Where do most of you guys get power for your add on guages? I would like to have them illuminated only when I turn on the headlights. Is it ok to tap into the switch, or should I run a wire to the fuse block, to the dash lighting? Any hints would be appreciated. Regards, John.
I usually tap into the ash tray light and then I know I didn't have to string a long wire to the fuse box or the headlight switch.May have to remove the ash tray and the 4 screws that hold the piece in the dash to get a better working area.Only takes 10-15 minutes to do and they come on with the headlights as well.
I have my guage lights tapped into the fuse for the instrument lights. That way I can control their brightness.
That's the way I went... I replaced the factory clock with a aftermarket tach, so I just used the Ilum. wire from there.
I actually had a novel idea I implemented for this. I'm a stickler about cutting wires. Once you cut a wire, you cannot go back. You will have a splice. To get around this, and get an illumination circuit, I took the same size bulb as in the ash tray bulb holder, and broke it apart. I then drilled a small hole from the inside of the bulb to the outside, and soldered a wire for the center and ground. So basically I use the bulb socket as the female connector, and a modified, no longer functioning bulb as the male. I thought it was a great idea, but if you smoke, I could see needing another option. :bglasses:
Thank you all for some great suggestions! Joe, I am a bit unsure of how your little lightbulb is wired. I undestand you are using it as a socket for power, but am unsure of your ground. Could I just ground the guages to the dash, near them, and use the lighter bulb as power? Or do I have to ground the bulb as well? A picture would help clarify. Pat, do you just splice into the ash tray power wire, and ground the guages to the dash, or something close to them? Thank you all again. Regards, John.
Attached is a picture that shows what I ended up with. The car is at the body shop so I can't come up with a "real" picture. I soldered the ground to the pre-existing solder blob on the outside of the bulb. If I remember correctly, on my car, the bulb sticks out past the socket, so having a wire here was not a problem. If the bulb recesses completely into the socket, this either wouldn't work, or the ground would need to be soldered to the inside.
I ended up doing what Pat suggested. I tapped into the ashrtray light, and grounding it to the dash, underneath. Everything is beautiful! Thanks a bunch guys. Regards, John.
