The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Electrical Bay wiring up tail lights

I have installed new 6v tail lights on my '53 GMC but I am not sure how to connect the wires. I have two hot wires coming from the front - I'm guessing one is for the brake light, one for the tail light. The new lights have a black wire and a green wire coming out of the housing. If you have a visual link or easy to follow instructions, I'd appreciate your help.
Craig

From near as I can tell, the green wire should be for the brake lamps, the black to the tail light terminal. I could only find a Chevy wireing diagram online, and it wasn't very easy to read. I'd say try it that way, if they don't work, swap the wires!

GMC53,

I think Bill has the right idea...hook them up, if they're bass-ackwards, swap them. With no turn signals, there are only the two wires. Your new taillight housing are made of metal and contain a single-dual filament lamp...right. If this isn't true, then more engineering would be necessary.

To go from one side to the other, merely 'T' the wires at the first light.


Stuart

Your advice got me started in the right direction. I wired up. Turned out the green is for tail light and license light, black for brakes. Driver side lights worked, passenger side didn't. Checked in housing and found a broken bulb. Replaced. Still won't work. The lights do have two bulbs, so that may complicate things somewhere. I have run a ground wire from each light to the frame. My neighbor brought over a voltage/continuity tester and we found that the passenger side brake light had some juice even when the brake wasn't pressed and even when the hot wire was disconnected!? What's up with that?

GMC53,

Improper grounding can send voltage through places it shouldn't be as it tries to find a good connection to the battery. This can result in mysterious readings with a meter.

If you have the drivers side light working you are half done...hooray! If you still have your neighbors help, use the continuity function on the meter and verify that each socket in the questionable light has continuity to the metal housing. If this pans out, the metal housing must have a good ground to the bed/frame when it is mounted. Scratch a new patch on the little lead tit on each bulb base and do a little scratch to the tit inside the lampholder. This is a real simple deal and you're almost there.

Stuart

I echo Stuart's post. I had tempermental tail lights, one side working, one not, etc. Turned out to be the mounting bracket wasn't torqued tight to the bed. I was banging my head against the wall, thinking it was wiring, switches, bulbs, when it turned out to be a bolt!

Bill

I finally took off the light-mounting bracket, scraped the thick coat of paint around the bolt hole down to bare metal, bolted it back on, and it lit right up. I just had to find the right place. Both tail and brake lights work now. Thanks for the advice,
Craig