engine bay lighting

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

bucket

bucket

Super Moderator
Staff member
Super Moderator
Joined
Aug 3, 2010
Posts
29,065
Reaction score
23,813
Location
Usually not in Ohio
First Name
Andy
Truck Year
'77, '78, '79, '84, '88
Truck Model
K5 thru K30
Engine Size
350-454
AuroraGirl said:
you mean parking lamps?
yeah, if i go to my 1990, my 1999(different design for looks but same concept)x2, and go put a battery to some old cars i bet i would see what im guessing.
but now im intrigued, i kinda wanna put 12 volts to 2 old cutlasses and a grand am and see what happens lol i bet some fuses are gonna pop
i wont bother finding the keys tho so no fun there

If you understood me incorrectly, i was saying that the lights are mercury switched and switched to parking lamps. So if hood open, no light, if hood open and headlights on, works. if hood closed, headlight switch off, no light. if hood closed, headlight switch on, no light still. when i put some on my square(Im putting more than one on since i have so many) I am going to put 2 on hood open and the other+ will be switched and maybe mounted elsewhere. i think held on with just rivets?

to be clear, we are talking about these, right?
You must be registered for see images attach
You must be registered for see images attach
Click to expand...

Right, no parking lights required for operation of the underhood light. They get constant 12v and come on when the hood opens.

Craig 85 said:
This one came in my last truck ('79 K15). I took it out before I sold it thinking I'd use it in my '85, but I bought a 90's under hood light instead. It does work, but I noticed the rubber seal is dried out, so the lens does not hold as tight as it should. A gasket could probably be made from an old innertube. It's a 1 wire hook up and grounds through the body. If you're interested, PM your address and I'll send it out.

You must be registered for see images attach
You must be registered for see images attach
You must be registered for see images attach
Click to expand...

They DO exist!!! That's cool!
 
Raider L

Raider L

Full Access Member
Joined
Sep 1, 2020
Posts
1,892
Reaction score
994
Location
Shreveport, LA
First Name
William
Truck Year
1974
Truck Model
C10
Engine Size
355
Ha, ha, ha, ha, this was a great subject people!! No, I keep looking at my under hood and wondering when am I going to fill that hole back there. I've seen that one in a parts book I was looking at the other night, skysurfer. That's what got me wondering. Yeah, the only ones I ever saw were in cars back in the '70's and thought they were cool. And when I asked them what turned them on some said mercury switch.

That's okay because a racer friend of the guys who helped when I was building my truck had a dang light bulb on a cord that connected to the battery! I had never seen a light bulb that worked off a 12 volt car battery. So some time after I had my truck on the road I found one I think at Advance Auto complete with the reflector and they even had spare bulbs you could get. So that's what's behind my seat.
 
Raider L

Raider L

Full Access Member
Joined
Sep 1, 2020
Posts
1,892
Reaction score
994
Location
Shreveport, LA
First Name
William
Truck Year
1974
Truck Model
C10
Engine Size
355
AuroraGirl,
You know when I saw that part in this parts book I was looking at I thought that's what it was showing was the mercury switch, or some kind of a switch. That photo you show, now I see what it is. It's not that big or clear in the book. Now I see it's just the attaching bracket. I could see the bulb reflector, but not that bottom part good enough. It's just the attachment part. Back in the auto dept. of Walmart sometimes they will have those 12v battery powered bulbs. I think they are about 75 watts to, or 60. Plenty bright enough to do any kind of work. And they have those scissor kind of attaching, typical drop light thing.
 
Raider L

Raider L

Full Access Member
Joined
Sep 1, 2020
Posts
1,892
Reaction score
994
Location
Shreveport, LA
First Name
William
Truck Year
1974
Truck Model
C10
Engine Size
355
Craig 85,

What were you supposed to do, take that bulb thing out, and wave the thing around by that little green wire looking for a problem? Ha, ha, ha, ha. Man! Where was it attached in your truck, I mean under the hood back there where the under hood light goes? I guess you could put it anywhere you'd want.
 
Craig 85

Craig 85

Full Access Member
Joined
Jan 25, 2017
Posts
3,892
Reaction score
4,031
Location
Nashville, TN
First Name
Craig
Truck Year
1985
Truck Model
K30 SRW
Engine Size
454/TH-400/NP205
Raider L said:
Craig 85,

What were you supposed to do, take that bulb thing out, and wave the thing around by that little green wire looking for a problem? Ha, ha, ha, ha. Man! Where was it attached in your truck, I mean under the hood back there where the under hood light goes? I guess you could put it anywhere you'd want.
Click to expand...

It was mounted to the underside of the hood over the A/C plenum. Yes you would have to unravel the cord to stretch it out, but there is a little hook on the end. Where the PO had it mounted worked good for reading the oil and trans dipsticks.
 
rt66paul

rt66paul

Full Access Member
Joined
Apr 16, 2016
Posts
230
Reaction score
109
Location
California
First Name
paul
Truck Year
1991 suburban
Truck Model
2500
Engine Size
7.4
Those were designed for Fords, I guess they could be ok for Chevys(if you had to jump start a Ford)
 
Snoots

Snoots

Full Access Member
Joined
Jan 23, 2013
Posts
8,177
Reaction score
16,004
Location
Georgia
First Name
Roger
Truck Year
1973
Truck Model
Jimmy Sierra
Engine Size
350
rt66paul said:
Those were designed for Fords, I guess they could be ok for Chevys(if you had to jump start a Ford)
Click to expand...

Perhaps you can explain to us why so many of them are under GM hoods and NOT Furds?
 
MrPink

MrPink

Full Access Member
Joined
Oct 22, 2020
Posts
128
Reaction score
169
Location
Saginaw Mi
First Name
Justin
Truck Year
1986
Truck Model
C10
Engine Size
350
These would be easy to update and make an LED version, use either an Uni-Directional switch(non Mercury) or even a Ball-Tilt switch and wire as you would either putting the switch on positive or neg. I prefer Neg switching, but that is me.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Camar068
Square engine bay wiring cleanup for LS
Replies
1
Views
211
Camar068
Camar068
D
Gauge cluster lighting
Replies
1
Views
799
Snoots
Snoots
V
Engine sags
Replies
14
Views
477
greyghost
G
D
Dapper Lighting FourSix BiLED Headlights
Replies
3
Views
395
Bennyt
B
Ken B
engine bay wiring- routing
2
Replies
20
Views
2K
Ken B
Ken B

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
42,029
Posts
907,657
Members
33,521
Latest member
Laqota
Top