use a solid state flasher that isn't dependent on loads (also called an electronic flasher).  The 'shadetree' way would be to install a bulb wrapped in tape hidden somewhere in the car.  Keep in mind, that if you go the light bult way when that bulb burns out you will need to replace it to make your turn signals work right!

To hook up the light bulb you will have to install it AFTER the flasher, other wise the light will stay on constantly and the flasher won't work (again the point of the bulb is to put a load on the output of the flasher).

Good luck with your project and post some pictures once its done.

hi, thanks for the reply. Yes they did an article in the Lowrider Magazine in an last years issue. Actually the lights in the article went in an Chevy Avalanche, but the same applies to any other vehicle. You say after the flasher; so do I just splice in? Will I use both wires from my cars flasher to the light bulb or just one and ground the other? This is how its hook up from the fuse amp rated 20 is hot in run, bulb test, or start and has a blue wire going to the turn flasher which then is connected to the turn-hazard switch assembly via a purple wire.  If I use both wires to which sides will they go on the bulb and it is here that I'll place the bulb; between the flasher and turn signal assembly. Let me know where and I'll post some pictures. Thanks

Edgar

hello again, I came across this item and I was wondering will this be better to use instead of wiring in a lightbulb like I have mentioned in the start of this topic. The item is an electronic flasher. It says that it'll eliminate hyper flashing, no flashing or burnt out bulb indications and eliminates the use of load resistors by simply removing the old flasher and installing this one. I saw it on eBay. The same seller also sells these blinker load resistors that you just splice into the existing wiring to simulate the load of a regular filament bulb. What do you think? Electronic Flasher or Load Resistors?

Thanks