"Wireless" front side marker lights!

Here's a solution I came up with to make the side marker lights work in the front doors on a 1st gen van that didn't come with a factory wire into the door and I didn't want a loose wire hanging there.  My van is a '64 but some previous owner installed some 67-68? doors with the factory side marker lights in them but never hooked them up.  This will also work for adding any generic side markers to non marker light doors.  Here we go... I made a set of contacts from some scrap 1156 single bulb socket contact buttons inserted into grommets through drilled holes in the door jambs so they don't short out with the body. (Pep Boys and Napa sell replacement contacts sets like these separately). You can see I used the insulating wafers from the bulb sockets as a backer to further insulate the button from the body and door metal.  I got the idea from Jeeps and other vehicles that use similar buttons to power the 3rd brake light in the tailgate.  The hot wire is powered off the purple marker light leads I tapped behind the grill and the ground works through the door hinges.  It took a few attempts and some blown fuses to get them aligned so the force of the door didn't mash them into the body and cause a short.  I also enlarged the buttons with a washer and some solder.  Of course they shut off when the door is opened, but who drives with the door open at night? Here's a few pictures:




Making contact with  the doors closed:



Anyone else ever do this?

I have a similar kind of thing on my 01 safari side door. There is I think 5 or 6 spring loaded contacts that work interior back lights and speakers and foot lights on sliding side door.

Have to say never seen anyone do that, very creative on your part

That Looks and will Work GREAT I see a lot of the hand built fibreglass cars done that way plus just about every mini Van with the pin switches and its popular with Chrysler products also just keep the contacts clean I would put a light coating of dielectric grease on the contacts to keep any corrosion away...Are you going to try what I suggested for the rear ones you can always make a sheet metal bezel first or are you going to use the ones you planed on installing either way it will look good and be safer at night.. Keep us Posted.  ......

Might as well use the lights since they were already there! They look great lit up!

G-Man wrote:Have to say never seen anyone do that, very creative on your part

Thanks for the kind words! As I said it came to me looking at the tailgate of my Jeep, I even thought of using Jeep contacts from a wreck but the homemade ones are working just as well.

JOE VAN wrote:That Looks and will Work GREAT I see a lot of the hand built fibreglass cars done that way plus just about every mini Van with the pin switches and its popular with Chrysler products also just keep the contacts clean I would put a light coating of dielectric grease on the contacts to keep any corrosion away...Are you going to try what I suggested for the rear ones you can always make a sheet metal bezel first or are you going to use the ones you planed on installing either way it will look good and be safer at night.. Keep us Posted.  ......

For the rear I plan to use trailer LED running lights like these http://www.ebay.com/itm/370510404055?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649
small and remind me of the old Mopar ones. Mopars would also look good. I'm adding them for safety and this van is a mild custom so I'm not worried about maintaining an original factory look. Also planning on a rooftop 3rd brake light like this one http://www.ebay.com/itm/251406514875?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649
as well as curtesy lights under the dash using truck license plate lights from Pepboys, they have a nice little chrome fixture I've used before in old Jeeps. Probably just activate off the dome light switch or add a door buttons above the marker light contacts.

Cool now if you could set up a inside light at the door step so when the door opens and the headlights were on the door step would come on, ???

Those are some Cool little lights...Got me thinking.  . And putting those lights in the door step is a GREAT idea also I see some of the newer conversion Vans have lights there too.....

Joe think about it a lot of cars did in the 80's