85lebaront2 Posted February 17, 2021 Share Posted February 17, 2021 John - I want them illuminated so I can find them in the dark. With 6 switches side by side it would be easy to get the wrong one. But I don't want them so bright that they hurt my night vision, and some of them do at present. Scott - LightDims! I like that idea and will order some, although which ones I'm not sure. Jim - By "tint" I don't mean a color. I'm thinking window tint, with different levels of light blocking. All - I'm going to order some LightDims and see how/if they work. Having an adhesive on them suggests I can stack them. And at the price I can't go wrong. Thanks! That may be what I need for my hazard switch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted February 17, 2021 Author Share Posted February 17, 2021 John - I want them illuminated so I can find them in the dark. With 6 switches side by side it would be easy to get the wrong one. But I don't want them so bright that they hurt my night vision, and some of them do at present. Scott - LightDims! I like that idea and will order some, although which ones I'm not sure. Jim - By "tint" I don't mean a color. I'm thinking window tint, with different levels of light blocking. All - I'm going to order some LightDims and see how/if they work. Having an adhesive on them suggests I can stack them. And at the price I can't go wrong. Thanks! Went with the LightDims Original Strength but with "minimal packaging". By doing that I get it next Monday instead of a week or more later with the "retail packaging". At the same price. So now I can concentrate on getting the rest of the wiring done, which should happen in the next few days. Then I can see if the LightDims solve the brightness problem once they come in. In the interim, the new radio and the "mount" are delayed due to the weather. So, Scott, that leaves me wondering about the mount. Will I be able to put it on the back of the radio and then guide the whole thing through the sleeve the radio mounts in? Here's a shot of the existing sleeve from the back, but it is a really tight fit for the current radio to go through that sleeve, so I assume it'll be the same for the new radio with its sleeve. Given that, I got to wondering today if I could screw through the side of the sleeve into the original mount that is still there, as shown below. If I can recess the screw heads so the radio can slip in then I could mount the bezel, reach in and insert the screws through the original mount, and then install the radio, which snaps into place. And, there are "release keys" that come with the radio that allow it to be removed from the sleeve from the front. I think that might give the radio plenty of support. Thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted February 17, 2021 Share Posted February 17, 2021 John - I want them illuminated so I can find them in the dark. With 6 switches side by side it would be easy to get the wrong one. But I don't want them so bright that they hurt my night vision, and some of them do at present. Scott - LightDims! I like that idea and will order some, although which ones I'm not sure. Jim - By "tint" I don't mean a color. I'm thinking window tint, with different levels of light blocking. All - I'm going to order some LightDims and see how/if they work. Having an adhesive on them suggests I can stack them. And at the price I can't go wrong. Thanks! And how do you think they achieve those levels of light blocking? Usually they filter for UV (fading) and IR (heat) but beyond that they have to obscure/reflect some of the visible spectrum. Since there is no thing as a truly black dye, you can't realistically 'just tone it down' without eating into the visible spectrum somewhere. Of course, a lot of that tint is not going to have any effect, except where it happens to filter for whatever wavelength the diode is emmiting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kramttocs Posted February 17, 2021 Share Posted February 17, 2021 Went with the LightDims Original Strength but with "minimal packaging". By doing that I get it next Monday instead of a week or more later with the "retail packaging". At the same price. So now I can concentrate on getting the rest of the wiring done, which should happen in the next few days. Then I can see if the LightDims solve the brightness problem once they come in. In the interim, the new radio and the "mount" are delayed due to the weather. So, Scott, that leaves me wondering about the mount. Will I be able to put it on the back of the radio and then guide the whole thing through the sleeve the radio mounts in? Here's a shot of the existing sleeve from the back, but it is a really tight fit for the current radio to go through that sleeve, so I assume it'll be the same for the new radio with its sleeve. Given that, I got to wondering today if I could screw through the side of the sleeve into the original mount that is still there, as shown below. If I can recess the screw heads so the radio can slip in then I could mount the bezel, reach in and insert the screws through the original mount, and then install the radio, which snaps into place. And, there are "release keys" that come with the radio that allow it to be removed from the sleeve from the front. I think that might give the radio plenty of support. Thoughts? I was thinking you'd mount the radio in the sleeve (attached to bezel), screw on the rear mount, hook up the wiring and install it all together. I get that's not ideal though. I know using the bezel to mount aftermarket radios is pretty common but if you can use the front factory mounts with or without the bezel, that'd be great. What about - remove the sleeve from the bezel, pop rivet the cage to the factory side mounts and install the radio separate from the bezel? The sleeve could be further back than normal so the lip is behind the bezel but there should be slots in the sleeve for you to screw the radio to it. Or you could remove/flatten the lip so it goes though the bezel. Not sure I am explaining this well... Essentially the radio, sleeve/cage + front mounts and rear mount would all go in together with the rear mount clipping in and the front mount screwing in like factory. Then the bezel would install after. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Machspeed Posted February 17, 2021 Share Posted February 17, 2021 Went with the LightDims Original Strength but with "minimal packaging". By doing that I get it next Monday instead of a week or more later with the "retail packaging". At the same price. So now I can concentrate on getting the rest of the wiring done, which should happen in the next few days. Then I can see if the LightDims solve the brightness problem once they come in. In the interim, the new radio and the "mount" are delayed due to the weather. So, Scott, that leaves me wondering about the mount. Will I be able to put it on the back of the radio and then guide the whole thing through the sleeve the radio mounts in? Here's a shot of the existing sleeve from the back, but it is a really tight fit for the current radio to go through that sleeve, so I assume it'll be the same for the new radio with its sleeve. Given that, I got to wondering today if I could screw through the side of the sleeve into the original mount that is still there, as shown below. If I can recess the screw heads so the radio can slip in then I could mount the bezel, reach in and insert the screws through the original mount, and then install the radio, which snaps into place. And, there are "release keys" that come with the radio that allow it to be removed from the sleeve from the front. I think that might give the radio plenty of support. Thoughts? I'm pretty sure you said you wanted some light and just wanted to tone it down a bit. I looked at the product that you linked just above and it says that it blocks 100% of light. Perhaps you sent the wrong link? