Healey courtesy light...another bright idea

[red57]

Here is a pic of the the '57 Olds trunk light The cover pulls off to change the bulb. Its about 2 3/4" dia and about 1 3/8" tall. Just for clarification - I didn't go searching for an Oldsmobile light, I am just an incurable pack-rat and had it in a box from whan I had a '57 Olds 30 years ago...and it seemed appropriate.

I have not posted pictures before so I really hope this works, and apologize in advance if it doesn't

Dave

 

[GregW]

Most of these older american cars used mercury switches so the light is on when the lid is up and off when the lid is down. I mounted it in the upper right corner of the boot lid and have just the one wire with no switch - works great and lights up the whole trunk (boot).

This would be a very rare possibility, but if you had a gas leak in the trunk, the car could become a bomb.

There was a house in the neighborhood where I grew up that was for sale and vacant. A natural gas leak started and when someone turned a lightswitch on, the spark fireballed the house. I'm not trying to freak anyone out, just mentioning the possibility. I've smelled gas in the trunks of more than a few LBCs.

 

[red57]

Sorry Greg but it's not a possibility. The mercury switch is a sealed glass bulb (sort of like a light bub) with a ball of mercury that rolls back and forth inside and makes/breaks contact with the wires fused into the bulb. So all switching happens inside a sealed bulb - cannot cause a spark to ignite fumes because any fumes from gas would be outside the sealed bulb.

In the house that blew up, the source of spark was a light switch that is not sealed against the atmosphere and therefore could have fumes exposed to the spark of the swith being turned on. Like the difference between 'explosion proof' wiring in a paint booth and regular house wiring.

The attached pic is actually a mercury switch from a house thermostat - but the one in the trunk light is basically the same.

Dave Phillips

 

[GregW]

Most of these older american cars used mercury switches so the light is on when the lid is up and off when the lid is down. I mounted it in the upper right corner of the boot lid and have just <span style="font-weight: bold">the one wire with no switch </span>

Hi Dave,
When I read this earlier post, I got the impression you weren't using the mercury switch.

Sorry Greg but it's not a possibility.

Heck, don't be sorry, looks like you thought it through and came up with a good solution.

In the house that blew up, the source of spark was a light switch that is not sealed against the atmosphere and therefore could have fumes exposed to the spark of the swith being turned on. Like the difference between 'explosion proof' wiring in a paint booth and regular house wiring.

I had to do research for a movie that involved us building a meth lab. All the electrical needs to be explosion proof. Lighting, ventilation fans, etc. The DEA and FBI furnished up with raid videos that showed what happened if the tweakers didn't follow good wiring practices. Not really a big surprise that they didn't very often. :wink:

 

[Johnny]

Pretty cool Michael, are you ever asked if it's a HYBRID?

 

[red57]

Greg, I feel pretty dumb now trying to give you a description of how mercury switches operate when the problem was my own post and you obviously are way ahead of me - I had meant to say one wire with no <span style="font-style: italic">seperate</span> switch. I appologise and will go stand in a corner now.

Dave

 

[GregW]

... and will go stand in a corner now.

Dave

Don't do that! I constantly leave stuff out of my posts. I think faster than I type, so I'm to the next thought and skip over stuff. I'm not saying I think that fast, just that I type reeeealy slow. :laugh:

P.S. I think the trunk (boot) light is a great idea.

 

[AUSMHLY]

Drum roll.......TA-DAAAAA!
Well, with the help from my fellow Healey friends, and you know who you are, thank you.

I (we) worked though the intermittent wiring problem I had. And now it's time to share what has taken me a little over a month to complete. I started this project on 11/03/08.

I ordered a Qualitykits multifunction car interior light kit. Here is their description:

If you, like most of us, do not have infrared eyesight; then at times you have probably found yourself fumbling for the ignition switch or seat belt in the dark. For people like you we have developed this solution, i.e. our car interior illumination unit.After your stepping in and closing the door, this circuit makes the interior light burning for an adjustable time. But there is more. With a simple push button you can interrupt that time, or you can switch the light on or off using that same push button. A safety circuit automatically switches the interior light off after 5 minutes.Technical specifications

- Switch off delay adjustable between 0 and 60 seconds.
- Push button operation for :
* interrupting the delay.
* switching on lights (with a switch off delay of 5 minutes)
* switching off lights.
- Simple connection to practically all cars.
- Push button supplied with kit.
- Current consumption : 13mA min.
- Secured against polarity reversal of the power supply.

Ordering it was the easy part. Soldering it together, was the fun part!

Now for the logistics of installation.

I made a bracket that I attached to the check strap assembly. That bracket would now make contact with the door pin.
I installed a door pin in each door.
My interior is blue, so I choose to installed blue lights.
Hidden in the top of each foot well is a pod that has 4 wide dispersing led's.
Hidden under the center of the dash top overhang is one 9' Neon tube.
Hidden under the drivers side of the dash is the push button.

The lights come on when either door is opened.
I programmed them to shut off after 15 seconds.
Pushing the button once will turn the lights off if I don't want to wait the full 15 seconds.
Pushing the button anytime the doors are closed, will turn on or off the lights. Even when driving. One push on, then one push to turn them off. The circuit board will turn the lights off, automatically after 5 minutes.

