New headliner, how replace interior lights?

[Formerly Steve Wilkinson]

The first time I replaced my headliner, about three years ago, I cut small holes for the interior lights above the doors, replaced the lights, and the headliner soon pulled around the lights, leaving ugly holes. Tried to glue them back, didn't work.

Now that I have all the glass out to replace it with Lexan, I'm doing the headliner again--hated that barf beige anyway and am re-doing it in black.

Question: is there a trick to replacing the interior lights to avoid my original problem? I'm guessing that I should cut very small holes for the lights and push the lights into place, trapping the edges of the headliner in the edges of the holes in the bodywork steel into which the light units fit.

Wayne's 101-Projects book says something about "making sure the lamp is not accidentally insulated by a flap of headliner." My method would, of course, insulate the lamp unit entirely around its periphery, but I believe Wayne is wrong: at least on an '83 SC, the lamp unit has discrete power and ground wires, so any insulation of the lamp body itself would be irrelevant.

Any suggestions?

[Paulporsche]

Wayne may be referring to THERMAL insulating. In other words, creating a barrier for heat from the bulb to escape upwards.

[ossiblue]

I have noticed on one of my cars that the hole for the interior light is actually an "X" cut across the opening. If you use a razor blade and carefully cut an "X" and extend it just short of the corners of the opening, that may give you the necessary material to pinch with the light and will not show a cut. This should work if you have the power and ground wires.

[jstobo]

If it is wired like my 69 the ground wire should be switched ground(brown/white). Power is on all the time(black on my car) but when the door is opened and the door switch is grounded the circuit is complete and the interior lights come on. If the metal case is not grounded to the car somewhere, when you rock the interior light to be on with the doors closed there is no ground and the light will not come on. The x method above is what I used to cut my headliner but I left an area to make sure the case is grounded to the car. Hope this helps and is clear as at least mud.

Jim

[Formerly Steve Wilkinson]

The X makes perfect sense.

[joefrantz]

Here is the factory X.

Notice the perimeter outline of the light.

Joe

[Ron.G]

Mine was the same way. just cut enough to push the housing in and your all set.

[Formerly Steve Wilkinson]

X-cellent.

[rgrimm]

Originally posted by Formerly Steve Wilkinson
Wayne's 101-Projects book says something about "making sure the lamp is not accidentally insulated by a flap of headliner."

Wayne's talking about the early cars. If you look at the photo a few posts up, you can see the small hole in the headliner to complete the electrical circuit.

But, yup, X it is...