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Posted By: 1Flyfisher What is involved with Installing a Light. - January 09th 2010 12:57 am
The van I am buying will have a ceiling light in the cargo area way in the back by the rear doors and I believe another ceiling light between the drivers and passengers front seats. I want an aircraft style light on the ceiling in the middle like my current van has. It really is needed when I am looking for things.

I have no auto electric ability or skills.
I was considering going to an auto electric shop and having them do it.
What is involved in wiring up a light?
What should something like that cost?
Here are the lights
Posted By: SixShot Re: What is involved with Installing a Light. - January 09th 2010 1:35 am
Check these folks out as well
http://www.trucknvans.com/Directional-Lighting-s/750.htm
As far as installing the lights if you're not comfortable with doing it yourself check out a local RV sales and repair place they should carry or can get lights to suit your needs and install them as they deal with stuff like this alot.Good luck
Posted By: hotrod AL Re: What is involved with Installing a Light. - January 09th 2010 2:13 am
Wiring up a light is not really very hard.If your van has or had a light, the wiring should still be there. If it's there and there are two wires, then one is a positive and the other is a negative.The lights you are looking at are also two wire lights with one lead being black for negative and white for positive.Just hook black to black and the white wire to the other remaining wire left.Now if you have only one wire up there then you will want to connect your negative to the body for a ground and the one wire up there will be your positive(power).And finally if you have no wiring for lights up there then run a power wire from a switched source with an inline fuse and run your negative to the body for ground.Get you a 12 volt test light. Any cheap one from the auto parts store will work.The aligator clip clips on to the body and you put the other end on the wire you are testing for power.Test with your doors closed and use your dome light switch.Maybe someone here has a diagram they can put up to give you a better picture.Also keep checking your fuses in the fuse box as you test. Hope this helps ya some...Al
Posted By: 65dreamin Re: What is involved with Installing a Light. - January 09th 2010 3:43 am
can u just swithch out the stock ones for the ones u like?
Posted By: 1Flyfisher Re: What is involved with Installing a Light. - January 09th 2010 4:48 am
This is a new van new as in 2010. There is a light in the cargo area and a light in the drivers area on the ceiling.
I want to install a light in the middle.
There are no wires.
Posted By: PMPWGN Re: What is involved with Installing a Light. - January 09th 2010 1:58 pm
remove one of the lights and there will be 2 wires one will be a constant positive wire, meaning its always live, and the other wire will be a ground to the door switches. Use a test light to find the positive (put the clip to ground and probe the wires, whichever one makes the test light come on, is your positive wire)
Solder a wire into that wire and run it to your new light, then connect the other wire to ground. If your light doesnt have a switch then you run a wire from the other wire on the original light to the other wire u have on the new light and join them. When u open the door the light will come on.

Unless its an LED light it wont matter which way you connect the wires.
Posted By: 1Flyfisher Re: What is involved with Installing a Light. - January 09th 2010 9:57 pm
Thanks guys
This shouldn't be too hard to do.
I didn't realize (DUH) I could TAP INTO the wiring that goes to the light in the rear cargo area. I figured I had to run a wire to the huzyagizmo under the dash or something.

This light won't be a come on when the doors open light. It will be a switch on and off light when I need it light.
Do you think that will make a difference with the wiring that is already in the ceiling? I can't imagine it would. When the light is switched off it would be off...but then again I have no idea about anything electrical.
I imagine the lights this van (GMC Savana 2010) will come with will be able to turn on or off and not just light up when a door opens. I hope so. The light I am buying is this LIGHTS

Do the wire need to be Soldered together? Or will twisting the wires together and putting electrical tape over the ends work?
I can probably borrow a soldering gun from a friend.
Posted By: heavy389 Re: What is involved with Installing a Light. - January 09th 2010 11:07 pm
Got same light in my van from JC Whit,ya have to cut a hole almost as big as light,because of back of light havin mounts and swivels in it,I just took a pc of 3/4" wood and made a spacer like and stained it,then you only need small hole for wires in ceiling,will take few pics and post here tomarrow!O and they take a special shape bulb too....I got the silver ,Very simple to hook up!
Posted By: PMPWGN Re: What is involved with Installing a Light. - January 10th 2010 9:53 am
always solder and tape your connections, twist and tape is DODGY.

