The Brickyard Rat

iTrader: (1)

A question for the mechanics of the crowd:

How expensive would it be to get the bright lights switch moved to a floor button that could be operated with the left foot?

In the "old" days (50s,60s) most cars came with a floor switch. At night I use the bright lights frequently and a floor switch is much easier than the current mo of being on the turn signal arm.

AndyB

My 1968 Camaro and my 1978 Camaro both had floor switched and I loved it!

I have been wanting to do this mod ever since I got my first car with the stupid switch on the column. I would like to mod my Durango and my Z when I get it.

The foot switch was awesome for just cruising at night and lowering the brights for passing cars.

DrDrilZ

well if you drive a 6mt, i dont see how it would make it easier to turn your high beams on with a foot switch. seems like it would make things more complicated. its not like its a great deal of effort to flip the turn signal forward for the high beams. just an opinion.

zmeister03

also it would be a tight fit with the left foot rest in the way, unless you wanted to install it on the foot rest.

orhanz33

i don't get how this is more convenient?

ares

iTrader: (2)

expain it better, but basicly youd just wire another switch in parralel with the current one(find the wiring in the service manual) and put it wherever you want. either one will work, as long as one is switches lights are on, if both are off, it goes off.

but yeah, that would be a PITA for 6mt unless Im not understanding it right...

The Brickyard Rat

iTrader: (1)

The floor switch does work better with auto than manny tranny but even with the latter I would still prefer it.

I suppose the convenience is related to driving style. I tend to steer the car more with my left hand than right. Having to constantly move my hand to the turn signal stalk & back every time I switch beams I find (mildly) annoying and not quite as safe at night at speed.

I would probably have it installed at the top of the footrest on the far left side of the floor.

So, is this something any good shop could accomplish for me at a moderate cost?

wildone_106

When do most people use their high beams? Barring extreme weather conditions (like a blizzard?) does'nt it just blind other drivers? I never used my high beams yet since driving so when..

mark_wilkins

wildone_106: hmm. Without high-beams you can easily out-drive your headlights at night. Not such a big deal on a big, open freeway, but on a winding, narrow road it's absolutely critical.

Incidentally, in California you're required to turn off your high-beams when an oncoming vehicle is within 500 feet or when you're within 300 feet of a vehicle in front of you. This is not that far, and furthermore the driver's handbook recommends using high-beams whenever possible as long as it's legal!

Betcha didn't know that, huh?

-- Mark

Rob Nance

I would love something like this, but I'd probably never do the mod. You guys that don't understand must not do a lot of night driving. I work nights, 10pm to 6am, at least for now. If I had not had my high beams on I would have hit at least one deer, that is a fact. I locked up my ABS and stopped 5 feet from a deer, and it remained there staring at my car for a few seconds while stopped. If my high beams were not on, I would have saw the deer quite a bit later, and I would have hit it, without a doubt. Not to mention with the lights on the touring, the high beams are like freaking day-glow, so they make a huge difference. Where I work it is kind of mountainous and there are zero street lights.

I am constantlly flipping my brights on and off, which becomes very annoying each night, about 20 times coming to and from work, so as to not blind oncoming drivers or people I come up behind.

The Brickyard Rat

iTrader: (1)

Thanks to Rob & Mark for providing examples of why I brought this topic up. I have encountered deer on several occassions at night over the years....even on freeways a time or two.

My preference is to drive with the brights on...except when a car is comming or I'm close to one in front of me.

I tend to drive fast but absolutely will not "outdrive" the headlights.

If I have the mod done I'll post the cost/results.

ares

iTrader: (2)

well, first youd have to figure out how the switch works, is it a momentary switch that signals the computer to turn them on, or does it activate a relay directly? service manual might have this information.

after that you find the wires for it, hopefully at the base of the steering column, and tap into them. then run these to either a push button switch or momentary button switch, which you could mount anywhere you want, top of the dead pedal would be rather easy, since I believe its just hollow under there.

and that should do it. my thought would be that the switch is a direct activator of a relay, one way is a on/off switch, and the other is momentary. I havent used brights in a while, so I forget the setup now... typicly you pull it in to turn them on permanantly, and if you push it away, itll flash, and when you let go, itll go back to regular. youd have to locate the wires for either actually, wouldnt really matter, chances are the 2 wires are already in parralel activating the same relay. your just putting a 3rd in and locating it elsewhere.

BigBadBuford

I know a lot of people who say they don't use their high beams and I have no idea why, at least on cars w/ 4 headlights it makes such a big difference! My Skylark has the switch on the floor and I think it is the best setup - I don't know why they ever changed it. Since the dead pedal has all those holes in it, wouldn't it just be possible to put in a switch that would come up between one of the holes in the pedal and even make it black so you wouldn't even notice it. If you put it in the most upper left hand hole it would probably work out really well so that you wouldn't hit it all the time accidentally but it would still be easy to get to and not be in the way of the clutch. You would probably have to drill out the dead pedal, but I don't think it would be very hard to do.

Intrepid

I honestly don't get this at all. I use one finger to switch my highs on and off and my left hand never leaves the wheel.

The Brickyard Rat

iTrader: (1)

Intrepid,

I guess you have longer fingers than I do!

Intrepid

LOL

ares

iTrader: (2)

So the rat has stumpy fingers.

or intrepid has spindely fingers...

hmmm

navy-z

What century are we in? I want voice activated features.

jetjammer

Hey Rat's Z

I'm confused. I thought that due to safety reasons, California law required that the the switch be moved to the floor along time ago. Seems that several blondes kept getting their foot caught in the steering wheel.

No offense to any blondes out there, I'm just saying....
Never mind, what do I know, not too many out here.

The Brickyard Rat

iTrader: (1)

Actually, my arms & fingers are a bit short for my height. But thats okay; other parts of my anatomy, of more importance, are much longer/bigger than average!! (brag, brag, brag). LOL!