<VV> Frank Finally Answers about Sockets

[Tony Underwood]

At 03:30 hours 12/06/2004 +0000, Patten Del R Civ AFRL Det 8/PKMA wrote:
>  I bought what sounds like the same thing as a Chrysler socket...it too had
>the tab but I didn't use it...MUCH better than the stock socket that is
>available...even the ones sold new by the vendors are crap...I think the
>tooling must be completely shot.  No problems with the Chrysler
>sockets...and since the car is part Plum Crazy, using it rather than the
>F**D socket makes perfect sense!
>



I've always held the philosophy of looting every old Chrysler land yacht I
spot in any junkyard for its tail light sockets.   They're zinc plated
brass, tough, solid, good spring tabs, and bulbs snap into them neatly and
smoothly, no sweat.   Replace a Vair socket with one of these old Mopar
sockets, pack it with wheel bearing grease and put the bulb in it, snap it
into the lamp housing and forget about it.   
I have a set in my ragtop and it never has any tail light issues ever.
Likewise the front park/turn signal lamps.   Now, if there was an easier
means of doing up the early sockets like this, I'd be set.    

The biggest part of success is to, regardless of what socket is there, pack
it with high temp wheel bearing grease before you put the bulb in it.
If/when the bulb burns out, it will come out of the socket easily without
an argument.   

So far, it's been years since a bulb burned out in the '65 ragtop with its
Mopar light sockets.    I've not had to touch any of them since I put the
sockets on the car.   


They were not Chinese bulbs...   

And the notion that the new aftermarket sockets are flaky isn't
misleading... the original Chrysler sockets are much sturdier and better
plated than the replacements in packages hanging on the hooks at Auto-Zone
or Advance or Prepboyz.   


tony..