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RickBuonauro
12-29-2012, 11:34 PM
Regarding '55 Bel Air...The lights that are in the bumper used to light up the license plate are very faint. Do the bulbs need to be replaced or is there something I need to do to increase the voltage or something? The reverse lights don't work, and the rear running lights are also very faint. I'd like the lights to be brighter all around in the rear. Anyone have any experience with this? Thank you!

567chevys
12-30-2012, 04:30 AM
Hi Rick ,

I would first check the sockets to make sure they are clean , The problem that you most likely are having is a bad ground to the sockets.


Sid

chevynut
12-30-2012, 08:05 AM
I would also have said you have a bad ground, but the fact that your tailights are also dim and you didn't mention your other lights being dim points to a different problem to me. The same wire that feeds the tailights also feeds the license plate lights. The power for these comes from the light switch. I would check the voltage at that wire WITH THE LIGHTS INSTALLED AND ON. My bet is you see less than 12 volts, so there is a resistance somewhere in that wire or in the light switch. Check the connector on the "T" terminal of the light switch and the voltage there with the tailights on.

RickBuonauro
04-07-2013, 06:06 PM
Thanks guys! I finally got around to this. I took the bulbs out, and the glass bulbs looked like big ball bearings. They were solid mirrors. I plugged in 12 volts and they got hot fast, but not bright. I checked the Danchuk catalog, saw they were just #67 bulbs, bought a pair at Autozone for $5 and now they work great!

On a side note, the reverse lights have never worked. So I took the lenses off to see if I could just replace the bulbs, but there was nothing there. No wiring and no socket. :-( Anyone have an inexpensive fix?

chevynut
04-07-2013, 06:42 PM
I think there's a reverse light kit available for 55's...I bought one for my '56. They were optional back then...imagine that. ;)

Check on eBay or with American AutoWire.