Granted, this is a bit tangental to your original post, but one way to get a brighter dash light is to replace the 194 bulbs with 168's. The 158, 168, and 194 bulbs are all in the same "package", but have different light outputs. The 158 is dimmer than the 194.

Using the brighter bulb is not a good solution to a wiring problem, but even when the wiring is right, a little extra light on the gauges can be helpful.

c39, I appreciate any kind of suggestions , I will look in on that.
I got all the stuff I need to solder everything back together , but before I do anything ,Im going to read up and do a little practicing so I wont make a bigger mess.
Dave