[cboy]

I just tried to install my new LED bulbs and the stems are too short for the sockets. The pins on the stem can not be pushed deep enough into the socket to rotate the bulb into the locked position.

Note in this first picture a normal 1157 bulb fully engaged in the socket. The metal base as well as a bit of the glass bulb (arrow) are within the socket.



This next picture compares the stem lengths of the two bulbs. Note how the tip of the LED bulb is well below (more than 1/8") the top of the metal base of the regular 1157.



So this is what happens. When you slide the LED into the base, the flat back of the LED encounters the rim of the socket before the pins can reach the twist/lock groove at the base of the socket.



My first thought was to grind off the top of the socket, which I did. However, you can only grind off so much before you would grind off the tab for the ground wire (arrow in picture below).



This last shot shows how much I have ground off (sorry is is a bit blurry). I really can't grind off any more without possibly destroying the ground tab. And it still is not enough for the pins to be rotated into their locked position.



Mostly I'm just venting my frustration (and warning others) here since I doubt there is a fix (although suggestions are welcome). I've emailed the Mfr/distributor (Mr. Roadster/Speedway) to see what they have to say.

I guess I'm a bit surprised this hasn't come up more often. I did a google search and only found a few instances of people having a similar problem. My sockets are very typical Ford sockets found on thousands of vehicles in the 70's and 80's so people have had to run into this at some point.

[Note: brief follow up. Just got a return email from Speedway and they simply say the bulbs are too short, they won't work, and they have no alternative size or work around. They DID offer to refund the purchase price if I return them. Perhaps instead they ought to put it right in there catalog and web site that these bulbs will not fit many traditional sockets. $%^&*#(.]

[eloc431962]

Originally Posted by cboy

[Note: brief follow up. Just got a return email from Speedway and they simply say the bulbs are too short, they won't work, and they have no alternative size or work around. They DID offer to refund the purchase price if I return them. Perhaps instead they ought to put it right in there catalog and web site that these bulbs will not fit many traditional sockets. $%^&*#(.]

Amen to that cboy. You would have thought this would have been checked during the process of making this product.


Cole

[cboy]

Just as a bit of follow up for anyone else encountering this problem, I took the grinder to the sockets one final time and came within a hair's breath of whacking the ground prong (as shown in the third picture above) but I finally got the stem to go deep enough into the socket to properly engage.

You must take great care with the grinder to keep the top of the socket flat, even and about 1/64 of an inch from hitting the ground prong. But it CAN be done.

But the much better solution would be for Speedway/ Mr. Roadster to make the effort and produce a properly sized stem in the first place.

[cobalt327]

Possibly the ground strap could be temporarily manipulated out of the way for the grinder to not hit it?

But, yeah. In ANY event- a poor bit of engineering, that. And good that you were able to beat the system.

Should be a "NOTE" in the catalog- at LEAST!