Dome Light Operation

[garys_bc]

My 47 Coupe is all original. It has a push button switch on the front inside of the passenger door and a slide switch on the wall behind the driver's door. I am not sure where the wires run, since I have not taken any of the panels off. The switch by the driver's side runs the dome light above the rear window. Currently I have not been able to get the passenger side to light anything. I have to check to see if it makes a difference as to what position the driver's side switch is set to. I think it is a 3 position switch, but haven't played with it much. I am currently working on the brakes and getting my floor holes welded shut. I will let you know, when I get a chance to play with them.

[BobT-47P15]

I would agree with Ed, oldmopar - you should be able to add a pillar switch on

the drivers side. Would just have to figure out how to wire it in correctly.

You can buy new switches, get one from a salvage car, or buy on ebay.

[Norm's Coupe]

I would agree with Ed, oldmopar - you should be able to add a switch on

the drivers side. Would just have to figure out how to wire it in correctly.

You can buy new switches, get one from a salvage car, or buy on ebay.

You really don't need a manual switch on both door post. Just add a door switch to each door so the light comes on no matter which door you open.

[steveplym]

You really don't need a manual switch on both door post. Just add a door switch to each door so the light comes on no matter which door you open.

I think that is what Bob meant Norm, adding a switch to the hinge pillar on the drivers side.

Adding another switch probably wouldn't be that hard to do, but I figure as much as I drive my car if I need a light on when I'm on the driver's side I will just flip the manual switch.

[Norm's Coupe]

I think that is what Bob meant Norm, adding a switch to the hinge pillar on the drivers side.

Adding another switch probably wouldn't be that hard to do, but I figure as much as I drive my car if I need a light on when I'm on the driver's side I will just flip the manual switch.

To be honest, the bulb in my dome light is burned out. I have spares but never changed it. I do have a under dash courtesy light too. However, I don't really need that either since I'm rarely in the car after dark anyway. I think I've only driven the coupe in the dark about 3 or 4 times in the 13 years I've owned it.

[BobT-47P15]

I went back to the original post and made myself more clear.....added

the word "pillar" before "switch". There are even a couple different

styles of pillar switches out there.

[Falcon(63)]

Norm is right. Watch some of the older movies; ie: Andy Griffith etal. They get in on the passenger side and slide over. Maybe that is why the whole seat fabric is worn instead of just the drivers side

[BobT-47P15]

Or, you could do like the Duke boys.....just jump in thru the open

window.

[De Soto Frank]

FWIW-

My '41 De Soto De Luxe (lower-priced series) 4dr sedan has one courtesy/dome light, over the rear window.

It is operated by a sliding switch in the Passenger's side B-pillar.

There are no spring-loaded switches on any of the door pillars.

There is one exterior door-lock, on the Passenger's front door.

(I have been stripping a '41 De Soto Custom (up-scale model) 4 dr in a local boneyard, that has spring-loaded switches in the C-pillars on both sides.)

My '48 New Yorker 4-dr had a courtesy light over the rear window, that was operated by a sliding switch on the Passenger-side B-pillar, plus spring-loaded switches on both C-pillars (operated when the rear doors were opened.)

There were two under-dash lights up-front, at each end of the dash, near the A-pillar, about a 2" round white lens with a chrome bezel. The right-hand lamp was controlled by a spring-loaded switch in the Passenger-side A-pillar and by a dash switch marked "Map Light" (?).

The dash-light on the driver's side had no switch on the A-pillar, and was set-up to flash whenever the hand-brake was set and the ignition "on"... it never functioned as a courtesy light, that I could determine.

Regarding entry/exit from the vehicle: once upon a time, "polite people" entered/exited on the "curb-side", meaning the right-hand side of the car.

Only chauffers / drivers would exit on the left (traffic) side... prior to WW-II, most cars had exterior doors locks on the right side only.

Pick-up trucks continued this tradition well into the 1950's...my 1961 Willy's Pick-up still had a Right-side only door lock.

I've been noticing RH entry/exit & slide-across whenever I'm watching old movies... kind of hard to do that nowadays... are there any cars made that still have a bench-seat up front ?

De Soto Frank

[Normspeed]

My 53 2 door wagon has a great split front seat backrest that only really works well if the rear seat passengers exit on the street side. The dome light way at the rear of the wagon has a passenger side door switch, a driver side b pillar toggle and no switch at all near the tailgate where you could really use one. I smile to myself and say "They were still figuring out how to do this stuff..."