My new '77 didn't come with a factory cargo area courtesy light. Insert "puzzled look" emoticon here: _________.

We have a black interior and it can be tough to see your way around in the cargo area (like when vacuuming, for example) because it's just so frikkin' dark back there.

I did some sniffing around online for possible solutions and found these LED USB-C rechargeable motion sensor lights on Amazon for $16.00/per pair:




Link:

Installation underneath the rear deck lid behind the seats couldn't be any easier using the thin self-adhesive-backed metal plates and the built-in magnets in the back of the lamp bodies. Once installed, you can't see these lights when you look into the cargo area, because they're so thin.

When it's time to recharge simply reach in, pull them free from the metal plates and hook them up to any USB-C charging source.

You can choose to turn them off completely (like when charging, for example), or move the selector switch to always-on or auto-on. I leave them in auto-on, so any movement of my hand anywhere in the cargo area activates them. When no further movement is detected, they'll shut off automatically in about 20 seconds.

You can see by the last two pics below what a remarkable difference these lights make in being able to see your way around in the cargo area. Total gamechanger.





Small and thin, but they put out a ton of high-quality bright-white light (4500K or so?).




Top to bottom: on-off-auto selector switch, motion detector/charging indicator, and brightness level adjuster button.








Self-adhesive metal plates, just peel off the backing.




The blue protective film on the non-adhesive-backed side gets removed during installation.






The "U" (magnet symbol) imprinted on the back of the lamp bodies indicates the location of the built-in magnets (there are two magnets per lamp).


Determine where under the deck lid you'd like the lamps to reside. I located mine as far forward as possible, makes it easier to initially install, and easier to reach in and remove when they need charging.

Clean the installation area with a light swipe of rubbing alcohol and let it flash. Place the non-adhesive-backed side of the plates into their respective magnetic positions on the back of the lamp assemblies (you can peel off the protective blue film now or later), peel off the adhesive backing on the plates, and then press each lamp assembly into position. The adhesive will bond the metal plates to the underside your deck lid, and from here on out the lamps can be easily removed or reinstalled in mere seconds.







For these two pics I've got my phone setting directly on the carpeting in the cargo area, looking straight up in selfie mode (so I could see what my phone was seeing), to show the same perspective as if you were lying flat on your back in the cargo area and looking up. In the second of the two pics above, ALL of the light visible in the pic is being provided by the lamp assemblies, which were sitting face-up on the carpeting next to my phone while I took the photo.

For all intents and purposes, these lamps are invisible (I mean, how often do you stick your head into the cargo bay and look up at the bottom of the deck lid?). If you didn't know they were back there, you wouldn't know they were back there.

Until, that is, they magically auto-on with a wave of your hand.



This is my cargo area illuminated solely by the car's dome light (all shop lights are turned off).




And this is with the new lamps in place and activated (all shop lights are still turned off).

Remarkable difference! Makes hooking up the Battery Tender's alligator clips to the battery a lot easier (especially with it being a side-post battery). Triggering the lights takes just a slight movement of your hand anywhere in this area. The lights come on, you do your thing, and 20 seconds after there's no further movement detected, the lights turn off.

I haven't had these lights long enough to know for sure, but I'm betting that in auto mode, with a full charge, these things will go for months without needing to be fed again.

Another oddly-satisfying little project in the books.

RPO Joe

NOTE: This post has been edited about ten million times for clarity.

 

Surprised the cost cutters at GM would have deleted the storage area light. Looks like a good idea. Particularly for our hangar queens.
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Cost cutters at GM would probably sell their grandmothers for $1 and include delivery.

 

I like lt

 

same here...great write-up!