The trunk light switch in my 50 Packard Deluxe 8 is not turning on when the trunk lid is opened. The fixture looks very much like the one in your picture, but I don't know if it has a rolling ball or mercury. If shaking the fixture doesn't get it working again, is it safe to assume the unit is made to be disassembled without damaging it? BigKev's post would lead me to believe it is not.

I followed through with contacting Kris Arneson of Running Board Rubber Company (www.runningboardrubber.com) out of McBride, BC, Canada. I am happy to report that he is as honest as the day is long and not to be confused with some other dishonest yayhoo from Canada. I ordered - and just received - sill plates and a one-piece front floor mat for my 50 Packard and they look every bit as good as the very high quality pictures on his website. I will admit I had my doubts based on comments from others who had bad dealings with some other entity from Canada, but I couldn't be happier with the quality Kris produces. If you decide to order from Kris, allow plenty of time because he only makes one production run per year. But I can tell you the wait is worth it.

Thanks all for the hand holding on dealing with the short.

Next up will be installing the dash wiring harness. Is that typically done with everything behind the dash still in place or is some (or a lot) disassembly required? You won't hurt my feelings if you tell me that job is better left to a professional.

Of course there's more.

In the process of installing the radio and searching for the short, two wires came loose from the connectors circled in green in the attached photo. I don't know which wire goes to which connection point. Any (more) help is appreciated.

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Thanks for the "Loom" explanation. My loom is the heavy black electrical tape kind. I don't know how stiff the loom originally was, but after 66 years it's plenty stiff now (no different for this car owner).

As for Kanutie, maybe some kind of Eastern European pastry?

Now for the good news. The short was the result of pinching - and ultimately breaking - the wire going to the glove box light. The wire got trapped between the radio case and the dash frame and apparently snapped when the bolts holding the radio in place were tightened. The broken, bare end of one of the wire pieces was touching the radio case. I had been laying on the floor on the passenger side (half hanging out of the car) on previous explorations, but this time was working from the driver's side and I got a better view of the area in question. I taped up the broken ends of the wire, reconnected the battery, and heard the beautiful sound of no pinging.

I never could tell exactly which component was doing the pinging, but as long as it doesn't start up again...

Thanks again for all of the guidance provided.

Do you have any children that left toys or (Ping) golf equipment in your car? :D
Does it have the electric over-drive? yes
Does it have the gas pedal starter switch? yes
Clock or tube radio ie, something with an oscillator? (I think you were putting one on when this started?) yes, both a clock and the radio
Is it a regular pulse or intermittent? Loud or faint? regular pulse, the first few pings seem to be the loudest, then the loudness varies

If it's possible to post a sound or video file, I can record the pinging.

BTW, I appreciate your patience in explaining cracked insulation to me, but the term I didn't recognize in the phrase "...if the insulation in the loom is cracked...?" was "loom."

Now I also have the term "dash kanuties" to ponder. :)

Thanks. I'll give it a try.

Correction: available for viewing.

Not all of the lights work, however I believe all of the lights that worked before this problem appeared, still work: headlights and dome light above rear window, included. The headlights definitely flicker with the pinging. I will recheck the other lights for flickering, as well.

The courtesy/map lights in front and the glove compartment light have not worked for quite a long time - well before the pinging started.

I recall seeing the wire running along the channel of the driver's side above the rear door. The upholsterer mentioned he taped that wire and any other exposed, bare wires he found. There was no pinging when I got the car back from the upholsterer.

Thanks for the encouraging words.

I am 6'-3" and don't fold (and unfold) as well as I used to. With maximum contortion I can get a somewhat limited direct view of the backside of the dash, but the use of my hands while in that position is very limited. Is there a better way to view and work on the wiring in behind the dash?

Just to clarify, the pinging happens whether the ignition key is on or off. I can only stop the pinging by disconnecting the battery.