What have you done to your Land Cruiser this week?

[Buffchief]

My green LED’s are supposed to be arriving today… I am a little lost in understanding the work you describe …I feel I may need to do this as well. Currently it’s dark… not sure that the green will light it up

If you pull your gauge cluster out of the dash (2 screws ) + disconnect speedo cable from back side and 2 electrical connections, you can lay it face down on a rag and remove the 8 or so small screws around the back that holds all the actual gages in place to the face plate. carefully remove it , there may or may be a small gasket going around the perimeter and it may be stuck on but you can carefully remove it so the gauges can be removed. No need in removing the "circuit " board that the bulbs twist into. Once removed you will see the back side of the bezel that reflects the light (around the glass) and may need bright white paint added as mine did. Then, the two bulbs that light up the gauges with reflective light can be seen with a small metal cover over them that can be carefully removed (small spot welds) or drill a single hole in each one as I did with a hole of you preference to allow more light out. Be careful and start by using a center punch and or a 1/16" bit and work your way up. Make sure all the drill shavings are blown out or vacuumed. Reassemble and check your lights in the dark to see
if its enough. Some people remove the covers entirely. I meant to take some picks but failed that apart !

 

[65swb45]

If you pull your gauge cluster out of the dash (2 screws ) + disconnect speedo cable from back side and 2 electrical connections, you can lay it face down on a rag and remove the 8 or so small screws around the back that holds all the actual gages in place to the face plate. carefully remove it , there may or may be a small gasket going around the perimeter and it may be stuck on but you can carefully remove it so the gauges can be removed. No need in removing the "circuit " board that the bulbs twist into. Once removed you will see the back side of the bezel that reflects the light (around the glass) and may need bright white paint added as mine did. Then, the two bulbs that light up the gauges with reflective light can be seen with a small metal cover over them that can be carefully removed (small spot welds) or drill a single hole in each one as I did with a hole of you preference to allow more light out. Be careful and start by using a center punch and or a 1/16" bit and work your way up. Make sure all the drill shavings are blown out or vacuumed. Reassemble and check your lights in the dark to see
if its enough. Some people remove the covers entirely. I meant to take some picks but failed that apart !

Step one is disconnect the battery.

 

[Pighead]

Here you can see the light-blocker things you need to remove if you want to see your needle at night.
View attachment 492332View attachment 492333

Here's a pic of those pesky light bulb shields in a 55 gauge...

 

[FJ40Tiger]

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win.modestosunriserotary.org

 

[Buffchief]

Step one is disconnect the battery.

I knew something was missing!

 

[UncaMo]

I just looked up the torque for that about 30 minutes ago! View attachment 4133689

I’m going through steering now and always fear losing steering.

I got my center arm rebuild and reinstalled with new hardware and got my steering box set on the mount. Waiting on parts to complete my front / steering rebuild/ replace/ refresh.
View attachment 4133690

Thanks! I'm going to have to remove some parts to get in there with a proper torque wrench!

 

[nabbasi]

Thanks! I'm going to have to remove some parts to get in there with a proper torque wrench!

I was able to get in there from above with my smaller torque wrench without much trouble just a few hours ago. Good luck!

 

[knuckle47]

Step one is disconnect the battery.

I learned that battery disconnect trick in 1974. The first time the sparks flew I jumped of the seat.

On the other hand…the green LED’s do not work in my MAY 1975 cluster. The white LED works in the high beam indicator.. I have swapped back and forth several times and used my opti-visor magnifier to clean and bend the contacts on the receptacles, cleaned the copper ring on the circuit board… nope, not even a glimmer. The little stock light bulbs work

Any ideas?

@Buffchief thanks for those details. I vaguely remember rebuilding a days cluster years ago and it’s white internal coating was….yellowish (yuk)

 

[charliemeyer007]

Just a thought, LED's are directional so they don't work backwards, incandescent bulbs will work either direction of electricity flow. Try rotating the led in the holder 180. Use your meter to check polarity on the board. Turn up the rheostat on the light switch, maybe its set below the led's min voltage.

 

[knuckle47]

Good thought Charlie…but I did try a few other thoughts I had and here is a run-down: do the bulbs actually work?…YES. Where is the voltage NOT getting to? It is going to the terminals in the cluster housing and receptacles. Now I measured the metal shield that @Buffchief said he had drilled a hole in.. 20 mm deep… took the cluster apart, been a while I can only assume and cleaned everything. Had I some orange paint, I would have dressed the needle indicators..but no, so next time.

After every thing I had tried, I am guessing the 22mm length of the bulb assembly is preventing the brass contact tabs on the receptacles from making contact after I had unfurled the short wires on the bulb and touched them to the ring on the circuit board. That worked. So it sort of confirms my thinking that the brass contacts are not connecting to the ring of the circuit board and bending them upward does not work.

Since these LED HOUSINGS are plastic I had shifted the wires out of the way and ground off about 3 mm of the plastic housing and re-folded the wires back. The problem here is that the black bulb receptacle has a collar that does not allow the shortened bulb assembly to be placed deeper in the housing. Nice try but nothing. Went back to the clear stock bulb.. works fine. Re-assembled it all with bright white LED’s in the high beam indicator and both L/R directional signals

Here’s a few more photos to get an idea of where and why

I had these new gauge face decals but decided the FJ40 cluster look fine..so, back in the box they go

 

[Buffchief]

Here's the ones I used l. The one's you have were too long/tall for mine also

 

[Buffchief]

Good thought Charlie…but I did try a few other thoughts I had and here is a run-down: do the bulbs actually work?…YES. Where is the voltage NOT getting to? It is going to the terminals in the cluster housing and receptacles. Now I measured the metal shield that @Buffchief said he had drilled a hole in.. 20 mm deep… took the cluster apart, been a while I can only assume and cleaned everything. Had I some orange paint, I would have dressed the needle indicators..but no, so next time.