yes there will be a constant positive wire at the factory light, solder a wire into that wire, run it to your new light, solder that to the white wire, and connect the black wire to the body, use a ring terminal and attach it to clean metal.

the constant positive wire will be the one that goes straight to the bulb holder on the light, as the factory light is switched to earth, by either the switch on the light or the door switches, but you will be fine if you do it the way I said, the light will turn on and off with its own switch.
Posted By: M_S Re: What is involved with Installing a Light. - January 10th 2010 4:49 pm
Good crimp connectors are every bit as good as a soldered joint when done properly with the correct crimper. Unless you are skilled with a soldering iron, I would definitely use crimps.

This is exactly the reason that the FAA does not allow the use of solder connections in airplanes. It's very easy to mess them up, get a cold joint and possibly have a failure.

Posted By: 1Flyfisher Re: What is involved with Installing a Light. - January 10th 2010 8:14 pm

Thanks some pics would be great. So the back of it isn't flush?
I thought I would just have to drill a small hole for the wires to go through the paneling. I don't want to be cutting big holes in the paneling.


Originally Posted by heavy389
Got same light in my van from JC Whit,ya have to cut a hole almost as big as light,because of back of light havin mounts and swivels in it,I just took a pc of 3/4" wood and made a spacer like and stained it,then you only need small hole for wires in ceiling,will take few pics and post here tomarrow!O and they take a special shape bulb too....I got the silver ,Very simple to hook up!
Posted By: heavy389 Re: What is involved with Installing a Light. - January 10th 2010 9:14 pm
Na its not flush,need like 1" or so of clearence for backs of lights to swivel,thats why I made the spacer! will get them pics asap cold as heck here in jersey! dont even wana go out back to garage!!! rofl
Posted By: heavy389 Re: What is involved with Installing a Light. - January 10th 2010 9:17 pm
Originally Posted by M_S
Good crimp connectors are every bit as good as a soldered joint when done properly with the correct crimper. Unless you are skilled with a soldering iron, I would definitely use crimps.

This is exactly the reason that the FAA does not allow the use of solder connections in airplanes. It's very easy to mess them up, get a cold joint and possibly have a failure.


Really? I always thought solder was better than crimps....
Posted By: M_S Re: What is involved with Installing a Light. - January 11th 2010 1:25 am
Strength of joint and resistance are about equal. A good solder joint might have lower resistance, but it would be so negligible for any connection you would use a crimp on to make it a mute point. The biggest problem is with the execution of wither method. It is just as possible to screw up a crimp joint as it is a solder joint, but it takes a lot of time, practice and good equipment to make a good solder joint.

The reason aircraft, military, medical etc. don't allow solder is for that reason. I have also heard arguments about the increased likelihood of solder "climbing" up past the joint under the insulation and creating a brittle joint. I raced R/C electric cars for many years and became very proficient at soldering, and I still use crimps for many of my automotive connections.
Posted By: 1Flyfisher Re: What is involved with Installing a Light. - January 11th 2010 2:52 am
Heavy389 I am X-Jersey(Union/Seaside park) now out west in the Lake Tahoe/Reno area.
Posted By: PMPWGN Re: What is involved with Installing a Light. - January 11th 2010 11:33 am
M_S i see both dodgy crimp connections and dodgy soldering :P so theres really a no win situation for those people who cant do either. They will learn in the end.

But yeah, before I had a ratchet crimper I soldered everything or used open barrel terminals with multi-pin plugs because my father happened to have a open-barrel or "W" crimper.

