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Guys,

In replacing my headlight switch I noticed two detached wires. One was fried and an orange color one looks clipped. See pic. I would like help with identifying what those two wires are for?

For your reference: headlights work, running lights work, dash lights work, tailights work, turn signals work front and back. Brake lights aren't working ( they did work at one point coulb be a bad switch) cigarette lighter works, it used to have a heater at one point, but I removed it. The truck does not have the dome light hooked up, nor does it have a glove box light ( i want to add one though) all the dash gauges all work as well. So..not sure what those wires are for? Oh and the dimmer switch functions normally also.

Does anyone have a diagram of the 57 switch?

Thanks!

Here's a wiring diagram for your car. https://57classicchevy.com/images/1957-chevrolet-wiring-diagram.gif

It shows that that black wire goes to the tail lights

Go to pdf page 497 in the below manual.

1955-1959 Chevrolet Truck Factory Assembly Manual pdf

Main Wiring Harness Assembly and Dome Light Wire
Assembly To Lighting Switch Assembly Instruction
Section 12, Sheet 20

The manual came from THIS PAGE and clickIing on Sticky: 55-59 Truck Assembly Manual

For some reason the thermal circuit breaker on the ribbed dome lamp wire failed to open. that in turn melted the wire.
You probably need a new switch but you have to find the short in ether the ribbed dome lamp wire or the orange stoplamp wire or both.
Otherwise you'll be in the same boat.

The ribbed dome lamp wire and the orange stoplamp wire are connected to the same thermal circuit breaker.
The orange stoplamp wire could have shorted and then back fed the short into the ribbed dome lamp wire.

That kind of reminds me of a time when I was burying telephone drops from the home to the telephone pedestals.
I got a call from the boss to come to a home where they were having phone problems.
There was a trailer home behind the home and at one time someone must of buried romex from the trailer to the home power meter
That day the renter of the home was digging a hole with a auger in the back yard to put up a clothesline pole.
The auger hit the romex and twisted the romex around the auger bit which created a short.
The thing was they connect the romex on the hot side of the meter, so there was no circuit breaker and free electricity.
They also ran the romex inside the conduit so you couldn't see it.
When the romex shorted, it melted the romex insulation which shorted out the telephone box ground which was clamped to the conduit.
The electricity also went down the telephone drop wire to the telephone pedestal and killed a bird that was sitting on top of the telephone pedestal.
Electricity is some weird stuff.

xfiles

Thank you for your detailed information Jorb. That explains why when I got the truck it had no dome light. I bought a repop dome light a while ago and tried to run the wire through the headliner but was never able to fish it through successfully. If you know of a good way to get a wire for the dome light to the switch bypassing the headliner let me know??

So after I wrote my question on here, I found out after searching the internet that the orange wire was the stop light wire. I repaired the orange wire and my brake lights work again. So like you said, the switch must have shorted out. It looked to be original to the truck as I actually had to drill out the retaining nut to get it out. I ordered a couple of connector housing to replace the ones that were damaged. Happy to report that the NOS switch i installed is working and all my lights are too.

Thanks!!