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For my '53 trying to figure out how to wire in the dome light. How was it done originally? Did it have a door jamb switch. I would like to have it so it comes on with the door jamb switch as well as using the light switch. I can wire it all that way but I need to isolate the light from the cab of the truck. How do I do that. One guy suggests screwing a piece of wood to the cab and then screwing the light to the wood. There has to be another way. I can't screw the light right to the truck as the dome light then becomes grounded and is on because it has power to it. Does this make sense the way I am saying it? The real question is how to mount the dome light to the cab without screwing through the light and into the cab.?
Modern dome lights are insulated from the body by using plastic or nylon push in nuts, which isolates the lamp from the body. You can do it the old fashioned way, like stock, shown above, but uses a lot of wire and a lot of redundancies. Somewhere along the line the factories changed it up and ran one power wire to the lamp, then ground it at as many locations as you wanted to have a switch; door jambs, toggle, dash ****, etc.
Are you asking how to wire it so when you turn the headlight switch to the left, it turns on the dome light? I doubt those terminals on the headlight switch provide a ground, but maybe?
Ross makes a good point. I don't know if the stock 53 headlight switch turned on the dome light, but make sure if you use it, that it goes to ground and not hot. You may need to use a different or later model switch, that hopefully will accept the stock ****.
Not very much on my truck is stock. the only challenge I have is installing the dome light. It grounds through the housing but if I do that then it is on all the time. What I need is something like what 52 Merc shows. Not sure what to call that when I go to the local parts place. The rest of the wiring, including the light switch, door contacts, power to this part I got figured out. Took a bunch of talking to my brother and he was able to walk me through it. But... he says just mount the light on a piece of wood. I would like some thing a bit better then that.
Marten this is a picture of mine. The socket is grounded to the metal that is attached to the cab. The wires run down to the door button and I also have a switch on the light itself. I runs along the upper cab lip then down into the A-pillar. Mine work with the switch and the door button. Hope that this helps. Most light sockets are grounded to the body on these old trucks.
I wanted to finish this thread off. First thanks to 52Merc for pointing me in the right direction. Later I will add something to my build thread but this is not the most exciting thing in pictures. I talked to my local NAPA dealer and got these. They use a 1/4-20 screw. Drill a 1/2" hole, insert plug and mount light. Squishes the plug to hold in place.
Worked great to hold the light in place. Connected the door jamb switches, headlight switch together along with 2 footwell lights and the dome light. Everything works. everything closed and the lights go out. Can turn on the lights with the headlight switch, turning it to the left. Open a door and the lights come on.
I am now the light of my own life.
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