Cheers,
Roger

 

[Lin]

Roger,
Glad you got everything worked out. The effect is beautiful. Where is the girl?

Lin

 

[Randy Harris]

Roger,
Glad you got everything worked out. The effect is beautiful. Where is the girl?

Lin

Lin, if there was a girl, do you think Roger would be spending his time on this stuff? :>)
Randy

 

[AUSMHLY]

Roger,
Glad you got everything worked out. The effect is beautiful. Where is the girl?

Lin

Where is the girl? After reading Randy's comment, she is on her way to his house to kick some ass! Who do you think keep me in line.

 

[GregW]

Well, with the help from my fellow Healey friends, and you know who you are, thank you.

I (we) worked though the intermittent wiring problem I had. And now it's time to share what has taken me a little over a month to complete.

Well wasn't me cause I don't know how you fixed it. What did it turn out being?

 

[AUSMHLY]

Hey Greg,

What did it turn out being? I still don't know. I think it's one of two things. The box or inconstant voltage in the brown wire I tapped into. If it's the box, then I'll know soon enough. I think I found a good wire.

What I did was tap off the positive battery wire at the solenoid. I figured, and that usually get me in trouble, tap into a hot wire before the voltage regulator. I did fuse the wire, just in case.

I ran a wire directly from the battery and it was problem free. I ran it outside the car for testing. It's a bit work to permanently run a wire from the battery. So I tried the solenoid and it seems to be problem free.

If someone, anyone, thinks, oh my, don't do that Roger, then please let me know.

OK, enough of the geek tech talk.

So, pretty mama, is your Healey set comfortable? Enough leg room for you? Here, let me turn on the MP3 player. Yeah, that's Barry White. And how's about some blue mood lighting. What's that? Take me now...you say. Oh...pretty mama!

 

[GregW]

Hmmmm, interesting says I. The brown wire that goes from the regulator to the light switch shares the same connector as the wire from the regulator to the solenoid. Not to mention the regulator sends current back down that wire to charge the battery, so I would think you'd get the same spikes on either side of the connector. Hopefully it works, but I wouldn't be surprised if the problem came back....intermittently.

 

[AUSMHLY]

Man oh man this is getting old.
Ask my friends, I'm not one to give up.
Should the problem come back, I will spend a morning running a wire straight from the battery positive post. Oh wise one, will that still have spikes?

 

[Lin]

OK Roger,
When is the cruise control to be added? Of all of my "mods," it is without question my favorite. At 6'2" my right leg gets a little tired of being cocked at an angle for the accelerator pedal and cruise control for the highway was the perfect solution. As I know you like it, a very stealth installation is possible. And, I am sure you could figure out how to make the night light in the little control module burn blue rather than white. Another project in your future?????

Lin

 

[AUSMHLY]

OK Roger,
When is the cruise control to be added? Of all of my "mods," it is without question my favorite. At 6'2" my right leg gets a little tired of being cocked at an angle for the accelerator pedal and cruise control for the highway was the perfect solution. As I know you like it, a very stealth installation is possible. And, I am sure you could figure out how to make the night light in the little control module burn blue rather than white. Another project in your future?????

Lin

Hey Lin, cruise control? Dude, that so wrong. Keep our Healeys stock. Never ever modify for our personal pleasure.(That was my evil twin)

Ok, I told my evil to go sit in the corner. Lin, I am not surprised that you have cruise. Voice command no doubt. I'd love to see your installation. Have you posted it here?

You've lost me on this:
And, I am sure you could figure out how to make the night light in the little control module burn blue rather than white.

All three lights are currently blue. So whats you talkin bout.

 

[GregW]

Lin probably means his cruise control module has a white LED. If you installed the same system in your car, you could change the white LED over to blue to match.

My translation fees can credited to my Paypal account. :cooler:

 

[AUSMHLY]

Greg, now that I re-read it, you are absolutely right. Gee whiz Wally, I feel like a dummy. And now the www knows it. Don't worry about it (Roger), we've known that for years.

 

[HealeyPassion]

Okay guys......having just joined this forum about a week ago and I've read a some of your threads (I have the fuel injected Healey on You Tube)...I've decided that I've finally found an entire group of Healey guys as crazy as I am. Well, I apologize, that's not fair to blatantly insult you collectively....but I think I walked through a wardrobe door and drop into Narnia ... at least the Narnia where Healey guys would be. I gotta say, you seem to have a passion for upgrades and details that bring tears to my eyes. Oh, I run into one or two on occassion....but here is a whole group of crazies....I love it!

My Healey, as you could tell from the You Tube video isn't done... but it does have a few more upgrades than just the EFI.... 5 spd, A/C, cruise control, hidden stereo with 200 watt amp, custom period rally seats with adjustable lumbar supports, adjustable camber plates, Udo's Bilstein shock kit, Cape's radius control arms, etc.etc. all done to hide the mod or to make the mod look as though it may have come from the factory with it (like the A/C outlets).

Anyway, I'm happy to have found this forum and this community!

Cheers,
Steve