PerL,

Radio Shack sells a blue LED that's way brighter than whatever the Vanagon
high beam indicator is.  I used one for a high beam indicator on a motor
scooter and you can see it in the sun.

I don't know how many you'd need to light the dash though.  On the same
scooter, I used two 18,000 mcd (hosfelt electronics) orange LED's for the
speedometer.  This was perfect for night driving.  I think that the Radio
Shack blue is only about 200 mcd.  The difference is that the speedo light
is indirect, and the high beam indicator is directly observed.

Mike