Moosbrugger

I'm rewiring my 1967 cutlass and cannot figure out how the trunk light is supposed to be activated.

501Paratrooper

Should be a mercury switch, when the trunk is lifted up it activates.

RandyS

If it is the same as a 66, which I believe it is, it's tied in to your light circuit. Comes on when lights are on.

rroth01

Ill go with Mercury switch for $50.00

jaunty75

It may be both. If there is no mercury switch, and if the trunk light is tied into the parking light/whatever switch, then the trunk light would go on whenever you turned the headlights on, which would seem to be a waste.

If there is ONLY a mercury switch, then the trunk light would go on any time you opened the trunk, day or night, which would also seem to be a waste.

RandyS

Light Circuit for $100.00

joe_padavano

Candy from a baby. The trunk light is fed from the orange dome light circuit wire, which is hot all the time. It's a mercury switch in the lamp housing that activates it.

Now, the UNDERHOOD light is on the park light circuit. I assume this is so you don't run the battery down if you have the hood open for a long period of time working on the car.

Moosbrugger

Thanks for all the quick responses guys. Very helpful. I have both my trunk light and hood light out and checked them. They both have the mercury switch in them. I never would have guessed by looking at the lights, not that I had ever heard of a mercury switch before. The lights just looked real basic. Now I know how I will wire them. Hot wire for the trunk and headlight or parking light for the hood. If I ever choose to wire a car again I think I will go with wiring harnesses and save a lot of headache!