View attachment 4135332View attachment 4135334View attachment 4135336View attachment 4135338

After every thing I had tried, I am guessing the 22mm length of the bulb assembly is preventing the brass contact tabs on the receptacles from making contact after I had unfurled the short wires on the bulb and touched them to the ring on the circuit board. That worked. So it sort of confirms my thinking that the brass contacts are not connecting to the ring of the circuit board and bending them upward does not work.

Since these LED HOUSINGS are plastic I had shifted the wires out of the way and ground off about 3 mm of the plastic housing and re-folded the wires back. The problem here is that the black bulb receptacle has a collar that does not allow the shortened bulb assembly to be placed deeper in the housing. Nice try but nothing. Went back to the clear stock bulb.. works fine. Re-assembled it all with bright white LED’s in the high beam indicator and both L/R directional signals

Here’s a few more photos to get an idea of where and why
View attachment 4135339View attachment 4135340View attachment 4135341View attachment 4135342View attachment 4135343
I had these new gauge face decals but decided the FJ40 cluster look fine..so, back in the box they go

I drill a ⅜" or so hole in the end of that dome your Phillips is pointing at

 

[Buffchief]

Just a thought, LED's are directional so they don't work backwards, incandescent bulbs will work either direction of electricity flow. Try rotating the led in the holder 180. Use your meter to check polarity on the board. Turn up the rheostat on the light switch, maybe its set below the led's min voltage.

Rheostat has to be full on for mine to come on. No dimming with the LED

 

[knuckle47]

@Buffchief I ordered these that you used…. Just clicked off of their site. I was actually going to slice the exposed arc at the dome about 1/3 more of a radius on each side and bend the dome slightly forward…that would expose more light and provide clearance. I just don’t know if the extra light would be too much and bleed thru the wrong areas. I have another old cluster but, it is easier to just get the smaller lamps. My luck, the dremel would grab…spin down across the face, zip across one of the gauges…or worse. I can also have a few days to get some florescent orange needle paint for those pointers

Thank you for the reference

 

[knuckle47]

I have some LED lighting in the house that isn’t dimmable also. Not sure of the tech behind them so I just go with it . Given the low brilliance of the stock cluster lighting, I usually never dimmed those either

I also have a BAS-7 for the headlight switch I have to find how that installs. I though it was a smaller bulb at the tip…but it’s a fiber rod in the knob

 

[knuckle47]

This is what ChatGPT has to say about changing the headlight switch bulb…the last sentence seems to say a lot

On a 1975 Toyota FJ40 Land Cruiser, the little illumination bulb inside the headlight switch is typically a BA7 / BAS7 12V 1.5W twist-in bulb. Toyota also listed it as part number 90981-11009.

Here’s the process without turning the dashboard into a confetti cannon:

1. Disconnect the battery
   These old FJ40 switches carry real current. Better to avoid accidental sparks behind the dash jungle.
2. Remove the headlight knob
   Pull the knob outward to the “headlights on” position.
   Under the dash, feel for a small spring button on the switch body. Press it while pulling the knob and shaft out.
3. Unscrew the retaining bezel
   From the front of the dash, use needle-nose pliers or a bezel tool to remove the thin threaded retaining nut around the switch shaft.
4. Drop the switch behind the dash
   Once loose, gently pull the switch downward so you can access the rear.
5. Locate the tiny bulb holder
   On the side or rear of the switch body you’ll see a tiny twist-lock socket. It usually looks like a miniature brass or black plastic nub.
6. Remove the BAS-7 bulb
   Twist the holder about a quarter turn counterclockwise and pull it out.
   The bulb either:
   • pulls straight out of the holder, or
   • is integrated into the tiny socket assembly depending on which switch version you have.
7. Install the new bulb
   Insert the new BAS-7/BA7 bulb, reinstall the socket, and twist clockwise to lock it.
8. Test before reassembly
   Reconnect the battery and pull the switch. The knob should glow with that wonderfully dim 1970s amber “campfire in a mason jar” lighting Toyota specialized in.

 

[Buffchief]

@Buffchief I ordered these that you used…. Just clicked off of their site. I was actually going to slice the exposed arc at the dome about 1/3 more of a radius on each side and bend the dome slightly forward…that would expose more light and provide clearance. I just don’t know if the extra light would be too much and bleed thru the wrong areas. I have another old cluster but, it is easier to just get the smaller lamps. My luck, the dremel would grab…spin down across the face, zip across one of the gauges…or worse. I can also have a few days to get some florescent orange needle paint for those pointers

Thank you for the reference

You bet. It'll work out. Little at a time

 

[knuckle47]

Well I did get some green lighting …finally….the chatGPT comments were simple straightforward and got it done very quickly. A long needle nose worked on the “nut”

 

[dazerb]

Found some old barbed wire mixed in with the nettles i ran through... 45 mins with the bolt cutter

 

[charliemeyer007]

Enough WD1-TT (infantry field phone wire) will stop a M60A5 for a while <5 miles.