12v reading lights '65. popped out

[ronmcor]

Hello, The swivel sockets on my 12v reading lights throughout my 65 Overlander have popped out, does anybody know how these are repaired? Is there a retaining ring that holds the balls in? Are they supposed to stay in by perhaps crimping the barrel a little? Can anybody help before I break out the MIG! haha Thanks, Ron

[overlander64]

Greetings Ron!

Welcome to the Forums and the world of Vintage Overlander ownership!

Originally Posted by ronmcor

Hello, The swivel sockets on my 12v reading lights throughout my 65 Overlander have popped out, does anybody know how these are repaired? Is there a retaining ring that holds the balls in? Are they supposed to stay in by perhaps crimping the barrel a little? Can anybody help before I break out the MIG! haha Thanks, Ron

The wall-mounted reading lamps utilized a press-fit in the swivel base if they are of similar design to those utilized in '64 which my notes indicate is the case. Repair usually isn't successful. There were multiple attempts to repair the original swivels on the lamps in my Overlander, and I finally found some "similar" fixtures available in the current OEM market. They are offered by Stag-Parkway RV parts and accessory (catalog often offered by RV dealers to their customers) as item #55-9650 (single lamp fixture) - - the catalog that I have doesn't list the twin-lamp fixture but I know that one was available (I went with single-lamp fixtures as the lamps are somewhat larger than the originals utilized in the Airstream). You can see these new fixtures in my Overlander in the photo below:



Good luck with your coach!

Kevin

[Tom Nugler]

You know...Seems like nearly every vintage I've seen has one of those lights loose or popping out. My GT is no exception. I did have a random thought of spending some quality time on the lathe this winter and fabricating a clamp to squeeze the outer shell back around the ball. I don't know if this has been tried before but it's worth a shot. The only problem I see is that the shell might fracture as it's tightened down. If anyone has tried this before did it work? Any guidance would be helpful. Saw some on E-Bay once but the bid seemed to go past my max. There must be a market for a good repro.
Good luck on solution, If mine works I'll let you know.
Tom.

[ronmcor]

Thanks for your input. I like the units you used and will probably end up doing the same. I just wanted to make sure there wasnt a retaining type snap ring that was in between the ball and the socket. Thanks again!

Originally Posted by overlander64

Greetings Ron!

Welcome to the Forums and the world of Vintage Overlander ownership!



The wall-mounted reading lamps utilized a press-fit in the swivel base if they are of similar design to those utilized in '64 which my notes indicate is the case. Repair usually isn't successful. There were multiple attempts to repair the original swivels on the lamps in my Overlander, and I finally found some "similar" fixtures available in the current OEM market. They are offered by Stag-Parkway RV parts and accessory (catalog often offered by RV dealers to their customers) as item #55-9650 (single lamp fixture) - - the catalog that I have doesn't list the twin-lamp fixture but I know that one was available (I went with single-lamp fixtures as the lamps are somewhat larger than the originals utilized in the Airstream). You can see these new fixtures in my Overlander in the photo below:



Good luck with your coach!

Kevin

[Rick T]

I had two wall lights go bad. I wanted a slightly smaller light and found one in a Camping World catalog which I attached to the original lamp base. It was a year or so ago so don't know if they still have them but will attach a pix. The CW item number was 23844 and it cost $40. I got the nickel finish but they also come in brass. I have also seen a few posts that took viewers to a few boat sites that seemed to have some nice light fixtures. Good luck Ron.