The dimmer function on my light switch has been getting worse until now I can only occasionally find the sweet spot that illuminates the instrument panel at night.

When the dial is turned so the instruments are brightest, is that a full 12v going to the lamps, or is 9v or something?

I want to jump from a swtched 12v wire so the instruments are always lit when the headlights are on, but I'm considering putting a fixed-value resister in series so I don't burn out the instrument cluster board.

Anyone ever do this?

OK. The tan (looks brown to me) wire is 12v with the knob turned so dash lights are brightest.

Hack jobs like this turn cars into crapmobiles in a very big hurry.

Fix it right: Replace the headlamp switch. NAPA will sell you a new one.

I thought it was pretty unlikely an auto parts store would have a 1963 light switch.

But I went to NAPA and they looked it up and it was even in stock!

Thanks, Dan

No problem. Now, d'you know the secret for getting the old switch out?

The knob and shaft are snap-locked into the headlamp switch, and you can't remove the switch from the dash without removing the knob and shaft.

Disconnect the battery's negative terminal -- you'll be working behind the dash, and when you remove the knob/shaft it will turn on the lights.

The body of the switch has a small round spring-loaded pushbutton on it. It's usually on the bottom, sometimes on the side, occasionally on the top. It's about 3/16" diameter and shaped like a hemisphere. That button has to be pushed and held FIRMLY while with your other hand you tug on the headlamp knob until it comes out of the switch. Somtimes it's a struggle -- keep pulling the knob, wiggling it and the pushbutton until it releases. Once you find the button, it helps a lot if you securely tape a penny to the finger or thumb you'll be using to press it.

Once you've got the knob/shaft out, the switch is held to the dash by a collar nut. There's a special spanner for it, but if you are careful you can use a small screwdriver in the slots, carefully tapped counterclockwise with a hammer until it loosens, then turned by hand. Caution is warranted, otherwise you can slip with the screwdriver and mar the dash.

WHat's more, now that you've got the switch out and are replacing it, it's a good time to make the mod that keeps the parking lamps lit with the headlamps on, if you want to do so. (It wasn't until 1968 that this became a standard feature by law)

What is the correct way to do this modification?

Solder a short length of bare 16ga wire between the taillamp terminal and the parking lamp terminal on the headlamp switch before installing the wiring connector. I'm afraid I don't recall which terminal is which; someone with a wiring diagram from a factory service manual could tell you.

You ay also be able to resurrect yoru original headlight switch by going to radio shack and getting a bottle of the terminal cleaner they sell and spraying it on all the terminals on your switch and on the round variable resistor on the front of the switch (it turns when you turn the knob).