Where are you getting the LEDs? I'm interested in those and the backing plate (I'd favor aluminum, as it could be anodized black to match the plates on my existing taillights).

Actually, three rectangular LEDs at 5 x 3 would match the two 7 1/2 x 3 3/4 for height (mine are mounted vertically).

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Rusty

StaRV II, '94 28' Breakaway, 6.5L TD
2 Not-spoiled Golden Retrievers.

Rusty: I can get the LED lamps from a number of sources. I searched the web for truck LED tail lights and came up with several. I also have a large source of lamps I looked at yesterday at the I-75 Chrome Shop in a nearby city. They sell custom parts and chrome for the big rigs. Do you have a photo of your rear tail light setup? If you do can you e:mail me a picture? Also, please give me the exact sizes of each lens AND the exact size of the outside dimensions of the bezel. I think yours is shorter than mine. Mine is 22 1/4 X 6 X 1 inch. And yes, I feel the same about the aluminum and not stainless. Plus it will be less expensive. My e:mail is sssd90@earthlink.net Dave V.

I can mail a photo tomorrow - I'm familiar with the shop off I-75 at SR 44...I'll have to visit them soon...

The bezel on mine is probably the same as yours - 2 x 7 1/2 plus the backup light.

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Rusty

StaRV II, '94 28' Breakaway, 6.5L TD
2 Not-spoiled Golden Retrievers.

Here is what I did to my tail light yesterday. This will be a stopgap measure until I finish the LED project next month. I have the full description up on my website, if anyone wants to download or bring here, be my guest.
http://www.mwrench.com/barth/Taillights.pdf

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Ed
94 30' Breakaway side entry
230 Cummins, Alison 6 speed
Sparton chassis

DaveV,

Ed's are the same taillights as on mine - I haven't had mine apart yet, though.

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Rusty

StaRV II, '94 28' Breakaway, 6.5L TD
2 Not-spoiled Golden Retrievers.

Just to keep you up to speed, I finally found commercial LED lamps that are very very close to our original size. There are 2 sizes: 4.86 inches x 7.62 inches and another one 3.94 inches x 6.97 inches. These are the ONLY LED lamps I have found that are even close to the large lights found on the Barth's. I received an e:mail response this afternoon from Hella Lighting who will contact me in the next few days for pricing and compatibility. Check them out at www.hella.co.nz/newprod/leds/ Hopefully, I can get a complete set and once I figure out what to do with the back up light situation, I will have mounting plates machined. Dave V

Great snag, Dave V - I'm very interested, too - and there's that third line that might also work.

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Rusty

StaRV II, '94 28' Breakaway, 6.5L TD
2 Not-spoiled Golden Retrievers.

Well, it's back to the drawing board. The Hella LED is $83.08 each ! I will keep working on a solution, but not for $83 a piece. Dave V

I have saved several old motorcycle lenses by cutting off the face and gluing a new face cut from another lens to the sides. A real RV store will have a bunch to select from. Once you have the old face cut off, use an Oklahoma Milling Machine to true things up before you glue the new one on. Use a solvent type glue first, then make a fillet inside with a filler type glue, and fill any voids outside with it, too. It shrinks, so it will take several passes, depending on the voids. If you do it carefully, and round and polish the joint, it is almost undetectable even close up. Painting the sides black will give a nice look and hide the glue joint, too.

Look for a lens with the Fresnel pattern that will center over your lamp filaments for best results.

Dave & Sandi,
Those LED's for $83.08 sound just a little over priced. I found another good site for LED taillights, marker lights etc. Type in www.buytruckstuff.com when the site comes up click on peterson led lights under truck products. Examples they have:
(4) 4" flange mount led tail/turn/brake lights w/pigtails for $69.95 or
(4) oval flange mount led t/t/b lights w/ pigtails for $89.95.
Both of the above have the superbright heavy duty LED's made by Hewlett Packer.
Anyone else interested in LED's this site has a very good selection at reasonable prices.
Also some information about LED back-up lights. I have read the LED style isn't as good as the 50 watt holigen bulbs.
Jim

To make it official, I emailed The Bus Parts Warehouse regarding the KD assemblies shown of the website:

"Rusty,


Unfortunately, this is part is obsolete and no longer available. There
is no alternative to it.


Thank you for your inquiry.


Shelle Johnson
Inside Sales Manager
Bus Parts Warehouse"

quote:

Here is what I did to my tail light yesterday. This will be a stopgap measure until I finish the LED project next month. I have the full description up on my website, if anyone wants to download or bring here, be my guest.
http://www.mwrench.com/Barth/Taillights.pdf

Ed, I have to come clean and say that I do not read every word written on this website as I once did for the first 5 years. I therefore, missed your excellent description of how to clean up your tail lights. One of Barth's weaknesses is light intensity front and back. What you did here is very helpful and could I suspect save lives.. Thank you.

Another way to go, particularly on light housings that are not easily taped is almost chrome


In addition, voltage should be checked. It is not uncommon to find less than 12 volts back there due to oxidized connections between switch and bulb. I can't speak for diesels or Fords, but that P30 light switch is easily overloaded. A relay can help, too.

The standard 1034 or 1157 bulb has tail/brake candlepower of 3/32. A 2357 bulb will give you 25% more brake light and signal light brightness with a rating of 3/40. It is quick, easy and cheap. I use them in my Barth tail lights.

An H1157 is rated at 25/107 CP. I use them on my toad light bar and motorcycles. Due to heat issues, I would want to do a little testing before sticking them in my Barth tail lights. Om my daily BMW bike, the tail light is underneath a body overhang, so I have drilled heat vent holes on the top and underside of the lens. I used an oven thermometer with a remote probe for temperature testing. So far so good on the toad light bar, no melting of the easily replaceable lenses. But I don't like to drive at night, so brake and signal brightness is more important.

I'd like to pick up this old thread and see where folks ended their journey.

Has anyone found an actual full three light replacement? If so, could you please chime in?

Rusty, Dave, or Ed, did you end up making a new set of tail lights by having the frame machined and the using off the shelf individual lights to make a "custom" light? If so, what material did you select for the frame and roughly how much did you end up paying for the machine work?

About 6 years ago I found a bus supply company on Barthmobil site and I ordered a set of lenes.