I'm planning on attempting this soon, one of many oddball projects tryin to be different . I have never seen a Maverick or Comet that had this feature or any other car for that matter. Basically what I wanna do is have it so when I open the hood the engine compartment lights up enabling me to see in there at night without having to use a flashlight, this could come in handy if I ever need to check something or fix something on the side of road at night. To make the light work when I open the hood I was thinking of using a Door Jamb switch and if clearence is a problem spacers between the fender and switch. Gauge wiring I was thinking of going with 14 maybe 10 depending on the type and number of bulbs I use, inline fuse is a must of course. The light will need to work even with the ignition off and of course an override switch is a must. If anyone has done this i'd like to know how you did it, pics please if ya got em I would love to find a car Ford or not that already had this feature so i'd have a donor car to get parts from.
I see them on eBay all the time ... not sure if they are repop'd or not. Just get an original Ford mercury based lamp. Ford used them in hoods and trunks. They are neat but if you show your car they don't make much sense since the hood and trunk are always open at shows and you'd run your battery down ...
Chevy has a troublew light they use in their early 90's trucks, mounts on the ineer fender, and is on a cord, you pull the light out, turn the switch on, and when you're done, just roll it back in to the housing, just an idea Shaun
They did come on Mavericks and Comets as part of a convinence or lighting group. They usually use mercury switches to activate. The factory ones are not that bright and not wort the effort in my opinion. Instead, if I was going to do something like that, Id get one of those newer small retangular headlights and rig that up under the hood with a manual switch either inside the car or under the hood.
My Stallion has an under the hood light that was on the car when we got it. It appears to be an original Ford part. We disconnected it when we redid the car and haven't decided yet if we are going to hook it back up again. I don't plan on driving it at night anyway.
This websight: http://www.webelectricproducts.com/ has timer devices that you can hook in your circuit that will automatically shut off the light after a given amount of time.
I second the chevy truck retractable light, it works well and is darn near free at pic 'n pull. In the 80's we used the lights out of 70's Datsun Z cars. It is a tidy little metal bullet shape (more compact and better looking than the plastic Chevy piece) with a light on one end and a switch on the other. The lighted end is removable and extends using a cord inside the housing. Watch out if you use a factory underhood mecury tilt switch unit and park for long periods on hills!!!
My Stallion had one from the factory. Worthless, I tore it out within the first year,,tossed it,,,doh,, now probably shoulda kept it. Dan
Ford trucks had a retractable underhood light on them too in the`80`s.My `86 F150 had one,and so did my friend`s `86 Bronco.It turns on when you open the hood,and it has like a 20ft cord.
My 60 Pontiac has a trunk light that reels out,, will reach under the hood, has good candle power too. They are available on ebay all the time, usually in good condition for around $20.00 Dan
A Trunk light is another thing I need to add as mine doesn't have one. Next time i'm at Pick N Pull i'll look around and try to locate those retractable lights if nothin else just to see what wattage of bulb they used and what gauge wiring, might grab the reel and use it if nothin else cause that would make the light more flexible.
yep, i found that out the night i instaled it went out to the car to go to work and the whole front of my car was all lit up but i fixed it by testing different positions even jacked the front end up do hill test.
My hood reinforcement bracket has a larger place that a light might have been placed. Tim Wilmoth and I noticed this at a car show in Carolina. I think Tim's did not have a place for one. Mine never came with a light. Seth
If your talking about the big square flair on the drivers side in the front section, that is for compressor pully clearence on the 302. The 70 hoods had straight ribs and no flair since you couldnt get a 302 that year.
Dennis, You are right, I never thought of that. It is a factory A/C car. 'ya learn something everyday. Seth