I still solder, when im throwing in a stereo for someone or patching up wiring, so I save money on connectors. Unless they want to be able to change headunits, then I use crimp on bullet connectors.

Crimp connections done with pliers or those cheap crimping tools are dodgy...or when they use the wrong size terminals.
Posted By: M_S Re: What is involved with Installing a Light. - January 11th 2010 3:16 pm
Dodgy at best when they are done with pliers. Definitely not the way to go.

There were some connectors in the street rod mags a few year back that looked like a standard bullet, but had threaded ends and would grip the wire internally. They might be good for a person who does not want to invest in either the crimper or soldering tools. Maybe someone here remembers what they were called.
Posted By: heavy389 Re: What is involved with Installing a Light. - January 12th 2010 1:55 am
Originally Posted by 1Flyfisher
Heavy389 I am X-Jersey(Union/Seaside park) now out west in the Lake Tahoe/Reno area.

Kewl off Ex 2 on jersey pike here,was just in Union today!The company I drive for just got new contract with Union Beverage,runnin thier 3-4 times a week!!
Posted By: heavy389 Re: What is involved with Installing a Light. - January 16th 2010 3:45 pm
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Posted By: 1Flyfisher Re: What is involved with Installing a Light. - January 16th 2010 9:01 pm
Hey thanks,
What I see in your pic is exactly what I figured you did from your explanation.
I have the exact identical bronze finish light fixture in my old van (the one in the pic)...2 of them, same bulb. The guy who did the interior before I bought it from him did all the install and I have never removed them so I had no clue what the back looked like.

I am going to order those new ones from JC Whitney in Silver. I imagine they are the exact same thing as the ones you and I have just with a new finish. Black or Silver.

...oh yeah, those light have been working flawlessly for me since I bought the van in 1990. I think I may have replaced 1 bulb once. I forgot where I found/bought the replacement bulb.
Posted By: heavy389 Re: What is involved with Installing a Light. - January 16th 2010 9:32 pm
Put mine in 1979,and its still workin fine!!! had 1 bulb blow and could only find a clear one,they come with a frosted bulb...
Posted By: Ram4ever Re: What is involved with Installing a Light. - January 17th 2010 4:25 am
You know 1Flyfisher, if your heart is set on frosted bulbs and you can only find clear ones, you could have someone carefully sandblast some bulbs for you or you could put some Hydrofluoric acid on the glass. (It's found in some anti-theft glass etching kits or some of the glass artwork kits like you'd find in craft stores) Either would frost the surface quite effectively. (BTW, don't *ever* get HF acid on your skin; it's extraordinarily painful!)

Do you have any pictures of your new 2010 van yet? It would be so awesome to not have to wade through all the repairs so many vintage vans require.

What's the white van in the background of your lamp pictures? I like it's permanent fender flares!

Clear skies!

Posted By: 1Flyfisher Re: What is involved with Installing a Light. - January 17th 2010 7:13 pm
The van is on order. It will take anywhere from 6-10 weeks they tell me.
I got it in Pure Silver which is new for this year for the GM vans. It's the color they are showing on all their vehicles on TV commercials.

Posted By: heavy389 Re: What is involved with Installing a Light. - January 17th 2010 11:50 pm
Originally Posted by Ram4ever
You know 1Flyfisher, if your heart is set on frosted bulbs and you can only find clear ones, you could have someone carefully sandblast some bulbs for you or you could put some Hydrofluoric acid on the glass. (It's found in some anti-theft glass etching kits or some of the glass artwork kits like you'd find in craft stores) Either would frost the surface quite effectively. (BTW, don't *ever* get HF acid on your skin; it's extraordinarily painful!)

Do you have any pictures of your new 2010 van yet? It would be so awesome to not have to wade through all the repairs so many vintage vans require.

What's the white van in the background of your lamp pictures? I like it's permanent fender flares!

Clear skies!


I molded the flares on when I put them on back in 80' there are other pics of it on here in the Dodge how to section,under gull wingin the door
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