courtesy lights - bench seat cars?

[Blusmbl]

Very random, but this year I redid the interior in my '68 Fury with carpet, seatcovers, sail panels and door panels. I swore up and down that before I did the interior work that it had floor courtesy lighting, and it isn't functional anymore.

However, I dove under the dash and can't find any lighting at all on the passenger side, just the glovebox light. The dome lights on the C pillars work, and I also found a cut and taped off pair of pink and yellow wires on the passenger side that are hot when the doors are open, and that jives with the wiring diagram for courtesy light wire color.

Reading through the service manual, I only see diagrams for courtesy lights for console cars. Is that correct? Were there ever any courtesy lights under the dash on a 67-68 Fury?

 

[CBODY67]

Back then, unless the car had a center map light, the dome light in the center lit things up pretty well. On a hardtop with courtesy lights on the inner C-pillars, probably some front kick panel lights attached to the bottom corners of the inst panel, I suspect.

The 2dr hardtops kick panel lights are pretty universal, I suspect. Just one bolt and the lighting connection would probably take care of it? With a self-grounding housing, so only one wire going to each light.

Just some thoughts,
CBODY67

 

[MoPar~Man]

2-dr hardtop kick panel lights? No such thing on my '67 Monaco. But having a pair of lights to light up the front foot wells from somewhere under the dash would be a good idea. My 300m's don't even have that.

 

[mrfury68]

My '68 Fury III didn't come with them originally, but many years ago a friend was parting out a '68 VIP that did, so I took the lights and the pink and yellow wiring harness and installed them in my Fury. It is a nice option, especially getting in and out of the car at night.

 

[edbods]

I've got a 67 Phoenix/Fury hardtop with the C-pillar lights and dash center map light. It's worth noting however, that the dashes for our Phoenixes appear to be RHD versions of the 66-67 Monaco dashes so not sure how much of the wiring matches that of the 67 Fury FSM.

 

[CBODY67]

2-dr hardtop kick panel lights? No such thing on my '67 Monaco. But having a pair of lights to light up the front foot wells from somewhere under the dash would be a good idea. My 300m's don't even have that.

"Footwell lights" are what I was talking about, as they are where the instrument panel and the kick panels meet.

The LH cars had two map lights, in the overhead console area, as many recent cars do. No need for lights in the footwell area.

CBODY67

 

[MoPar~Man]

The 1968 Plymouth service manual, Fury and VIP section, show left and right courtesy lamps, they come off the same connector that has the backup switch, tach, and gear selector light. Where (physically) are these courtesy lamps located?

Did any Chrysler model (Newport, New Yorker, 300) have these lights?

 

[CBODY67]

Chryslers could have map lights, which could come on with the dome lamp, or not, depending upon how the map light switch was positioned. Lit up the whole front seat.

 

[MoPar~Man]

Um, ya, I have a map light. But unless it's using a new high-powered LED it's not going to light up the whole front seat...

So they only gave Fury's and VIP's these lights?

Ah - wait. Looking at the '67 Monaco / Polara service manual, they make reference to (a) console courtesy lights, (b) left and right courtesy lights (not console) and (c) door courtesy lights.

The location of the console and door lights I can imagine. Still don't know where the "just" courtesy lights would be mounted.

 

[CBODY67]

NOT sure about your Dodge, but the map light on our '66 Newport Town Sedan WILL light up the whole front seat, door panel to door panel. Yep, that ONE little incandescent bulb, with a clear lens and clean reflector.

DO read the Dealer Order Guides at www.hamtramck-historical.com to see where the footwell lights were standard equipment or a part of a light package, on USA-spec cars.

Regards,
CBODY67

 

[Blusmbl]

The 1968 Plymouth service manual, Fury and VIP section, show left and right courtesy lamps, they come off the same connector that has the backup switch, tach, and gear selector light. Where (physically) are these courtesy lamps located?

Did any Chrysler model (Newport, New Yorker, 300) have these lights?

