The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Electrical Bay Park Lights - how to route wire?

Looking for a simple answer. I'm stumped. What is the original routing of the wire from the terminal block on the inner fender to the parking light? ('54 3100) The diagrams seem to show it going to the outside of the radiator. Don't see how it would get back to the parking light assembly?? The routing hasn't been correct since I have had the truck so I have nothing to reference. The lights were buggered up when I got the truck, so something may be changed or missing.

Don't want to do it the easy way and run it through the headlight grommet.

Here is the diagram from the '54 Assembly Manual - disregard the red circle. The parking light wire labeled "PARKING LAMP (VIOLET)" starts in the upper left corner and runs past the grommet for the headlamp harness toward the radiator support.

EDIT UPDATE: Here is another diagram of front wiring from the '54 Assembly Manual. Shows a couple of clips facing out to hold the park light wire. Kinda shows the routing, but I still can't figure it out.

Here is the diagram from the '54 Accessories Installation Manual for turn signals. It shows the parking light wire attached to the terminal block, but I can't tell how it gets to the light.

Here is my inner fender in the process of rewiring. Driver's side. Radiator to the right (removed). Three-terminal block instead of a four-terminal block. The wire colors are not correct. FYI the single wire at the bottom goes to the horn. I may change it.

I'll bundle the wire for the turn signal filament with the wire for the parking filament and run them in the original route for the park light wire.

Hope to get the headlights back in tomorrow and finish up all the loose wires.

Thanks for the help that I have received in rewiring my front lights.

Lonnie,

I'll try to remember to check this tomorrow and post a few photos.

As I recall, there is an opening between the radiator housing and the inner fender. There are wire clips on the forward face of the inner fenders (between the inner fender and the grill).

Tim - Thanks for any help you can give me. I'm dead in the water for now. Don't want to cut my headlight wires and loom or my parking light wires to final length until I know how everything is routed.

In addition to the three riveted clips at the top of the radiator housing to hold the "headlight to headlight" harness, I see only two holes for clips on the inner fender. I believe the top one is for a clip facing the tire to hold the headlight loom before it enters the engine bay through the grommet. The lower one may be for a clip facing the grill to hold the wire for the parking light. But it seems that the wire would be easily visable throught he grill. Not sure about the routing.

Previous owner drilled a big hole behind the parking lights and soldered a bare light socket in it for parking lights/turn signals. I replaced it with reproduction '54 parking lights years ago. So I never knew the original route of the wire. Still have the big hole. Before I started rewiring, my parking light wire exited the big hole, dangled in the fender well up to the clip for the headlight loom, then entered the engine bay throught the headlight grommet.

Lonnie,

I am a little embarrassed by the quality of these photos and the lack-of-tightness of this wiring. It had been very nicely installed (by me) in 2004; but, I have had the front "clip" off twice since then - the last time was a rush just to simply "git 'er done".

Note that there appears to be extra wiring - that is a correct observation. I have an additional factory wiring loom that came with the add-on 1954 GM turn-signal wiring kit.

Also note that I have not "tightened" the wires - they could be much neater.

You most likely already know that a wiring loom from the drivers side to the passenger's side runs under the radiator/grill's upper shroud (there are three clips under the shroud piece). That "main" wiring loom (and second-horn wire) go through to the grill in an opening above the inner fender. The wires to the parking lamp go forward in a lower groove/opening between the radiator-frame and the inner fender.

You will also notice that behind the grill are a couple of clips on each side. The wiring behind the grill to the front parking/signal lamps is run behind the center grill bar and then drops down above the parking lamp housings. The clips hold those wires out of view.

It is not easy getting a good photo-angle inside and upwards under the front of the grill (I tried).

I hope this helps a little. If you want better photos, let me know. My Suburban is in a tightly packed garage (I did take it for a run last weekend). I can pull it out this weekend, tighten up the wiring and get better positioning for better photos.

Also, PM me with your phone number, if you would like me to talk you through the photos.

Tim -

Don't be embarassed by a few loose wires. I should be embarrased by my blank mind on routing the wires.

Thanks for the pics, description, and offer for a personal consulatation. I'll start with renewed vigor tomorrow morning. But it seems like the more that I learn, the more I need to know.

>> Now the additional info I found that I need ...
Are the terminal blocks mounted nearly horizontally as in my pic? That's the way the drivers side was mounted when I bought the truck. The passenger side had two horizontally spaced holes, but no block.

