Sport Lamp Bulb Socket

[andy72]

The Sports Lamp bulb sockets on my car came to me not intact from the previous owner.  One original plastic one is in pieces. 

The other had a metal socket spliced on.  See picture.  This socket won't work with the correct bulb because it is a two contact socket, and I

don't know how to get another even if it were usable.

An earlier post from the site had mentioned a Napa #LS 6488.  My local Napa said that no good.

Sports Lamp bulb sockets don't seem to be available at all of our normal vendors.

I need two Sports lamp bulb sockets.

Why isn't there someone making these?  Did Ford come up with a socket so unique to the Sports Lamp that it isn't on any other application?

Anybody know how to solve this dilemma?

Thanks

 

[andy72]

I should have searched this first on the site before posting, sorry for that.

A lot of info to digest quickly.

Is the Mac's (ford truck tail light) socket , part #48-45082-1 the way to go?

 

[midlife]

NAPA replacement sockets are no good any more.  MAC Auto Parts now sells them at very reasonable rates: https://www.macsautoparts.com/ford_truck_late/ford-pickup-truck-parking-light-socket-and-wiring-plastic-socket-with-foam-seal-f100-thru-f350.html and also Amazon.com: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000C5CCSQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The MacAutoParts os a Dennis Carpenter reproduction, and the Amazon is a Dorman product.

 

[andy72]

Midlife,

So it looks like that socket uses bulbs with two contacts on the bottom, like an 1156 or 1157.

The original socket was a single contact and used a bulb with one contact on its base correct?

Am I reading this situation correctly?

 

[andy72]

OOps, sorry my bad.

It is a two contact socket and bulb.  I had in my mind that there are only two conductors on the wiring harness, which is correct.

Thanks for the info, MUCH Appreciated!

 

[secluff]

andy72,

The sport lamp socket has two contacts. The #94 bulb (Ford # DOSZ-13466-A) used is a double contact single element bulb. Ford offered a repair socket for that lamp that was also used on the 70-71 T-Bird with the auxiliary park lamp. Wasn't available long since it only fit two years Mustang and Bird.

The best socket to use is the D1FZ-13234-A repair pigtail/socket. Regardless of what the repo people say, this is originally a 71/ Pinto grill parklight/turn signal lamp part. Many shops starting using it in place of the F and E series truck park and tail lamp socket since it was cheaper and served the same function.

Since the original two wire socket used one wire for the ground and one for power you just need to eliminate one of the leads on the repair socket.

The DIFZ-13234-A socket was eventually replaced in the 80's by the E1FZ-13234-A Escort socket. It will function the same but the socket body is shaped a little differently.   

Original D1ZZ-13234-A repair pigtail and socket

DIFZ-13234-A Pinto style grill lamp socket

 

[detritusmaximus]

Isn't there a difference in the side pin height between single and double filament bulbs, or am I remembering something else?

 

[Don C]

The 94 bulb is a single filament double contact bulb, one contact for positive, the other for ground.

Yes, the double filament, double contact bulbs have the locating pins offset, and receive their ground through the metal shell on the base.

 

[detritusmaximus]

Ah, that was the part I missed. I have yet to mess with the plastic bulb sockets. Plastic socket=dual contact+no offset to locating pins. Learn something new everyday...I can nap now.

 

[andy72]

andy72,

The sport lamp socket has two contacts. The #94 bulb (Ford # DOSZ-13466-A) used is a double contact single element bulb. Ford offered a repair socket for that lamp that was also used on the 70-71 T-Bird with the auxiliary park lamp. Wasn't available long since it only fit two years Mustang and Bird.

The best socket to use is the D1FZ-13234-A repair pigtail/socket. Regardless of what the repo people say, this is originally a 71/ Pinto grill parklight/turn signal lamp part. Many shops starting using it in place of the F and E series truck park and tail lamp socket since it was cheaper and served the same function.

Since the original two wire socket used one wire for the ground and one for power you just need to eliminate one of the leads on the repair socket.

The DIFZ-13234-A socket was eventually replaced in the 80's by the E1FZ-13234-A Escort socket. It will function the same but the socket body is shaped a little differently.   

Original D1ZZ-13234-A repair pigtail and socket

DIFZ-13234-A Pinto style grill lamp socket

Thanks.  I remember looking into this a year ago and I was under the impression that there was no "pig repair socket" available.

I bought the Dorman ones off Amazon. Hopefully they do the job.

 

[secluff]

Just to clarify the bulb info I had posted to andy72 earlier. The #94 bulb as Don C correctly posted is a double contact single element bulb. Not a single contact as I had said.

Bad thing is I was actually looking at the Ford bulbs I have when I posted the info. They say the mind is a terrible thing to waste!    :whistling:

The picture of my bulbs shows the locator pins and the "single element double contact"!    

