Dome Light Upgrade - 81-87 Pup

Topics that are not specific to diesel or gasoline engines.

Moderators: Paul, puttputtinpup, How-to Authors

Post Reply
StevePT
Regular Member
Posts: 863
Joined: Wed Mar 15, 2006 5:36 pm
Location: North Plains, OR

Dome Light Upgrade - 81-87 Pup

Post by StevePT »

Well for those of you that have the lame dome light they used in the 81-87 Pups which seemed to always break off the cover, here's a good conversion for you.

All of the Pups, regardless of whether they were LS trim level or not, included the cutouts and weld nuts in the doors for mounting the door activated switch for a dome light. My Pup had black plastic plugs in the holes, but as you can see below I now have the switches in my doors.

Image

I found this dome light in a junkyard Isuzu that was I believe about a '91 or '92 model. The cutout in the roof header isn't quite large enough to fit this dome light so I had to cut away at the bottom right corner of the cutout with a dremel cut-off wheel and remove just a bit of material. It's not much, but you have to do it to keep the ring terminals from touching the metal and shorting out.

I got a couple of flat blade terminal connectors, some wire and a wire splice. I used some mechanics wire to fish the wire through the cab, left plenty of excess wire and then cut and spliced everything. Now I have a nice bright dome light that comes on with the driver and/or passenger doors.

A word of note. These door switches are definitely susceptible to corrosion so I had to clean out the area that makes contact to ground and also chase the threads in the weldnuts since they'd never been used.

Image
User avatar
arrowmntdiesel
Regular Member
Posts: 2775
Joined: Wed Apr 05, 2006 10:36 pm
Location: Medford, Oregon

Post by arrowmntdiesel »

Steve,

Looks Great! I know what a good feeling it is to fix the little details , not only to fix but to improve. Looks like you did a nice job also. Thanks for the tip and the pictures also.

Mark
User avatar
Paul
Regular Member
Posts: 1418
Joined: Thu Nov 25, 2004 11:14 pm
Location: Central Calif Coast

Interior Lights

Post by Paul »

Hey Steve--

Nice job on the upgrade. I especially like the later model lamp as the earlier ones are quite tacky.

I have upgraded my truck as well with the addition of a second lamp from an '84 upspec truck (I think these were LS's). This lamp looks pretty good and is located forward a bit. Of course I have a blue lamp in a tan interior. Suppose I could paint it. Photo attached.

Paul

Image
'84 P'UP 2 wd diesel, 5 spd with 0.78 fifth gear and differential back to 3.73.
User avatar
puttputtinpup
Regular Member
Posts: 11545
Joined: Sat Oct 08, 2005 5:18 am
Location: Winston Salem, NC

Post by puttputtinpup »

Nice work. I just carry a little flashlight.
User avatar
JoeIsuzu
Site Admin
Posts: 21769
Joined: Thu Aug 19, 2004 9:11 am
Location: Germantown (next to Elvistown), TN
Isuzu vehicle(s): Original owner, '83 LS Diesel, 5-spd, 2wd, Long Bed, restoration in progress!

Re: Dome Light Upgrade - 81-87 Pup

Post by JoeIsuzu »

Steve just referred someone to this post, and that prompted me to take another look at it. It's a good standalone "How-To" article, so I've moved it the that section. Just so nobody misses it, it's still a "Shadow Topic" in the original section it was in.

Nicely done, Steve!

Jack
User avatar
JoeIsuzu
Site Admin
Posts: 21769
Joined: Thu Aug 19, 2004 9:11 am
Location: Germantown (next to Elvistown), TN
Isuzu vehicle(s): Original owner, '83 LS Diesel, 5-spd, 2wd, Long Bed, restoration in progress!

Re: Interior Lights

Post by JoeIsuzu »

Paul wrote:I have upgraded my truck as well with the addition of a second lamp from an '84 upspec truck (I think these were LS's).
Image

Paul,

That lamp looks exactly like the one I just pulled from an '86 SpaceCab LS. I won't need it, because I want one that will fit in the original location. If anyone wants it, I'll post this in "Parts".

Jack
User avatar
arrowmntdiesel
Regular Member
Posts: 2775
Joined: Wed Apr 05, 2006 10:36 pm
Location: Medford, Oregon

Re: Dome Light Upgrade - 81-87 Pup

Post by arrowmntdiesel »

OK,
I have a question relating to this issue. Here is a picture of a LS model truck cab that had this dome light in it. The headliner has been removed and this is the mount that the light get bolted to.

The question is.. Do all of the cabs have this bracket underneith the headliner or is it just the LS trucks?