The blocks in your pics, the pics that Greg_H posted regarding my headlight connection question, and the diagrams in the Assembly Manual appear to be mounted vertically. There are two vertical mounting holes in the inner fender on the drivers side, but only the two horizontal holes on the passenger side. I'll look a little closer at the mounting holes tomorrow morning.

My terminal block mounting
Your terminal block 1
Your terminal block 2
Greg_ terminal block
Assembly Manual

Thanks again for your help,

Lonnie,

I will not be able to take more photos until Friday evening or Saturday.

I have three sets 54/55 of fenders.

Are the blocks in the pics that you posted mounted vertically? Do you know if any of the additional sets of fenders have the blocks mounted horizontally as in my pic?

Thanks again,

I will try and get a better reference picture tomorrow. I think they are on a diagonal if memory serves.

Tim and Greg -

I'm starting to think that maybe my '54 has inner fenders from an earlier model, or possibly reproductions.

I searched Gus and Denny G's photo albums of their 1950s. Their terminal blocks are mounted near horizontal, like mine. Although their mounting holes are on raised "pillows"; mine are flat to the inner fender.
Gus driver (1950)
Gus #2 (1950)
Denny G driver (1950)
Denny G passenger(1950)
Mine drivers side in process (1954?)

I found holes in my inner fenders that would allow the terminal block to be mounted diagonally vertical like yours, but the holes are 3-1/2" apart. Too far for a four-terminal block.
>> How far apart are the mounting holes on your 4-terminal blocks? and 3-terminal blocks?

So - I'm mounting my blocks horizontally for now. I'll try to leave some slack in the wiring so that I can convert to vertical later, assuming I learn how to do it without drilling new holes.

The panel behind the grill is not drilled to hold the clip for the parking light wire. Another clue that my inner fenders may be from an earlier model. I'll drill a couple of holes for the clips.

Whew! I see why I was so flabbergasted. I was trying to see things that are not there.

I finally think that I'll get my truck back together in time to go to the Daytona Spring Turkey Run Mar 29+. And definitely in time to cruise Wayne's Florida gabfest Apr 21.

I really appreciate the time and effort you spent trying to get me on the right path.

Lonnie,

I snapped some more pictures at lunchtime. You were right. The driver's side is pretty close to vertical. The pass side sits more at an angle. The pass side is missing one of the snap in posts so in the lsat photos, I tried to hold it in position to line up correctly. I put the pictures in the wrong album so you will have to look at an old fire truck too. http://community.webshots.com/album/559358317pbmtkB?vhost=community

Webshots album link

Greg -

Those are great pics. They answer the rest of my questions. Thanks for going the extra mile to help me. I'm convenced now that my inner fenders are from an earlier year truck. The mounting holes for the terminal blocks are totally different.

Got tired trying figure out how to do it the "right" way, so I'm wiring two new 3-terminal blocks on my '54 in the 1950ish horizontal positions that match the mounting holes in my inner fenders. I should finish the headlights and parking light wiring tomorrow. Later, I can buy a 4-terminal block for the driver side, drill new holes, and mount as a '54 like the pics that you and Tim posted. I saved the pics to guide me when I make the change.

Just a SWAG - - I'm speculating that GM changed the 3-terminal block on the drivers side to 4-terminals in '54 when the horn was moved from the intake manifold to the radiator support. The position of the block was probably changed from horizontal to vertical because it makes a cleaner hook up.

Oh, one more thing ... will I need to remove my fender braces when I change the terminal blocks so that my '54 will look like yours!! Guess you had to remove them to make room for those two big ol' oil bath air cleaners on that classic Offy dual carb set up. I really like the way they look.

I did removed the braces for the dual carbs. I have never had any problem from removing them but plan on putting them back on with some modification. Probably just the fact that I am getting older.

Finished. I finished wiring the terminal blocks on the inner fenders for my headlights and parking lights. And I ran new looms for the headlights. Things went pretty smoothly after I figured out that the inner fenders are from an earlier model truck and that a previous owner had routed the parking lights and horn wrong.

I mounted the "three-terminal" terminal blocks in the existing holes on the inner fenders. I connected the wire for the horn to the wiring harness with a bullet connector. Moved the horn from the top of the inner fender to the correct location low on the left side of the radiator suport. Routed the wires for the parking lights as the diagrams showed and plugged up the hole that a previous owner had drilled behind the lamp assemblies. I matched wire colors in the new connections to the incorrect colors in the wiring harness.

Your answers in this thread and in another thread about head light connections lead me out of the wilderness.

It's not wired as a "correct" '54, but it looks better than before.

Pic 1
Pic 2

Thanks for your help and patients while I figured out how to do the wiring.