One. The trunk light in my '63 R2 seems to be getting some juice (8 or 9 volts) but not enough to light the bulb. Where is the switch that activates this light. I can't seem to find a typical door activated type push button, and I don't see a mercury switch. Is a bad ground causing less power to go through the circuit. Yes, I admit there are bigger problems, but....... mike n --------------------------------------- mike- the trunk switch is indeed a mercury switch, and should be visable with the trunk lid open. fifteen years ago i paid for a study that showed that 97% of the 63 models were still registered in one state or another. i believe that the company that did it advertised in hemmings. the aoai & adc have rosters, but only including members. frank r5421 ------------------------------------------ << If you follow the trunk wiring harness along the trunk lid you will find a small cylinder wired in series somewhere near the hinges, that is the trunk light switch. There is a small spring mounted diaphram that is (in theory) activated when the wire is pulled taut (sp?) after fully opening the trunk door. >> There is actually a mercury switch inside that canister. I took mine apart when it quit working. There is a spring, but it only ensures contact with the mercury switch. It is activated by angle of the switch rather than by pulling the wires tight. On mine, the contact that the spring presses against the mercury switch had corroded. I had to cut the canister apart and at that point found it easiest just to solder a new mercury switch to the wires and get rid of the canister. Scott Isensee ------------------------------------ Here's another 2 cents on that trunk light switch. If you can ' see the light' (bulb) , then you can get to the wire going to it. That wire has to have a switch on it, be it a retro-fitted button or the standard Merc switch. Otherwise the only thing turning it on would be brainwaves!!! Generally all lighting ground wires on Avanti's were white. In the trunk, I recall a metal strap fastened to the left rear body mount being used for a ground for the radio antenna and other stuff. It's under the carpet. Also the wiring harness at the gas tank sender has a bunch of extra slide connector fittings for grounds. ------------------------------------ had been looking for a mercury switch to replace the trunk switch in my '63 R-2 for quite a while. I've found a replacement light at Pep Boys with a built in (and removable) mercury switch for about $4. I haven't replaced my switch yet because the car is in storage for the winter but it looks like it should work. mike n ------------------------------- There's a flat, three wire connector on the wires that go to the trunk lid: ground, back-up lights, and mercury switch. I got to it by shifting the harness; either through the trunk light hole, or the hole next to the antenna. Unscrew the back-up light sockets and you can take that part of the harness, and the switch, out. There's no other connector for the rear of the car, after the the one under the dash. Well, there is one on the wire to the tag light. The mercury switch puts ground on one of the trunk light contacts when the lid is up. The other lamp contact has 12V all the time. My 40 year old mercury switch was ok. I had trouble with the ground connections at the back-up light sockets and the wire nuts the factory used to connect a couple of the wires. Mike July 2003 =========================================== (more) The mercury switch grounds one of the "buttons" in the socket, to turn the light on. The other button is always connected to 12V, (the 14A "Cig Dome" fuse), and doesn't go through the three wire connector. The switch is connected to the center wire of the connector, with a crimped wire nut, on my original harness. The other side of the switch goes to a ring terminal and ground on the left back up light housing. Ground is the female terminal on the trunk lid connector, and goes to the same rivet on the back up light housing as the mercury switch. The third wire, in the connector, is the back up lights. A second crimp on wire nut connects both back up lights to this third wire. Does your car have either of these wire nuts? They look odd, but I think they are stock. Mike ============================