The one irritation with my 64 Cadillac

[Logan Robb]

Overall, even with the few minor gremlins I have with my 1964 Cadillac Fleetwood, I still love nearly everything about it. EXCEPT one thing. 

Why do the rear map lights not come on when the doors are open?!?!?! The cabin is so dark at night with no dome light and the reading lights in the back not illuminating. And if I have evening passengers, how are they to see to step into the rear compartment? UGH bothers me so. 

Has anyone ever wired up the rear lights to come on with the doors? Mine work fine at the switch on the back of the front seat, but not when the doors open. Im not much of an electrical guy, but I'd figuring the wiring wouldn't be hard to complete. 

Also, a dome light would be nice, but that seems much more of an undertaking. 

As Doug DeMuro would say, just another quirk and feature of the 1964 Cadillac Series 60 Fleetwood!

Thanks for listening to me rant!

Logan. 

[Jason Edge]

For the sedans like your Fleetwood 60 Special, the rear compartment courtesy light should come on when they open the rear doors. If not, you may have a problem with the switch or wiring.
Also, for the sedans, when the front doors are opened the rear compartment lights do not come on. If they did, if you had rear passengers every time the driver or front passenger opened and closed their door the rear lights would suddenly come on. 
And for sedans as a convenience there is a switch on back of bench seat so rear passengers can turn their lights on as needed once doors are closed.

For coupes, the rear compartment lights do come on when either door is opened. This make sense as this is the way the rear passengers enter the car. Coupes also have the switch on back of bench seat for rear passengers to turn on those rear lights as needed.

If you step up to the Series 75 (6723 Sedan or 6733 Limo) they have overhead dome lights and other creature comforts like rear radio control, rear ac/heat system, etc.

[Logan Robb]

AH HA! I just figured since they worked normally with the switch, they didn’t come on with the doors. 

Adding to my to do list. 

Again, thanks for the expertise, Jason

[C. Van Tune]

Agreed that the rear lights should come on when the rear doors are opened. 

They also can be switched on by rotating the headlight switch to the far left.