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That was so you could not leave the reading light on unnoticed if you left the car sitting with the top down--draining the battery of perhaps even scorching the top.

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My car is overdue for a new top, so maybe when it goes in for the installation I can look for modifications to the wiring and see what exactly they did.

Well... Im glad I asked here... I guess I am not going to remove those staples lol.

Leeedy, the car does have that folded over staple hider on the rear bow. However! my dad did show me that we have that stainless trim piece instead, which I believe is still in the garage somewhere (it has be reorganized a couple times over the last 15 years since he showed me that piece, but I think I know where to look).

Will, I was able to remove the light housing and saw the wires going to the passenger side of the bow. However, there are no wires coming out of the end that ends towards the pivot point. So I have no idea if the corresponding wires were removed and never placed back in, or if they broke.

So I guess my dream of that light coming on will have to wait. But plenty of other issues to correct!

does anyone have spare sunvisor rods for a 56 caribbean convertible? my were broken and rusted apart.

Thanks Ross. Figured something along those lines.

Kevin, check if there is a splice behind your switch of you want...

Joe, if you have ONE wire you can probably make it work. Just connect the other light terminal to the housing (i.e. strip the wire back and pinch the conductors between bare metal in a convenient way). Then apply power: it may just be able to ground through the top bows.

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I am confused by that statement. Is the switch which I believe is usually located on the right side top cylinder cover or bolster at the side of the rear seat completely missing or just not working. If missing you should be able to find another and if you wanted a switch for the drivers side you could add a second switch in parallel on the left side cover and run a single wire across the floor under the seat or carpet to connect it to the wire going to the light. Since it only requires connection of ground thru a switch for the bulb to light it should also be a simple job to add or connect existing switches that would be operated by the doors. If you are trying to relocate the lamp assy from the stock location then that is another matter.

His is missing from a reupholstery job some decades ago.

Makes sense now. The switches were the same from 51-6 and if someone has a switch from a sedan parts car from those years any should work.

The switch is #416439 and one of the vendors might even have one or suitable vintage switches sometimes come up on ebay. Amazon also has look alike switches but unknown if the escutcheon plate #416438 would fit those. Group 30.626 and 30.629

the light will not ground thru the top bow the factory socket has two contacts on its base . One red one is hot in factory design getting power from running light circuit which is only powered when parking or headlights are on. The black wire is connected to switch which complete circuit to ground. Look at factory wiring dwg and all of the above can be seen dwg is on the site it even shows approx location of splices and connections

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Yes, I can do that, I do need to go over to the storage place and spend some quality time with the ol' girl anyway. I know that the interior quarter trim panels have been "messed with" at some point, if for no other reason than the fact that the chrome footman loops and the footman straps for holding down the top frame when it's in the lowered position are both missing from each side. The "why," however, is a complete mystery. For whatever reason, they left the footman loops intact on the top frame itself! Weird...

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I was saying to specifically ground the ground wire through the top. The reason for the two wires is that the light is switched on the ground side. The bows are all metal so I would suspect they could work as a ground.