The car was just purchased a week ago. I dunno the history behind it but it does look pretty half-assed (it ws $2k). However according to the information on the fuse panel the gauge pod lights, tail lights, and liscense plate lights are on the same circuit.

Actually I'm begining to believe that it may be a weather issue. The car was fine until it saw rain last night. Not to mention the dimming issue may have been a result of the voltage increasing as the water contacted the wire. I was just wondering if anybody knew any certain problem places to start. If it doesn't clear up after the weather gets better we're thinking of just running new wires to a 12v source with a simple switch. Much easier than searching the existing harnesses.