Technical Where can I find a vintage automatic trunk light?

Remember the old trunk lights that came on automatically when the trunk was opened with a gravity (mercury?) switch built in? I thought they would be all over ebaY and such but I can't find one anywhere. Does anyone still make them?

 

How about under the hood of many modern cars?

 

Google mercury trunk light there are multiple versions available new. American Autowire 500143 looks readily available for $30 or so. Looks like there's repops for tri five chevys and others aswell.

 

Thanx. Hadn't thought of Googling mercury light.

 

i had an '86 toronado that had one; probably find something without too much trouble.

 

My 51merc has one

 

I have a vintage Mopar under hood light that is operated by a pushrod along with the original box it came in. Let me know if you want it.

 

My Olds 442 has one in the trunk and under the hood. I used the under-hood light from an Olds on my truck as well. They are steel, chrome and small.

 

I robbed a little portable under the hood light that came with a holder and a couple feet of extra wire so it could be stationary, or moved around a bit, but was still connected to the vehicles wiring harness. The mid 90s pickup trucks had them, mine is off a Dodge pickup, but I have also seen them on Chevy pickups.

 

I found a tilt switch on ebaY that works on a ball bearing shuttling inside a tube. Will hook it in line with a light and should work like a champ! Thanx for the responses. Would do a junkyard dive for one but can't find a junk yard in the greater Dallas area that has cars older than a few years. I miss my Bakersfield Union Ave junkyard row!!

 

This is exactly what I used for my glove box light in my 47 Olds. Open the door and the light comes on!

 

could always use a dome light switch to turn on any light you want, that’s how the factory trunk light on my Chrysler is.

 

You already found your solution, but for anyone else going down this path, there is an underhood light on GMs that is very handy, although not pretty as-is. Discussion here.
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1578557-retractable-underhood-light-install.html

 

Let me look in the junk I should have a deck lid light to give you.

 

If you have an old style home rotary dial home thermostat such as an old Honeywell stashed in your junk pile, they will have a mercury switch that can be used to activate a trunk light.

 

Thanx but I think I have a solution. Ordered a tilt switch powered by a ball bearing in a tube. Will connect that to a light. should work like I want it to.

 

Got a link for the tilt switch?

 

my 2000 Dodge B1500 van has a tilt switch on the hood. Not very vintage looking but could be put under a slick cover, or place guts in something more attractive or left raw.


-rick

 

The one I used is similar to this one:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/2832004685...lp:4429486&itmmeta=01HT7JRQKCEQFNMACJXQQ49GSE

 

Yes! Thanx.

 

Many RVs have an under bonnet light; some are on a crank-up spool so you can also use them as a remote trouble light.

 

A friend who owns a junkyard told me recently that he used to take them out from cars before crushing them, but doesn't bother anymore, and did I want him to save me any?

 

You like this

 

Those "mercury hood lights" never worked right for me and I always had to get rid of them.
I drove so fast all the time the mercury was stuffed up in the back of the vial so the light was always on.

 

Old Cadillacs!

 

Then at least your generator was spinning fast enough to keep the battery from running down.

 

Make one out of a license plate light

 

Funny thing. My daughter in law had a vintage Mopar trunk light kit listed on eBay and she received a letter from the state telling her to remove the listing as it is illegal to sell do to the mercury in the switch. Just made me wonder.

 

Not il

legal to sell but mercury is HAZMAT and the carriers including the post office say you need HAZMAT training and permits. Not legal to SHIP.

 

Maybe CO laws are different; but this applies when the item is for sale is located in MN.