Mark
Attachments
IMG_2432.jpg
IMG_2431.jpg
AAS degree Diesel Technology 2014, 15 yrs Isuzu Pup diesels. Owner: Arrow-Mountain Diesel services & Arrow-Mnt Windows, Medford, OR. Love God! One Marriage-One Wife, 2 awesome young ladies as my kids. Happily Married for 30+ years. One Blessed Man!
kravdraa
Regular Member
Posts: 1811
Joined: Mon Jan 29, 2007 11:23 am
Location: Burke, VA

Re: Dome Light Upgrade - 81-87 Pup

Post by kravdraa »

I installed a single flourscent bulb fixture in mine. It was battery powered, requred 8 batteries whaich equates to 12 VDC.
A couiple of screws and into the original waring harness. Now I have a real nice BRIGHT light that realy helps my dim eyes.
Best wishes,
Eric
81 Long bed PuP 2.2 Diesel
Using Bio-D
User avatar
JoeIsuzu
Site Admin
Posts: 21769
Joined: Thu Aug 19, 2004 9:11 am
Location: Germantown (next to Elvistown), TN
Isuzu vehicle(s): Original owner, '83 LS Diesel, 5-spd, 2wd, Long Bed, restoration in progress!

Re: Dome Light Upgrade - 81-87 Pup

Post by JoeIsuzu »

Can you tell us where you got it, and show a photo?

Thanks.
Jack
User avatar
puttputtinpup
Regular Member
Posts: 11545
Joined: Sat Oct 08, 2005 5:18 am
Location: Winston Salem, NC

Re: Dome Light Upgrade - 81-87 Pup

Post by puttputtinpup »

StevePT,
I ran across an old 4 dr Trooper a while back, and got all 5 switches(one on the back door too). There a little different design, but they work in the same hole as the Pups.
Andy
kravdraa
Regular Member
Posts: 1811
Joined: Mon Jan 29, 2007 11:23 am
Location: Burke, VA

Re: Dome Light Upgrade - 81-87 Pup

Post by kravdraa »

I bought th elight at an AutoZone parts store. I suppose you could get one anyplace. THe bulb is about 1/2" diameter and about 6-7 " long. Simple, single flourscent bulb.
:-)
Eric
81 Long bed PuP 2.2 Diesel
Using Bio-D
User avatar
Paul
Regular Member
Posts: 1418
Joined: Thu Nov 25, 2004 11:14 pm
Location: Central Calif Coast

Re: Dome Light Upgrade - 81-87 Pup

Post by Paul »

Mark--

When I added the LS dome light to my '84 I found no mounting bracket. So, I made one from wood and glued it to the overhead. Been a while. Can't remember what kind of glue. Might have been the industrial version of Shoe Goop.

Paul
'84 P'UP 2 wd diesel, 5 spd with 0.78 fifth gear and differential back to 3.73.
User avatar
arrowmntdiesel
Regular Member
Posts: 2775
Joined: Wed Apr 05, 2006 10:36 pm
Location: Medford, Oregon

Re: Dome Light Upgrade - 81-87 Pup

Post by arrowmntdiesel »

Thanks Paul for the responce!

I did save the bracket on that particular truck before it went back to the wrecking yard and it also was glued to the roof out in the "field" of the roof. It did have two or three spot welds up near the mirror mount. I can't imagine having that mount in all of the trucks, didn't make alot of since??

Mark
AAS degree Diesel Technology 2014, 15 yrs Isuzu Pup diesels. Owner: Arrow-Mountain Diesel services & Arrow-Mnt Windows, Medford, OR. Love God! One Marriage-One Wife, 2 awesome young ladies as my kids. Happily Married for 30+ years. One Blessed Man!
StevePT
Regular Member
Posts: 863
Joined: Wed Mar 15, 2006 5:36 pm
Location: North Plains, OR

Re: Dome Light Upgrade - 81-87 Pup

Post by StevePT »

Mark,

I don't have that bracket in either my '82 or '86 P'ups. Both are STD trim level.

Good job on snagging that bracket before it went to the scrap yard.
'82 P'up Diesel 4x4___'86 P'up TurboD 4x2
Image Image
User avatar
JoeIsuzu
Site Admin
Posts: 21769
Joined: Thu Aug 19, 2004 9:11 am
Location: Germantown (next to Elvistown), TN
Isuzu vehicle(s): Original owner, '83 LS Diesel, 5-spd, 2wd, Long Bed, restoration in progress!

Re: Dome Light Upgrade - 81-87 Pup

Post by JoeIsuzu »

I found another light that fits nicely. It was in a '90-something Geo Tracker (made by Suzuki) and the identical one was in a Suzuki Sprint (I think). It does not require a recess at all, so it does not have to fit a hole. I re-used one screw-hole from the original light, and had to drill the other one. Here's a night shot, with it on. I'll post another when I can get a daylight shot.

suzuki_dome_light.jpg


Jack
Post Reply