I inverted myself and twisted my head under the steering wheel and pulled the light switch.

 

There was a plastic art missing and the knob was not moving the low to bright for the lights on instruments so I finally got the release to work and pulled the switch. I will be ordering a new one in the morning so hopefully that will work. all the other lights worked fine and this switch did prior to putting in the new dash.

 

Thanks again for all your posts and I wil let you know the results...

 

BB78

 

So hopefully the new light switch will work and I get instrument lights back on and then get the rear window trim on then its the endless summer drive it drive it drive it,,,

 

BB78

 

Just installed the new light switch and the instrument panel lights up very well. Even the special Krypton bulb to light the AC panel is working!!!!!

 

I said no drives until she is finished but she is going out on the road for a long ride tomorrow and then the Chrome trim strip  one more time to try and get the clips in and installed. I got some advice form a fellow C3VR member and will give it a try!

 

Thanks again for the inputs hopefully the lights keep on burning so I can keep on turning!

 

BB78

 

I should have held off celebrating as its a CORVETTE?????????

 

So after multiple times of trying to get the bolt from the front of the dash to line up and screw into the switch behind the dash took quite a long time and then the knob would not go into the switch all the way to click and attach. Playing with the release button I got it to attach and it operated normally.  So after stretching out my back from the twist and turn of getting the  ac/duct and the light vacuum switch  attached and the left dash screwed back to the post I put th seat back in and attempted to start the car??????   It hardly turned over???? Ok I jump it and it starts right away?????   Now Im driving down the road and I have the lights up and on headlights.  And maybe my coffee was not that strong but it took me a while to notice that the center instruments were not working..Speed and tach ok but eng inst notttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt.

 

I was so tired last night when the instrument lights came on and I really could not tell  you if the center instruments all went off as the lights came on. I don't know but this is what happened today!!!!!!!

 

SO until tonight I will test the lights and see if they are still working but do not know why the center instrument cluster goes dead when putting the headlights on??????

 

Something Shorting but what where????????

 

SO back to the drawing board.  It was great driving it since that's only the second time after the new paint job other then to get her inspected, but Im going to get everything working one way or another.

 

Sorry for jumping the gun.

 

BB78

 

1. When I pull the knob out all the way and the knob is fully rotated to the right all exterior lights work as they should.

2, No dash lights are on at this time but the speedo/tach and the center instrument panel gages all work fine and indicate correctly.

3. When I turn it to the left the first click the speedo/tach lights come on dim, the center instrument lights do come on but very dim but the instrument gages all at once go off and needles go to the left side.

4. as I turn the knob further left each click on the rheostat  the lights get brighter in the center panel cluster shifter lights and sometimes the super bright bulb on the ac panel will all work, BUT the gages/needle go further to the left as the knob is moved to the left or brighter intensity.

5. And full left to the click puts on the dome light and it works fine.

 

turning the knob back to the right just puts everything in reverse until I get to the full right position and the little click then lights go off and the center instrument gages and needles work fine.

 

??????

BB78

 

 

 

I checked all I could with the light switch and came to the conclusion that the only thing that handled both the power for the lights and the power for the gages was the wiring harness that clips into the back of the center gauge cluster.  I remember now when I was putting it back together after the new dash that the male end had two missing gold contacts,, I'm guessing for options that I id not order or other. And It really did not show which way was up or down.  And the female receptor for the harness had gold contacts on every slot so could not tell right from wrong there either.  So I pull out the gage cluster in the center and make sure all gold contacts are not touching and shorting and put the harness back in the opposite end up this time...and Bingo the lights and gages work fine now........ I have no diagram or picture or indication that I can see on the plug at the end of the harness that would tell you which way is up or down????

Hopefully this saves someone else some head scratching if they run into the same issue.

 

So now its just the rear chrome trim to attach and then I'm done till October..

 

Its time to drive the car!

 

BB78