Early '63 glove box light switch

[Jeff S.]

For production or service replacement --
Was there a grounding pigtail conductor with spade attached to the g/b switch on very early '63 model year? Parts & Accessories Catalog 30S Oct 1962 shows 3794425 (group 10.275) for '63 Corvette. I seem to recall that very early glove box had to be grounded to the Z-bar. Here's the switch I have & am questioning, NOS in box. Thanks in advance.

[Harry S.]

Re: Early '63 glove box light switch

Best I recall the 63 Corvette GB light switch was the same as the switch for the passenger car, no pigtail. Looking at the switch in the picture the pigtail does not look long enough to reach from the top of the glovebox to the Z-Bar.

This is a 63 switch.

[Joe R.]

Re: Early '63 glove box light switch

Jeff,

The switch you show is a service replacement and the one that Harry shows is the original 63 switch. If any 63 has anything besides the switch Harry shows it has been replaced with the service replacement you show.
Reason being the 63 switch was available long before the first 63 was built. I have observed # 16 and # 17 with the same switch Harry shows. That switch was also in my 8,000, 10,000, 14,000 and many more I have observed thru the years all the way to 67 Corvettes.

JR

[Jeff S.]

Re: Early '63 glove box light switch

JR

Thanks, that helps. I guess when using 3794425 as service replacement, the grounding pigtail would be clipped off?

Jeff

[Greg W.]

Re: Early '63 glove box light switch

Joe, I had a switch as Harry showed in his pic in my 66 but it was not black it was gray. I was told it was a replacement and switched to the one Jeff showed.Not even the same looking switch. Never got a hit in judging. But thinking of going to a national , so should it be black or would the gray I have be ok or stay with the one jeff shows. Thanks
Greg

[Harry S.]

Re: Early '63 glove box light switch

This is what I believe the 64 to 67 switch looked like.

[Edward J.]

Re: Early '63 glove box light switch

Jeff, another small note on 63 glove lamps is the early cars had a round bulb with no shield, later had a shield attached to bulb and a different bulb part no.

[Timothy B.]

Re: Early '63 glove box light switch

Jeff, another small note on 63 glove lamps is the early cars had a round bulb with no shield, later had a shield attached to bulb and a different bulb part no.

To add to what has been mentioned above the early 63 cars also had a remote ground wire added up until the support brace that screwed to the cross bar.

I wish someone would post a picture of a original wire and attachment because I need to add it to my coupe. The small hole for the screw is in the cross bar but I'm not sure what it all looks like.

[Edward J.]

Re: Early '63 glove box light switch

To add to what has been mentioned above the early 63 cars also had a remote ground wire added up until the support brace that screwed to the cross bar.

I wish someone would post a picture of a original wire and attachment because I need to add it to my coupe. The small hole for the screw is in the cross bar but I'm not sure what it all looks like.

Tim I had this switch that was in my March 63 car and always wondered about it there also is a stamping on the face appears as two digits , very small and hard to read. heres a couple of pic.s it also appears like a spad on the switch but I HAD NO GROUND ATTACH AS I remember, I think the metal frame of box was the ground.

[Timothy B.]

Re: Early '63 glove box light switch

Thanks for the pictures, Ed, your car probably has the lower support that's screwed to the cross bar. I have read about the remote ground wire used on the cars before the support and could swear there was a picture here but I can't find it.

Very interesting looking at that spade on the switch.

[Rick N.]

Re: Early '63 glove box light switch

I restored an early 63 a number of years back.
Because the glove box doesn't have the lower extension, the frame doesn't ground.
Although I'm sure there has to be a ground wire, there was nothing in the original dash harness nor any info I could find.
I contacted Andy Cannizo (spelling?) and he didn't have that info either.
I've been looking for this answer myself for quite some time now.

[Timothy B.]

Re: Early '63 glove box light switch

I restored an early 63 a number of years back.
Because the glove box doesn't have the lower extension, the frame doesn't ground.
Although I'm sure there has to be a ground wire, there was nothing in the original dash harness nor any info I could find.
I contacted Andy Cannizo (spelling?) and he didn't have that info either.
I've been looking for this answer myself for quite some time now.

Rick,

On my 63 there is a small drilled hole in the cross bar inboard of the trim tag and I believe the ground wire attaches here then the other end to the glove box frame hinge somewhere.

[Joe R.]

Re: Early '63 glove box light switch

Rick,

Here is some information. Just talked to a very informed member and here's some facts. Early 63's didn't have the lower reinforcement until somewhere around SN 3500. For that reason there had to be a ground wire attached. It was attached to the cross piece to the left of the Trim Tag. A hole was drilled there and the other end was attached to the lower left corner of the metal box frame.
The switch was black like the one that Harry has in his picture and had no wire attached to it cause the ground was made to the metal frame of the glove box. There was no ground wire in the harness for the glove box lamp. Hope this helps you and some other early 63 owners.

JR

[Rick N.]

Re: Early '63 glove box light switch

Tim and Joe.
Thanks.