LED info wanted
 

using the search it looks like the last time LEDS were mentioned was 2013, looking on line it looks like a huge improvement has happened.

I have used LED bulbs as a safety factor since 1999, the huge LED brake light in my Lincoln Mark VIII LSC saved my ass more than once from rear end collisions as the LED turns on much quicker than a normal bulb.

Benn through the Mercedes hassle with my 600SEL, me 500 SEL and my ML320.

But my 1977 450 SL doesn't have any current sensors, so all I want is a nice bright LED.

It looks like they run from 600 lumens to over 1700! But they are BIG, over 2 inches long.

Anyone have recent experience and recommendations for 1157 and 1156 bulbs?

Go to superbrightleds.com
There is a search by application function.
It should show you what is current.
Lots of cheaper units on the market, but this company doesn't sell the crap ones.

Check out Luyed LEDs on Amazon or Ebay. They have several versions of the 1156 bulb, all under 2" long and they go up 1700lumens. I have 900 lumen version on my brake lights, they're brighter than the stock 21w brake light bulbs and are only 4w.