Under Hood Lights Project....Question

[Ron Duckworth]

Hi all!!



My next project I was gonna put the 2 lights under my hood and probably 1 under my tonneau cover.



Question - The project reminds to make sure to remember to cut the lights off when done.



Is there not a switch that would cut the lights on when the hood opens and then cut them off when closed?? Like a refrigerator??



Would incorporating this in the project be too costly or just too hard?



*** Also - Do es the ST need that blanket of insulation attached to the hood? Does it serve a purpose or can it be tossed?



Thanks for any thoughts,



Ron

 

[Kevin Palmer]

There was a mod done to one of the projects if I am not mistaken. They did add a plunger switch or something like that. As far as the bed light goes I would mount the switch to the tail gate so that it is on when the gate is open and off when it is closed. Or you can mount it to the bed cover and get the same end result.



Something like this.





[Broken External Image]:

 

[Mike Wilson]

Yes, there is a way you can do this.

You need to get three little men (one for each light) and explain to them

when you want your lights to come on and go off. Just like the little man that

shuts your refrigerator light on and off!!!

Just kidding ( have any of you never heard that joke before?!?).

In the old days, lights like this used to be controlled by mercury switches,

similar to a home thermostat. If mercury switches are not illegal now, I'm quite

sure they are at least, hard to come by.

Next best alternative would be to go with a pressure-type switch, like the

ones found in the door jambs of some vehicles, to cut the dome lights on and off.

Should only require you to have to run one wire for the tailgate, and one common

wire servicing both hood lights. These are USUALLY negative wires, but that

depends on the specific lights you are using, and the way they are wired.

As far as being too hard, all you should have to do is interrupt the negative,

or maybe positive wire and run the switch in line with that wire, and find a place to

mount the switch.

And yes, the hood blanket is there to keep extreme heat from reaching the

surface of your hood and cracking the paint from excessive heat. It is also

there to provide some noise dampening. It kind of serves a dual purpose.

 

[Gerald Pierce]

tnb, I have a really small one for the glovebox light in dw's Mercury