I looked through that section a couple times, and to me it seemed for all of them it was referencing the console, definitely wasn't the most clear. Glad to know they exist on some cars thanks to you, mrfury68, I'll see if Murray Park has any. It's clear my car didn't have any originally and I was just remembering incorrectly. Thanks everybody!

 

[cbarge]

I had a 68 VIP.
It had courtesy lamps at the kick panels mounted under the dash. And map light.
Yes they used the pink and yellow wires.
They were an option as part of the light group package.

Body is ground so the yellow wire is on the door switch circuit and pink is on the dome lamp/ dimmer switch circuit.
It was common practice that the car line used the same wire harness and any optional stuff could be added by
plugging in the wiring for that option.
No options, but the plugs are part of the harness and not used.
Another example is dealer installed options ( radio, rear defogger, light group) where the dealer installs options, plug n play!
Locate some sockets for #67 bulbs and hook em up!
Hope this helps.

 

[MoPar~Man]

Would the light package be on the fender tag?
If your car has the map light, glove box light and trunk light, does that mean you have the light package? Or would you also need to have an engine bay light? Did all cars have ignition-key light (dash-mount) ?

Were the courtesy lights dual-filament? If not, why run 2 wires to the same element?

 

[3175375]

My 68 Fury II 4 door sedan doesn’t have them.

My 69 Fury III vert does have them. However, it needs them as there’s no dome light.

 

[cbarge]

Would the light package be on the fender tag?
If your car has the map light, glove box light and trunk light, does that mean you have the light package? Or would you also need to have an engine bay light? Did all cars have ignition-key light (dash-mount) ?

Were the courtesy lights dual-filament? If not, why run 2 wires to the same element?

Not on fender tag but on broadcast sheet IF FACTORY installed.
My 68 Newport has dealer intalled rear defoggor, rear speaker and fader button which are not on the broadcast sheet. Just an example.
Depending on the model, the light group package may vary.
Typically the ignition key light was included in the package on higher end models.
The bulbs were single filament but the butt has 2 contacts just like the dome light or C pillar lights.
2 wires, 2 circuits as I mentioned. Door switch and the other, dimmer switch.

 

[MoPar~Man]

One of the contacts on all courtesy lights are run to the same +12 volt source, the cigarette lighter socket is also connected to that same source. The other contact is also connected together and run to ground - either through the door switch or the dimmer switch. None of the lamps make a connection to ground at the point where they are mounted, their mounting shells are not grounded. (that's why the socket is 2-contact but the bulb is a single filament)

I guess the map light comes on when the doors are opened?

Something I'm seeing in the wiring diagram is a "heater blower switch lamp". I don't recall how that works - what exactly would be illuminated?

There's also a lamp for the ash tray.

So if you didn't have the light-group option, not counting the head or tail / parking and backup lights, what would be the bare minumum lights that you'd have?

 

[cbarge]

So if you didn't have the light-group option, not counting the head or tail / parking and backup lights, what would be the bare minumum lights that you'd have?

Again depends on the model.
A Monaco 500 got the ignition- key, ashtray and glovebox lights.
A Fury II did not.
Upscale 4dr models got rear door dome lamp switches.
Base models did not unless ordered.

 

[Blusmbl]

Locate some sockets for #67 bulbs and hook em up!

Found many options for #67/#1156 sockets on amazon and ebay, have a few coming now. It'll be easy to add them, thanks! I also figured out the wires cut under my dash were for the map light, so I have a new NOS assembly coming from ebay as well, along with soft white LED's for all locations.

Thanks everyone!

 

[3175375]

Again depends on the model.
A Monaco 500 got the ignition- key, ashtray and glovebox lights.
A Fury II did not.
Upscale 4dr models got rear door dome lamp switches.
Base models did not unless ordered.

Agreed with the point of no dome light switch in the rear. My 68 Fury II - Elwood doesn’t have dome light switches in the rear, but there is one on the passenger side that doesn’t work.
Oddly enough, the car has a trunk light that now works.

 

[Blusmbl]

NOS map light showed up and installed already! This made way more of a difference than I expected for nighttime interior visibility.