73 ish cruise control cruise indicator light

[TJ Hopland]

73 and I assume other years in the era have a blue 'cruise' light next to the on off switch that lights up when the cruise is engaged.  The amber on off one is nice and visible but the cruise one barely seems to show even at night.  Anyone ever replace one with an LED to make it a little brighter without adding heat of a regular bulb?

[Harley Earl]

TJ, I have swapped out dash bulbs on a '74 CdV with great success in the past.  Have not messed with any indicator lights.  2500k to 3000k is the color temperature you are looking for.  The trick with this is finding the best QUALITY LED that is compatible.  I have used Super Bright LEDs interchange with varied success before.  Check the OEM manual for the bulb number and then pop it into the interchange on your chosen LED vendor's website.

LEDs make a tremendous difference in visibility, run cooler and use less energy.  On the down side, they are very sensitive to voltage fluctuations and poor grounding.  Worth the risk, in my opinion, if your charging system is in tip-top shape.  Now a judge may differ with me but I'm all about seeing things safely without taking my eyes off the road for longer than is necessary.

[Cadillac Fleetwood]

TJ, In 1970, and in 1971-72-73, the cruise engaged indicator illuminates the word CRUISE in green.  There is a plastic socket on the back of the switch which holds a 1445 or 53 type bulb.  Because the socket is plastic, it often works its way out of the back of the dash switch, so the bulb is not shining into chamber within the switch which directs the bulb illumination to the CRUISE indicator.  Check the bulb socket to make certain it is fully seated.  The bulbs often develop a sticky "film" on them. Remove the bulb and clean any film that you find on it.  Cleaning the bulb can make a significant difference in the brightness of the indicator.

-Charles Fares

[TJ Hopland]

Its supposed to be green huh?  Mine looks blue but you can only sorta see it at night so maybe it is just badly misaligned or a little burnt.  Will have to investigate soon.