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted February 17, 2021 Author Share Posted February 17, 2021 I was thinking you'd mount the radio in the sleeve (attached to bezel), screw on the rear mount, hook up the wiring and install it all together. I get that's not ideal though. I know using the bezel to mount aftermarket radios is pretty common but if you can use the front factory mounts with or without the bezel, that'd be great. What about - remove the sleeve from the bezel, pop rivet the cage to the factory side mounts and install the radio separate from the bezel? The sleeve could be further back than normal so the lip is behind the bezel but there should be slots in the sleeve for you to screw the radio to it. Or you could remove/flatten the lip so it goes though the bezel. Not sure I am explaining this well... Essentially the radio, sleeve/cage + front mounts and rear mount would all go in together with the rear mount clipping in and the front mount screwing in like factory. Then the bezel would install after. Jim - I'm not sure what you are saying. I do want the visible light level reduced, and LightDims says it "Dims 50-80% of Light". So for $6 I'm going to try it. John - I don't know what I linked to before, but the one in this post is the one I ordered. Original strength. Scott - I'm confused about how it will all go together, but it is good to kick it around. I think the order of installation is the issue. I'm doubting that the rear mount can go through the sleeve as it appears to be taller than the sleeve and drop well below it and the radio to catch that brace. And when I put the bezel in place with the current sleeve in it I can tell that the brace is well below it. That seems to say that there are only two approaches using the rear mount: Mount the sleeve to the factory side mounts, make the connections through the sleeve, slide the radio into the sleeve, and reach around behind to attach the rear mount. Then install the bezel and the trim ring. I think that's what you were suggesting, right? Mount the sleeve to the bezel, slide the radio in, attach the rear mount and connect the wires, and then install it all. But I'm wondering about a third approach - not using the rear mount. Affix the sleeve to the bezel using the claws, as I've done on the existing one. Put the bezel in place and put screws through the side of the sleeve into the original mount. Then make the radio connections and slide the radio into the sleeve where it will snap into place. That would make it easier to do the connections. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctubutis Posted February 17, 2021 Share Posted February 17, 2021 .... Speaking of springs, I've been doing some reading and I'm not as convinced now that I need V-Code springs. Would some of y'all read through this thread on Powerstroke Nation, please? They seem to really like the U-codes, even with the diesel engine. I skimmed through it. It looks to be consistent with what I've read before: the U code springs for the (lighter) gas version of the (heavier) SuperDuty work well on the (lighter) '80 - '97 trucks with the (heavier) diesel. You have the lighter 460, but a heavier bumper and winch. I'd guess that puts you a little heavier than a diesel with stock bumper and no winch, so you are sort of in a no-man's land. But I don't thik you're that far out of the norm (stock '80 - '97 with a diesel being the high end of what I'm calling the norm). Which is why I was thinking I'd start with U code springs if I were in your position. And for what it's worth, "Bradbuilt" from that forum is "Diesel_Brad" on FTE. Same guy, different screen name. I am thinking of installing a modern EFI drivetrain into my truck just like Bill Vose did, carbs in cold weather can be time-consuming to adjust properly. :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctubutis Posted February 17, 2021 Share Posted February 17, 2021 I am thinking of installing a modern EFI drivetrain into my truck just like Bill Vose did, carbs in cold weather can be time-consuming to adjust properly. :( And, I'm realllllllly missing automatic transmissions.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted February 17, 2021 Author Share Posted February 17, 2021 And, I'm realllllllly missing automatic transmissions.... Chris - The way Bill did it, and I'm going to do it, is a lot of work. Something like the Holley Sniper system would be easier for the EFI. But if you want a modern automatic tranny you'll need a computer to control that as well. All - Here's a closeup of the extra switch I have and the inside of the rocker. The LED protrudes a bit so it may not be easy to stick a LightDim on it, or maybe not easy to get it to adhere. But I think I can put it on the back side of the lens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted February 17, 2021 Share Posted February 17, 2021 Jim - I'm not sure what you are saying. I do want the visible light level reduced, and LightDims says it "Dims 50-80% of Light". So for $6 I'm going to try it. John - I don't know what I linked to before, but the one in this post is the one I ordered. Original strength. Scott - I'm confused about how it will all go together, but it is good to kick it around. I think the order of installation is the issue. I'm doubting that the rear mount can go through the sleeve as it appears to be taller than the sleeve and drop well below it and the radio to catch that brace. And when I put the bezel in place with the current sleeve in it I can tell that the brace is well below it. That seems to say that there are only two approaches using the rear mount: Mount the sleeve to the factory side mounts, make the connections through the sleeve, slide the radio into the sleeve, and reach around behind to attach the rear mount. Then install the bezel and the trim ring. I think that's what you were suggesting, right? Mount the sleeve to the bezel, slide the radio in, attach the rear mount and connect the wires, and then install it all. But I'm wondering about a third approach - not using the rear mount. Affix the sleeve to the bezel using the claws, as I've done on the existing one. Put the bezel in place and put screws through the side of the sleeve into the original mount. Then make the radio connections and slide the radio into the sleeve where it will snap into place. That would make it easier to do the connections. Did you read what they said about them not working well with some coloured LED's? I hope those dimming stickers work out for you! I've always hated DIN cages and am really glad the Bricknose trucks used little tabs on either side, rather than the fiddly knob & shaft mount. It looks really tricky to get that bottom mount to work with one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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