How do I keep the doors open but have the lights off?

I can't remember if the vacuum pulls them open or closed.

There should be a simple way to hook it up direct so that they open when you start the car (vacuum applied) or leave the vacuum off and they stay open all the time. Make any sense?

Can I ask why you would want to do this?

-- Edited by Carl Stevenson on Friday 2nd of October 2009 12:56:43 PM

Are they vacuum? In 1967, Corvette and Camaro were both electric. Any chance yours are electric?

On my car, there are two switches. One for the actual lights, and one that opens or closes the doors. You have to hold the second switch in the on or off position until the doors are fully open or fully closed. The 1967 Camaro operated off one switch, however, which utilized two electric motors, three relays, in-line diodes, limit switches, a circuit breaker, and several other electrical parts. Both Corvette and Camaro went to vacuum in 1968. That presented all new problems as the Special High Performance and Heavy Duty engines had so much camshaft overlap that there was often insufficient vacuum to operate the doors.

Are yours electric?

they're vacuum, the vacuum resevoir is the big tomato juice can thing in the front drivers corner of the engine compartment.   I think the theory is they need vacuum to open.  The vacuum resevoir is there to keep the doors open when you go wide open throttle and go to zero vacuum.  (nothing like opening the secondaries and have your headlight doors close on you on a dark night)

You likely just need to figure out which vacuum line goes directly to the pods that open the doors, and apply vacuum to it to open the doors.  You may need to buy a handheld vacuum pump (like those used to service carburetors, you know, looks like a pistol with a vacuum guage on it) to get enough vacuum.

I'd also suggest picking up a 1967 Canadian Pontiac service manual, that should indicate how to service the hide-away headlight system.

I have seen guys just walk up to the doors and lift each one by hand. When I asked one of them about this he said the vaccum system was disabled to permit him to do that.

I COULD BE WRONG, I BELIEVE THE VACUUM HOLDS THEM CLOSED AND THAT IS WHY WHEN A CAR WITH HIDDEN HEADLIGHTS SITS FOR A LONG PERIOD WITH OUT BEING STARTED THE DOORS SOMETIMES START TO OPEN ON THIER OWN DUE TO VACUUM BLEED OFF AND POSSIBLE LEAKS. ON MY '68 GP THE  DRIVER SIDE WILL START TO OPEN AFTER A COUPLE WEEKS OF NOT BEING STARTED. THE FORMER OWNER INCLUDED A NEW LITTLE VACUUM DIAPHRAM GIZMO AND SAID IT SHOULD CURE THE WEAK DOOR. ALSO, I BELIEVE AS A SAFETY FEATURE YOU CAN MANUALLY OPEN THE DOORS. I THINK I SAW THIS IN AN OWNERS MANUAL, BUT CHECK INTO THAT BEFORE YOU START TUGGING OR PULLING ON IT. THINGS MIGHT BE DIFFERENT ON A '67.

 The single pot on these are a dual action... There are 3 hoses going to the switch, vac, open and closed. If you shut the car off when they are open and bleed the vac, they will stay open when you turn off the headlights. But when you start, they will close.

But unlike others, even when they bleed off, the doors will not open due to the spring holding them closed as well plus they have to open "uphill"!

 So, if you want to drive it with the lights off and the doors open, open them up and remove the vacuum source from the intake manifold. Or plug off the "closed" source of vacuum to the door pot..........

-- Edited by 67Poncho on Friday 2nd of October 2009 03:36:44 PM

is it not in the owner's manual-how to open them without the lights on ?

Mine is vaccuum. One pull knob for lighting and opening.

67BBSD wrote:

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is it not in the owner's manual-how to open them without the lights on ?

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 I don't think it does.

Carl,
I'd like to open them up to clean the lamps. I'll probably pull the bulbs, because I'd like to polish the stainless rings. I don't want the car running with the lamps on or open with the engine off either.

 

cdnpont wrote:

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Carl,
I'd like to open them up to clean the lamps. I'll probably pull the bulbs, because I'd like to polish the stainless rings. I don't want the car running with the lamps on or open with the engine off either.

 

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 Mark, just push them open with the engine off as I stated earlier! That is what I do with all of mine....

 When I show someone new the hideaways, I show them the car "asleep", and then I open the doors to show them the car "awake"!! Always seems to bring a chuckle!!!

 

Thanks Vince. Missed it.
Case opened/closed....

cdnpont wrote:

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Thanks Vince. Missed it.
Case opened/closed....

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 Missed it??? Old age??? (lol) It does work great though!!

 

Actually Vince, I like the way the 67' GP uses a single center cylinder with rods going to each door. They open at the same time.
Do most big 3, 60's and 70's (other than Vette) share this design?

take it to the Russian building

427carl wrote:

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take it to the Russian building

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          Huh?

 

cdnpont wrote:

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Actually Vince, I like the way the 67' GP uses a single center cylinder with rods going to each door. They open at the same time.
Do most big 3, 60's and 70's (other than Vette) share this design?

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 Actually, Mark, I do to!!! Not sure of the others as I can remember only mine to having hideaways when I was growing into these.... I know the '68 Grandes, as I have 2 now, have 2 pots and are, of course separate! What about the  Chevy line of hideaways???

My '69 Caprice had a manual overide switch under the hood on the vacuum can.

This link isn't specifically about '67 or '68 Pontiacs, but there may be some helpful information anyway.

http://www.camaros.net/techref/articles/rpoz22_1.htm

I don't know about the Pontiacs but on my 68 & 69 Chevy Caprices, there is an open and close button on top of the big vacuum cannister. You slide it to the open position to have doors open with the light lights on or off.