engine bay lighting

[bucket]

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?

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

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.

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They DO exist!!! That's cool!

 

[Raider L]

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]

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]

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.

 

[ali_c20]

I like the retractable under hood lights...
https://www.ebay.ca/itm/1994-98-Und...&brand=ACDelco&_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851

 

[Craig 85]

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.

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]

Those were designed for Fords, I guess they could be ok for Chevys(if you had to jump start a Ford)

 

[Raider L]

rt66paul,

DANG!

 

[hunters628]

I like the retractable under hood lights...
https://www.ebay.ca/itm/1994-98-Und...&brand=ACDelco&_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851

These are my choice too. Just picked one up from the junkyard yesterday matter of fact!

 

[Goldie Driver]

Just noticed this in my 80 Owners Manual- who knew !

Second from bottom.

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[highdesertrange]

yeah I have a factory under hood light. it comes on automatically when you open the hood. highdesertranger

 

[Snoots]

Those were designed for Fords, I guess they could be ok for Chevys(if you had to jump start a Ford)

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

 

[MrPink]

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.