1980s Bulb Replacement - Sail Panel Reading Lamp on 1985 Brougham Coupe.

[Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621]

Has anybody replaced the reading lamp in a Fleetwood Brougham? I was thinking the "eyeball" can possibly be pried off to access the bulb but not certain. Any guidance is appreciated.

[smokuspollutus]

Can't offer help but I did manage to break one of these "eyeballs" off of a Seville once trying to get to that bulb. I would imagine the eyeball was the same thing Seville/Biarritz/Fleetwood. So be more careful than me.


For what it's worth the bulbs aren't the flat type that mount directly in the housing, it's just a regular kind of bulb in a rubber twist in base. So that plus my breakage leads me to believe they're supposed to get changed from the back.

[Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621]

Can't offer help but I did manage to break one of these "eyeballs" off of a Seville once trying to get to that bulb. I would imagine the eyeball was the same thing Seville/Biarritz/Fleetwood. So be more careful than me.


For what it's worth the bulbs aren't the flat type that mount directly in the housing, it's just a regular kind of bulb in a rubber twist in base. So that plus my breakage leads me to believe they're supposed to get changed from the back.

Any idea how to remove it without damaging anything? What exactly broke?

[smokuspollutus]

This was a long time ago but I recall there being tangs on the light assembly that engaged a ridge inside the the eyeball and I snapped one off. I ended up gluing the eyeball back on in a fixed position. Maybe I was just unlucky but I can't think of a way the eyeball could be disengaged from the housing from the front.