 

[secluff]

andy72,

The sport lamp socket has two contacts. The #94 bulb (Ford # DOSZ-13466-A) used is a double contact single element bulb. Ford offered a repair socket for that lamp that was also used on the 70-71 T-Bird with the auxiliary park lamp. Wasn't available long since it only fit two years Mustang and Bird.

The best socket to use is the D1FZ-13234-A repair pigtail/socket. Regardless of what the repo people say, this is originally a 71/ Pinto grill parklight/turn signal lamp part. Many shops starting using it in place of the F and E series truck park and tail lamp socket since it was cheaper and served the same function.

Since the original two wire socket used one wire for the ground and one for power you just need to eliminate one of the leads on the repair socket.

The DIFZ-13234-A socket was eventually replaced in the 80's by the E1FZ-13234-A Escort socket. It will function the same but the socket body is shaped a little differently.   

Original D1ZZ-13234-A repair pigtail and socket

DIFZ-13234-A Pinto style grill lamp socket

Thanks.  I remember looking into this a year ago and I was under the impression that there was no "pig repair socket" available.

I bought the Dorman ones off Amazon. Hopefully they do the job.

Andy72,

While the repair pigtail and sockets being used now are not a perfect exact fit, they will do since the Ford replacement was discontinued many years ago. Like I had said earlier, the two year only utilization by the 71-72 Mustang and 70-71 T Birds didn't help insure much of a shelf life for the Ford pigtail.

The early built 71 Mach 1's had a metal socket that never had a service part released. If needed on a early model you had the use the replacing plastic socket. At least the later models had the plastic socket so if you did have to replace one of the original units they would have the same appearance. 

Metal socket on 9-21-70 built 71 Mach 1

 

[midlife]

Based upon my experience of refurbishing 1971 sportslamp sockets, the metal sockets hold up much much better than the plastic versions. Maybe 5% of the plastic sockets pass continuity tests; almost all of the metal sockets pass.

 

[andy72]

Sorry, getting back to this a little late.  Was out of town.

So I bought the Dorman sockets, but they are made for an 1157 bulb which has offset side pins.

The correct original bulb for Sportslamps was a UL94 which has side pins that are not offset sitting low on the bulb base.

Whats the solution?

Just light the Lesser of the two elements in the 1157?

 

[midlife]

The 1157 is a two filament bulb, so it requires 3 wires, and is used (or should be) in the 1973 socket. The 71/72 sockets use a single filament bulb, and only two wires.

Are you saying that the original bulb will not fit the Dorman sockets? Then use the ground lead on the socket with one of the other wires and use an 1157 bulb.

I personally don't check replacement sockets for bulb fitment, so I'd like to know what is really going on here. I don't like the idea that I am replacing sockets for folks that can't use them as intended.

Mid.

 

[andy72]

I do not have an original #94 bulb in hand but I can see from the pictures posted earlier in this thread  that the two guidance pins on the base of the bulb are both down low and directly across from each other.  On an 1157, they are offset.  One down low, one up higher.

The original #94 bulb is only going to insert down into the Doorman replacement socket as deep as the upper pin.

In other words, it is not going to be able to fully insert into the base.

See pictures.

I suppose, from what I have read about too much heat in a sports lamp, I would just use the less bright of the two filaments in an #1157 bulb.

To be a proper match, I would need to know the actual wattage of a #94 bulb and of the two filaments in a #1157 to see if it is a true match.

I would have to find this info out on the web if possible.

 

[andy72]

I should have looked up the wattages before my last post.

Here's what I found.

In an 1157 the two filaments are 8.26 watts and 26.88 watts.

In a 94, the filament is 13.312 watts.

The lesser element in an 1157 won't be bright enough, and the 26 watt filament will be way to bright and make too much heat.

I suppose the only option is to try the 8.26 watt filament in an 1157 and see how it looks.

 

[jowens1126]

I had to get sockets for my grill as well. Midlife told me what to get from NAPA, NAPA Part LS6488. They are 3 wire sockets. You just use 2 of the wires. It worked out great. The sockets fit the housing perfect. They also fit the #94 bulb.

They had to order the sockets, but it only took 1 day to get them in.

I ended up having to replace the side marker sockets and all the rear tail light sockets as well. They were all corroded to hell and there was no saving them.

 

[andy72]

Now I'm really confused...

I went to my local Napa Auto Supply 3 months ago trying to purchase the #LS 6488.  They told me it was no longer a valid number in their system and was unavailable.

I just Googled it and it came right up on Napa online.  The Napa website does not tell you what part number it is a replacement for.

Interesting that you said it worked with a #94 bulb.

The Doorman 85898 sockets I bought say right on the package that it is a replacement for Ford D1FZ13234-A but also says right on the package it uses an 1157 bulb.

Seems to me this is a contradiction.

A 94 bulb will not fit in an 1157 socket.  Different side pins arrangement on the base.