My cigarette lighter was broken, and the power outlet’s green plastic was cracked. I found an excellent replacement on ebay for $5.29 shipped: http://www.ebay.com/itm/360678268535
I knew that even if it didn’t fit, for that price I would make it fit. But yes, it fits perfectly. It’s a little more modern looking, and it’s blue! I measured the lighter drawing under 7.5 amps, and the lamp under 0.8 amps. I don’t know what the stock lighter draws since mine is broke. The only drawbacks I found were the light requires a separate ground, and it’s a little dim. I didn’t check, but I think the bulb is incandescent. I cut my wiring harness and added another female disconnect connector for the lamp’s ground.
The power outlet I bought through ebay comes in other colors, even green.
I also wanted to add some power outlets behind the dash for electronics:
Fuse 17 is rated at 20 amps. My cell phone and dash cam combined draw less that 1 amp, and my ’83 also doesn’t have a clock on Fuse 17. Adding two more outlets wasn’t a problem. Since Fuse 17 is live all the time, I decided on another mod:
After some fast shipping with DMC-MW, I cut the wiring harness and put a switch in the middle of the circuit. So now all my power outlets are controlled by the switch. This allows me to stop and start my dash cam whenever I want without touching the cam or the power connector.
My A Pillar trim is off the car right now, so I’ll be running the power for the dash cam behind the trim, then above the headliner.
Costs:
| Item |
Quantity |
Unit Cost |
Cost |
Shipping |
Tax |
Total |
|
| Blue Auto Power Outlet/Lighter | ebay |
1 |
5.29 |
5.29 |
– |
– |
5.29 |
| Double Power Outlet | O’Reily Auto Parts |
1 |
6.69 |
6.69 |
– |
0.45 |
7.14 |
| Purple Primary Wire 14 Gauge 1 Foot | O’Reily Auto Parts |
4 |
0.31 |
1.24 |
– |
0.08 |
1.32 |
| On/Off Switch, Console (Pair) | DMC Midwest |
1 |
69.95 |
69.95 |
12.99 |
5.42 |
88.36 |
| Electrical Disconnects | On Hand |
|
|
|
|
|
– |
| Heat Shrink Tubing | On Hand |
|
|
|
|
|
– |
|
Total |
$ 102.11 |