1960 Chrysler Panelescent instrument lights

[G-MAN]

I ran across these photos of the electroluminescent instrument lights used on the 1960-62 Chryslers.

This is just the speedometer section:

This shows the actual electroluminescent material with the numeral mat peeled back:

And here the complete "Astra-Dome" instrument panel with all EL gauges illuminated:

 

[Burt]

Very modern in a retro sort of way...

Cool!

 

[2oldtommy]

IIRC Sylvania was the supplier to Chrysler of this panel.FWIW--Oldtommy

 

[hemitom]

My dad had two 62 Chryslers, those were the coolest lights i had ever seen on an instrument panel, his back lighting was green if i remember correctly. Sure would love to have those cars today.

 

[JHZR2]

Note the pushbutton transmission selector... My great grandparents had a (Mercury?) wagon in the 1950s with a similar thing. I remember my Grandfather talking about it but I never saw what he meant until tonight... Thanks!

 

[willix]

That was before the Square steering wheel.

 

[G-MAN]

Originally Posted By: willix
That was before the Square steering wheel.


Not really. The 1960 Imperial, which also used EL instrument lighting, had the "square" steering wheel.

 

[meep]

the lighting on my old 57 chevy was beautiful!! and classy-- it bathed the dark green gauges with green light against orange needles, and i believe the plastic lenses had light pushed through them, making the white marks on the plastic glow green. The chrome inside the gauge was crisp. The fuel and temp gauges had windows beneath them to cast this erie green above the light, ign, wiper switches, and cig lighter. With the clock 6 feet to the right, immediately in front of the passenger, and the radio in the middle, the whole dash came alive at night. It was beautiful!

Mike

 

[lexus114]

Thats very impressive!

 

[CBR.worm]

They were really cool. They were my favorite until I drove the then new Lexus LS400 in the early 90's - that was the first vehicle I drove with CCFL gauge lighting and projected idiot lights. Pretty awesome.

 

[CBR.worm]

 

[mechanicx]

How about the car phone in 1960?

 

[G-MAN]

Originally Posted By: CBR.worm
They were really cool. They were my favorite until I drove the then new Lexus LS400 in the early 90's - that was the first vehicle I drove with CCFL gauge lighting and projected idiot lights. Pretty awesome.


Are you sure those are cold cathode lights on the Lexus? I thought they were a type of EL.

Anyway, Chrysler briefly resurrected EL in 1966 for the instruments on the Dodge Charger. It would not be used again until 1999 on the Chrysler 300M.

 

[ClarkB]

Something about those old instrument panels is timelessly classic and whatever it is, no modern car has anything nearly as good looking.

Something about the plated metal, the intricate designs to the gauges themselves really strike a cord in me. The 300 series were always fun to look at.

Clark

 

[morris]

i bought a new 1966 charger, big chick magnet. the chrysler electroluminescent instrument lights was powered by a high voltage transformer. just dont leave the drivers window down in the rain it shorts out the high voltage transformer. i have some chrysler factory service manuals that cover the electroluminescent instrument lights system. at one time there was a guy that repaired they, but i dont have any details. i think it was only on the "c" chrysler, and big dodges. edit: the charger had tan steering wheel center regardless of inside or outside color.

 

[G-MAN]

Originally Posted By: morris
i bought a new 1966 charger, big chick magnet. the chrysler electroluminescent instrument lights was powered by a high voltage transformer. just dont leave the drivers window down in the rain it shorts out the high voltage transformer. i have some chrysler factory service manuals that cover the electroluminescent instrument lights system. at one time there was a guy that repaired they, but i dont have any details. i think it was only on the "c" chrysler, and big dodges. edit: the charger had tan steering wheel center regardless of inside or outside color.


Chrysler used EL instrument lighting all 1960-62 Chrysler models, and all 1960-63 Imperial models. The only Dodge model it was used on in the 60s was the 66-67 Charger.

It was reintroduced in 1999 on the 300M and later the LHS. Chrysler continued to use it on the 2005-2010 300 and 300C, and some Jeep models. To the best of my knowledge EL has not been used on any modern Dodge models (excluding 2011 models).

 

[morris]

i see that most people list the cars that they have/had. ill have to think about which cars/trucks i have had. but right now i only have a 2001 dakota v-6 auto trans. iam planing to change the rear end to 4.56 ratio and lsd. it has 3.54 open. what think?

 

[steve20]

Thanks for the pics G Man. I see they didn't add a redline to the tach in the Charger.

The Lexus looks like a Camry


Steve

 

[G-MAN]

Originally Posted By: morris
i see that most people list the cars that they have/had. ill have to think about which cars/trucks i have had. but right now i only have a 2001 dakota v-6 auto trans. iam planing to change the rear end to 4.56 ratio and lsd. it has 3.54 open. what think?


I think you've posted this in the wrong thread.

 

[morris]

well yea the EL instrument lighting got me to thinking about all the diff cars/trucks i have had. my brain just go crazy sometimes. sorry.