How to wire dome light door switches?

[Rich69shortfleet]

My truck was so basic it didn't even come with an active dome light, it can only be turned on with the headlight switch. I ordered up door switches and a dome light harness and it all looks easy enough to install, I can see where to drill for the door switches, but what i can't figure out is how the wires attach to the door jamb switches. The hollow area of the cowl into which the switches go doesn't seem to have open access in the interior kick panel area from which to run the wires. Maybe I'm missing something? How do the wires get to the backside of the switches?

[custom10nut]

Not many of these trucks came with the "door switch" dome light kit. Maybe 71 or 72 (experts chime in)?
With a complete kit.
You need to be careful to drill the holes in the door jamb so that you can thread the switch in and it's snug. The exit under the dash in up in the "corner" of the kick panel vent. Use a piece of stiff flexible wire from under dash to the door jamb. Tape your hot wire to the fish wire and pull it through. Leave enough to hook up the switch. The switch is the ground, so back to the fuse panel there's only one wire. Put a grommet on the wire where it comes through the kick panel, both to protect the wire and give it a clean finish.
I have an under dash courtesy light kit that I've been meaning to put in for a long time, and it's time has come.
It's next on my "to do" list. If I get to it before you do, I'll post some pictures

[Rich69shortfleet]

Originally Posted by custom10nut

Not many of these trucks came with the "door switch" dome light kit. Maybe 71 or 72 (experts chime in)?
With a complete kit.
You need to be careful to drill the holes in the door jamb so that you can thread the switch in and it's snug. The exit under the dash in up in the "corner" of the kick panel vent. Use a piece of stiff flexible wire from under dash to the door jamb. Tape your hot wire to the fish wire and pull it through. Leave enough to hook up the switch. The switch is the ground, so back to the fuse panel there's only one wire. Put a grommet on the wire where it comes through the kick panel, both to protect the wire and give it a clean finish.
I have an under dash courtesy light kit that I've been meaning to put in for a long time, and it's time has come.
It's next on my "to do" list. If I get to it before you do, I'll post some pictures

By corner of the kick panel, do you mean closer to the door or closer to the firewall? Pretty cramped in there either way but I'll look again.

I got the courtesy light set up too, hope to have both in and working soon. And I need to reconnect the cigarette lighter and light. It all shorted out when a little plastic wire retainer inside the light housing broke allowing the power wire to go to ground. I found a way to fix the retainer. I have some under dash aftermarket gauges which I really should remove. Now that I have a full compliment of factory style gauges they are redundant and only tend to clutter up the wiring under the dash.

[Rich69shortfleet]

I took a closer look and there is not a opening or a hole from the interior of the truck that would allow you to access the hollow behind the kick panel. The only way I can see to run a wire is to drill a hole in the kick panel metal and run the wire through it.

[Kennuck]

I drilled a hole in the kick panel up under the dash. You need to place it closer to the dash than the firewall in order to be able to fish it through. Drill the hole in the door jam first and make sure it is not too big the threads don't have much to bite on the thin metal. Once this hole is drilled you can feed your fish tape up there and kinda feel / listen where it is behind the kick panel and then drill the hole under the dash.

[Rich69shortfleet]

Yeah, can't be too complex. And then a small grommet in the hole so the wire doesn't rub. Once the switches and wire holes are in, the rest should be a snap to install, the premade wiring kits do all the work. Hope to get mine in yet this week. It has always bugged me that this thing never had a door operated dome light. The addition of the courtesy lights will be great too.