[DeTomaso] Intrument Light Reostat

[David Bell]

A couple of months ago I added a couple of new gauges and wired in the gauge
lights to the rest of the instrument lights.  After running them at night I
decided that they were too dim and inserted a couple of -watt bulbs to
brighten them up some.  The next time I drove the car at night, all the
instrument lights suddenly went out.  I traced the problem to the dimmer
reostat on the dash.  I decided that I'd probably just overloaded the poor
abused 30 year old gizmo and it just gave up.

Rather than trouble shoot or fix the reostat, lazy Dave wired around it -
which got the instrument lights working but I'd lost the intensity
adjustment of the reostat.  I just left the insturment lights full bright as
I didn't want to buy another 30 year old, exhorbantly priced replacement
reostat that probably couldn't take the load either.  I would have thrown
the old reostat away except then I'd have a little hole in the instrument
console, so I left it there doing nothing.

Until - just yesterday I received the latest POCA Newsletter.  Guess what!
Jack DeRyke has an incredibly simlple reostat rejuvination tech article
involving soldering a single jumper wire.  I tried it and the reostat is now
working like a champ - bright, dim or off.  The load carrying capacity is
now greatly improved as well.  I like it!

Thanks Jack for the timely and easy fix-it writeup.


Dave Bell