The first Chevrolet truck was a 490 light-delivery truck with a metal engine compartment and fenders with a wooden cab and bed. It sold for $595 in 1918. Powered by a 171 cubic-inch overhead valve four cylinder, the 490 rated at 21.7 horsepower. Several years late, the 1997 Chevy 1500 pickup truck uses a singular brake light switch activated by the brake pedal arm. The brake light switch is a three-inch plastic threaded tube with an on and off button on one end and the wire terminals on the other end. The switch is held in place by two lock nuts threaded onto the tube.
Look up under the dash and you will see the brake light switch mounted in a square bracket in front of the brake pedal arm. The switch threads into the hole in the bracket with the button end facing the pedal arm. The two lock nuts hold it in place. The switch threads in toward the pedal arm enough so that the button on the switch depresses by the action from the pedal arm. The default position is the button pushed against the arm and the circuit is open and the brake lights off. When the pedal is depressed, the pedal arm moves away from the button allowing it to extend and close the circuit to turn the lights on.
Unplug the electrical connector on the switch by simply pulling it off. Loosen the lock nuts on both sides of the switch bracket using a wrench. Once loosened, easily turn the nuts by hand. Remove the lock nut between the pedal arm and bracket by rotating it counterclockwise. Push the brake pedal down slightly to get the nut off.
Pull the switch out of the bracket. Remove the lock nut on the side of the button from the new switch.
Insert the switch into the mounting bracket. Depress the brake pedal slightly and install the lock nut on the switch between the pedal arm and switch. Adjust the switch by threading it clockwise into the bracket until the button depresses against the pedal arm. After adjustment, turn both lock nuts clockwise until they contact the mounting bracket. Tighten until they are snug against the bracket using a wrench. This will keep the switch from moving out and away from the pedal arm.
Plug the electrical connector into the backside of the switch by just pushing it on.
