Lighting Issues on 78 Vette

[bob_robert]

I'm the "New Guy" on the block. I just bought a 78 Vette last Monday for a good deal. It has a new paint job and is in pretty good shape but needs some items taken care of. It has a 406 sb with 041 closed chamber heads, a Holley 770 on a Edelbrock with MSD and a pretty wild cam. I bought it from a guy who met a girl, fell in love and now needs $$'s to pay down on a house.

My question pertains to my lights both exterior and interior. The headlamps will light but not pop-up while the interior dome light, floor lights and glove box light will not go off .

I'm thinking that the dash light switch is no good but I'm not sure if that is the problem so I thought I'd see if anyone has any suggestions for a fix.

It also needs a front air dam which is missing and causing it to run hot. Is a Pace Car (wheel to wheel) air dam any better than a stock one or is it just cosmetic.;help

 

[LEEJANDZ]

Welcome to the CAC!!!

It sounds like you might have a bad vacuum source.
Check the the headlight assemblies for cracks in the hoses or missing/disconnected hoses.

When you turn the lights on and off do the headlights move at all???

Let us know

JASON *** BRAND NEW 350 cid GASKET SETS FOR SALE!!! *** 1979 L-82

 

[matchframe]

The headlights open with vaccum. If you have a radicle cam, your motor may not be producing an appropiate amount of vaccum needed to operate the headlights. The are also a number of places where the headlights may be losing vaccum as well.

As for the other lights, do they never go off, and the battery eventually runs down? If so, it very well could be the switch, or a short near the switch.

I am not sure about the Pace Car air dam being better for cooling. But the air dam under the valance panal will make some difference. The cooling could be a number of things. I would first look into what thermostat there is and if it is working properly. And making sure if you have good water flow. The radiator may need flushing and cleaning, or the water pump blades may be eroded. Just a number of thing to check out. Let us know, what you find out!

BTW, welcome to CAC!

Bill

 

[78SilvAnniv]

Welcome Bob!

Welcome to Corvette Action Center.

You will need a dam on the front end to assist with your cooling problem. I do not know if the Pace Car air dam forces more air or not, I imagine if the dam is longer then it would scoop in more air.

You can pull your headlights up manually by turning on your headlights, then reaching up under the nose and pushing/pulling the headlight up into position. You can keep them there by pulling the little knob under your steering wheel out (down). When you want them to close, push in (up) the knob and turn off the headlight switch and your headlights should close.
Heidi

 

[Bob_K]

According to GM, the both the front and rear spoilers are functional on the pace cars. They give 15% less drag and add like 1mpg. Something I read in my restoration kit. Don't know if it would aid in cooling though.

 

[wwilkins]

There is an extension for the non Pace car's air dam that hangs down a little lower. It grabs more air and helps cooling. Pace car spoiler did the same thing. Make sure all the seals are around the radiator and the fan is actually in the shroud a little. Doc Rebuild has a great catalog that has cooling tips and some pretty good pictures of what is up there. The 7 blade a/c fan pulls more air than the 5 blade non a/c. Cooling is fun for these cars.

Bill

 

[Daryllawman]

Welcome to the CAC Bob........ Congrats on your new Vette...........Enjoy