Dash light bulb sizes - '53 Henry J

[bearman]

I took out a non-functioning dash light bulb and had Napa Auto parts give me the placement bulb.  But I cannot get it to completely seat or light up when the lights are turned on.  The original bulb has a TS 55 on it.  Was that the correct bulb in the first place?  It has two little studs at the base.  BTW, this is the bulb that lights up the right side of the instrument display.

[mbflemingkf]

That's correct, the instrument lights used a #55 bulb.  "TS" is the manufacturer, Tung-Sol; that part doesn't matter.  Brand new 55 bulbs can be purchased on e-bay.  Don't buy "NOS" bulbs.  The glue that holds the bulb to the base is typically dried out and the connection fails or the parts separate.  Get some new bulbs and swap them around.  The electrical connection to the socket in question could be bad.  Have you tested it with a 6v voltage tester?   

[Fid]

Sometimes the sockets are a bit rusty or don't seat completely in the hole on the back of the cluster. If either condition exists, they won't ground properly and will not work so check that as well.

[bearman]

Thank you both for the replies; I'll proceed accordingly.