The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Electrical Bay Dome light wire

In the process of rewiring the 49 chevy, I'm running a new wire from the dome light to the headlight switch. I thought this would be fairly easy, but as most everything else has turned out, it is not easy at all. I thought I could simply attach the new wire to the old wire and pull the new wire in as I pulled the old wire out. Trouble is, the old wire will not move. Anyone else had experience with a difficult wire? I was hoping that I wouldn't have to take a bunch of stuff apart to do this wire.

Thanks,
Darrell

Darrell,

You will have to pull the headliner loose at the back by the rear window and along the drivers side. The dome light wire is attached with metal wire clips along the cab roof rail which makes it almost impossible to put the wire through. I had the same problem.

Tim

I had this same problem as I’m sure many have. I believe Jerry (Hotrod Lincoln) was the one who gave me a trick which worked. Take an old speedometer inner cable. Clean it really good and start down your headliner. Spin the cable with your hand and it will fine a path. I went all the way from below the dash, up through the ‘A’ pillar, to behind and above the door. Pulled the new wire to there then repeated the process to the top center where the light is located.

Thanks. I was hoping to avoid that. I had seen where other folks were just able to fish it through. Guess it's time to tackle the headliner.

I like Jerry's solution.

Here's an additional idea-

As far as the old wire goes, I would wind bailing wire around the end of the old wire at the dome light (just in case you get extremely lucky and manage to pull the whole length of it through the A-pillar), then grab it from below the dash and attempt to yank it it through, hoping to tear off at least that segment of it that passes through the smallest passage in the A-pillar. That might help to make more room for the new wire to pass through. No reason to worry about opening up the headliner and removing the whole wire unless you can't get the new wire through the A-pillar.

Regular fish tape for wire pulling might work fine, too...

When I removed my old dome light wire, the whole cab was apart and I could not believe how difficult it was to get that wire out of there- those clips really hang on to it! Good luck!