53 new yorker trunk switch?

[jcox04]

Reattaching my 53 New Yorker trunk light. The feed wire is hot (6 volts) and seems to have no switch. When light assembly is attached to trunk  it grounds the circuit turning the light on. Following the feed wire back; it runs to the wire loom to the front of the car. With the old fabric wire insulation, no way to look for the insulation color under the hood. Any thoughts?

 

thanks Jeff   

[knuckleharley]

Put a gasket between the light and the trunk lid so it doesn't ground out.

[wldavis3]

The only thing i can think of is that it must have illuminated when the headlight switch was in

the "parking light" or "headlight" position.  It should not be on continuously.  Find a "mercury

switch" (not a switch from a Mercury) and install it in-line with the wiring, so that it only operates

when the trunk is raised.  Or,  is the light housing not mounted on the trunk lit ?

[plymjim]

Am thinking this car had a mercury switch or something similar from

the factory as part of the light housing  hence the always hot wire from the front of the car. Maybe

try this: remove switch, attach wire jumper from light to ground, hold light

in different positions & see if it turns on & off. Some cars had a button switch in

one corner of the trunk also.

 

[Dodgeb4ya]

My 46-52 Chryslers have a separate mercury switch located on the drivers upper corner of the truck lid.

Parking lights have to be on for trunk light operation.

[LazyK]

my 51 plymouth the trunk light switch is wired in to the parking light/licence plate light circuit and has a build in mercury switch. so the tail lights have to be on and the trunk has to be open to work. makes since you would not need a trunk light if it was light enough not to need the cars lights on.

Edited October 26, 2017 by LazyK

[captden29]

never knew about the mercury switch. my trunk light is not working so i will check out the advice here.  54 Windsor should be the same.   capt den 

[jcox04]

I am now wondering if there was a mercury switch in the light assembly. When I first installed it the light did not work. I proceeded to disassemble it, did some modification on the center between incoming wire and bulb so the 2 connected. 

Never knew that mercury switches were sometimes used on trunks. I did look in the factory manual, nothing about any type of switch. Thanks for the input...live and learn

Jeff

[Dodgeb4ya]

I have seen some with the mercury switch portion as part of the light on 55-60 Imperials and 300's.

[greg g]

I remember my father making his own mercury switches from old medicine bottles.  He would take a small bottle, drill a couple holed in the cap, insert the ends of wire into the holes, put in the mercury, screw the top on, seal it with some parafine or tar. Then mount it to made bracket then loopmount it to the trunk lid or hood in such a manner that when opened, the mercury would cover the ends of the stripped wire completing the circuit to power the light which was grounded to the sheet metal.  Suppose you could put the switch in in the manner where when opened it completed the ground connection.  If you don't want to work with mercury, you could fashion something with a ball bearing ball to move, and make a connection in a similar fashion.