Underhood light help

[Matthew Keij]

We are putting in an underhood light. The installing instructions says a wire needs to go to the taillamp switch. Anybody knows which/what switch they mean??

[Matthew Keij]

Here are the pics of the installing instructions

[rogerh]

Taillamp switch..that's very odd. Maybe it is a typographical error.
Lots of accessories get their power from the Hot (Red) on the Headlight switch. Decision time: do you want the light to turn on every time you open the hood, or do you want it to only come on if the headlights are turned on, then the hood opened?
If I were you, I'd connect to Red at the headlight switch so that it comes on every time the hood is raised. The only trouble with this is you can accidentally drain the charge from your battery if you leave the hood up.

[Matthew Keij]

There are more errors in it. Like the "power steering bellows mounting bracket".
The light must go on when the hood is opened. The wire doesn't make it to the headlight switch. It must be connected somewhere under the hood

[rogerh]

Hah, yes! I should have noticed that!
Was the printing done in China?!
I think you will have to add a length of wire and connect it to the headlight switch.
The brake switch (on the master cylinder) is very near, and always HOT. Will the wire reach that far?

[Matthew Keij]

No, it says "printed in the U.S.A"! Click on the picture that shows the whole instruction and it's on the right bottom.
The wire will reach the master cylinder. Does it need to go there?

[Nighthawk]

Taillamp switch..that's very odd. Maybe it is a typographical error.
.

I was thinking that maybe theyre referring to the "brake light switch" on the master??

[rogerh]

as Nighthawk suggests, the brake light switch is always connected to the battery. In fact, you can melt out your stop lenses and drain the battery if your brake light gets stuck "on". Yes, I believe you could splice into the "hot" (positive) wire there and have the hood light work whenever yo open the hood.

[Matthew Keij]

Oke, so it has to go on the master cylinder, but on which wire should it be connected? I really don't know which one is for the taillights

[rogerh]

Do you have a circuit tester? Or a light bulb? You will be connecting one side of the bulb essentially to the frame of the car. The other side of the bulb will get power from one of those two wires at the brakelight switch. By trial and error you can figure it out.

[rogerh]

There is a wiring diagram in the back pages of the 1959 Plymouth Supplement..this may help you choose the correct wire.
(I'd post it for you here, but I cannot find my supplement today).