instrument lights don't work HELP

[lexluthor09]

My 1991 Pick Up's instrument/dash lights dont' work. I checked the fuse and it looks fine.. (i'll check again). I went to the dealer and the guy said that it'd cost 300 bucks to fix, and that if I don't fix it soon, its gonna cause serious problems. Can anybody give any insight as to what could be wrong? Thanks in advance.

[slacker501]

might sound silly ... but have you checked the dash dimmer ?
its a twisty knob on the left I believe , that dims the lights while night driving .

[lexluthor09]

turns out that the headlight switch is broken. the mechanic at the dealer told me it'd cost 325 bucks to get this part. Anyone know if i could just jerry rig it or something like make a custom switch for my lgihts?