So, i've got a 1990 Eddie Bauer Bronco with the 351, which is almosty entirely stock except that the previous owner had a remote start system installed. The first time I drove it at night, I noticed that it had no courtesy lights under the dash, unlike every pre '91 Ford I'd ever ridden in, including my grandfather's '85 XLT Bronco, and my dad's '85 Crown vic.

A little digging suggests that this was an option (the owner's manual mentions courtesy lights on the page listing bulb specs), but I can't find any parts, or even part numbers to install it, and I don't know where the lights would mount, or which connectors they would tie into.

Because of this, I am coming to you guys for answers.

Which connectors did the courtesy light harness tie into? (the dome light?) Where are these connectors located? Where did the bulb sockets screw in? what is the part number for the wiring harness? what bits would I need to custom make one?

Compared to some of the issues I've seen here, this one's pretty minor, but I would dearly like being able to see the floor.

Oh, and my dome light's translucent white plastic is very yellow, and restricts the light output of the dome light a great deal. Are there clear plastic covers available? (perhaps with prism-like shapes on the inside to scatter the light better?

 

Don't have my wiring diagrams in front of me at the moment but the courtesy lamps all run off the same circuit. Haynes manual diagrams are fairly accurate and will tell you which tap in the main light switch energizes the courtesy lamps. You can always tap it for a couple additional lamps somewhere. Consider using LEDs instead of standard lamps. They won't add enough current draw to worry about overloading the existing circuit and you will get a lot more light out of them.

The "fixtures" under the dash are mounted to the bottom brace that runs across the bottom of the dash. They are tiny little things with a socket and a small diffuser in front of them. The lamps are 193's or 197's if I recall correctly. Typical all-glass bayonet base. Nothing to write home about.

As for the dome light cover, I got fed up with mine and made one out of a plastic Coke bottle. (Don't laugh, if you know what you are doing, you get a crystal clear cover that fits directly in place of the OEM unit). If you wanted to diffuse it you could always do the same thing using one of those rear window magnifiers that sticks to the glass. (Its basically a Fresnel lens so it just spreads light).

 

Well, there don't seem to be any sockets present. I do have a Haynes manual, so I guess I'll take a look at it.

I noticed today that the way the remote start is installed there's a lot of excess cabling just hanging out, including ne large purple wire that loops around the metal stop for the e-brake, so that when you release the e-brake it pinches the wire Over time, it seems the wire's split, and occasionally arcs to ground

I'm guessing the wiring diagrams will help with that too.