[Chrysler300] Let there be light (revisited)

Wondering how to get a brighter dash illumination weeks ago, Bob Merritt bounced me to Daniel Stern Lighting. Here is what I have learned so far and am about to field test a few of these possibilities. Keep in mind that part of the problem must be the crud that has built up on the rheostat that is our dash light power, plus the fact that we no longer are in the night-time dark that was prevalent when our cars were new, I still long for brighter dash lighting using more powerful bulbs. It is the easiest solution. I found two types of plastic bases in Barber's 300K that were representing the factory's use (for no apparent purpose other than cost), for the type of bulbs used in the fiberglass back of the instrument cluster with the plastic bulb holders that twisted into the copper circuits that lit up the bulbs. They are interchangeable. The wedgebase, all glass, 158 and the bayonet (twist lock) partly metal 57 bulbs, have two different plastic bases that can be used willy-nilly with the correct bulb, on all those copper trailed lighting circuits. New plastic bases of either type are readily available still to this day. Stern's suggestion is to use a W5W bulb he can provide which puts out 50 lumens which is twice the 25 of our oem. This bulb is the wedge, all-glass, type 158. Alternatively, the WY5W is amber and makes a nice green using the oem blue plastic condum the factory provided. Both these bulbs make 5w compared to the 3.9 w for 158 bulbs.

He sells an X6W in both bases with 6w that makes 85 lumens. That may be overkill and cause heat problems to the internal plastic. Further field testing and an full and complete report to follow.

>From Lefty, wanting to be the brightest light in all of Newark, CA