64 Impala Tail Light Question.

rocks66ss said:

I have a friend who has a 64 Impala, has had it since new. BTY, it a 409/425hp 4 speed convertible. Over the years he has done some questionable things to it.

Here is the problem. There are 3 tail lights, the center one originally being a backup light. years ago he decided he wanted the center light to be a tail light, turn signal, brake light just like the outer and inner light, so he tapped into the inside light and added a socket for a 1157 bulb and turned the center backup light into a tail light, he did replace the white lens with a red one.

Fast forward to this weekend. he brought it to my house and asked me to replace the socket for him because the metal tab had broken and to make ground he had a piece of aluminum foil wedged in there.

After replacing the socket and bulb, it functions, but it is not nearly as bright as the light on the far outside. I didn't see it before so I don't know if all three lights were the same brightness to start with.

Any suggestions on why the center light that's tapped into the inside light is not as bright as the far outside tail light. I have made doubly sure the sockets are grounded well. What am I missing?


Rocky

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Coppertop said:

I sure hope it is!

I think you meant in series. But, both the middle and the inner would be dim as they would both only be seeing half the battery voltage.


Rocky-

How dare you ask this here! Afterall, we have a sister Impala Tech site! l
l

Couple of thoughts....You may have the socket grounded good, but how good is the ground to the sheet metal? If memory serves me correct The inner and middle are apart of the trunk lid. Did GM run a dedicated ground to ensure the lights are grounded, or did they just depend on the hinges and latch to make "enough" ground. You're pulling more current now.

Also, if this is an original car, maybe the inner wire feed has a questionable connection so the extra current being pulled thru it is now showing up as a dimmer lamp. Bulbs are like snowflakes, they maybe the same type, but some can appear dimmer then others when there is a voltage feed issue.

How is the tail light brightness??? I'm assuming you're seeing the brake/turn brightness being affected??

Anything different between the left and the right trunk lid mounted lamps/wiring/factory grounds????

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