• Welcome to the CaliforniaSpecial.com forums! - You are currently viewing the forums as a GUEST. To take advantage of all our site features, please take a moment to join our community! It's fast, simple and absolutely free.

    If you have problems registering or can't log into your account, please contact Admin.

    Please Note: If you are an existing member and your password no longer works, click here to reset it.

1968 Restoring tail light wiring

dalorzo_f

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 7, 2006
Messages
1,886
Location
Brisbane Australia
Picked up a set of the T-bird tail light buckets with the OEM wiring intact and in "good" shape.

Restoring the buckets and reflective interior is easy. The wiring is another story. Does anyone have some tips on:

1. removing the sockets and somehow replacing corroded springs on the contacts? Cut and replace and reattach the contact tips? Source for the springs?

2. replacing the rubber/plastic "boots" over the end of the wire at the socket.

3. replacing the woven covering (think this needs to be done prior to adding the plug ends, but figured I'd ask anyway...)
 
Last edited:
OP
OP
D

dalorzo_f

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 7, 2006
Messages
1,886
Location
Brisbane Australia
Found these.

http://www.store.ynzyesterdaysparts.com/1-1/8-double-contact-park-and-tail-socket.html

Looks like a direct replacement for the inner base/springs/contacts. Toss the outer housing. Snip the old contacts off, sleeve on the new fitting, solder new tips. Lose about 1/4" of wire off the ends. Awaiting delivery to Australia to see how well they work, but in talking to the company they seem to fit the bill. Brand new contacts and springs! :)

To get the rubber boots off, a short soak in boiling water softened them for removal (a heat gun could work too). A small jeweller's screwdriver slid up the wires split the heat crimped section off the wire with minor scarring. Slide the boot down from the socket. Once they slip back on a daub of a black sealant on the one or two small cuts, fold them over and tape, and they will look pretty much unmolested.

Can also get new woven loom to recover the wiring. With the contacts are clipped, short sections can be sleeved on no problem.

http://www.store.ynzyesterdaysparts.com/wire-cover/auto-loom.html

So for about $40 I'll have restored "near new" taillight harnesses with OEM wiring/plugs/and housings.

HTH someone else...
 
OP
OP
D

dalorzo_f

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 7, 2006
Messages
1,886
Location
Brisbane Australia
A note on another forum dismissed the loom/cover from YnZ.

It "looks" similar on screen, but that is not really a great validation.

In looking at the Tbird taillight covering/loom its different to the "standard" woven on most of the Mustang looms. Looks tighter and more "solid". Has anyone used the YnZ loom and seen how it might compare to the original Tbird ones? as they are short sections, while cutting the socket and replacing it would be easy to resleeve the cut-to-length coated loom, assuming it looks close...
 
OP
OP
D

dalorzo_f

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 7, 2006
Messages
1,886
Location
Brisbane Australia
Thanks for that, I have seen that style here in Australia.

May look into a sample. It appears the YnZ may be a bit closer, but as a hidden part may take the path of least resistance...
 
OP
OP
D

dalorzo_f

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 7, 2006
Messages
1,886
Location
Brisbane Australia
Well, just spoke to the owner of YnZ. Really nice guy, very helpful.

As the automated web shipping wanted $250 for a small box, they offered to hand pack and find a cheaper alternative. Done within an hour of my call, and now on the way.

They make a lot of their own parts and while not Mustang specific, they do re-loom OEM wiring. The loom I bought is a replica of the cotton/asbestos/asphalt from modern weave material and a Corning/plastic-y fireproof coating instead of asphalt. I'm hoping they look very close to OEM, the owner seemed to think so as the 65 part timeframe fit, per him, with that style of loom.

So if anyone is interested in repairing a typically worn taillight or other harness maybe keep them in mind. Or needs other odds and ends of the type they make.

US company, a lot made/done on site with proprietary molds and processes. Supporting the hobby, and the fact the main guy took the time to shoot-the-sh...ip with a hobbyist from Australia and talk cars and what they do for a good 15-20 minutes for a small $100 order was impressive...

Will post some pics and results once the parts arrive.
 
OP
OP
D

dalorzo_f

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 7, 2006
Messages
1,886
Location
Brisbane Australia
Got the parts from YnZ. Worked great. Thieu 1/4" wire loom is extremely close to the OEM. Getting the harness apart is a bit tricky to sleeve it on. Here are some pics of the first harness. Perfect.. no, but a far sight better than the frayed, exposed-wire state it was in.

Loom comparison



New sockets. The big improvement, no more corroded tips and missing springs causing bad connections.



Soldered tips



Newly wrapped, needs a bit more work and looking to make a new white FoMoCo/Part # tape wrap to add a finishing touch.



 
OP
OP
D

dalorzo_f

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 7, 2006
Messages
1,886
Location
Brisbane Australia
Thanks, yes it was rewarding to fix a part most told me not to bother with.

If corroded plug contacts are an issue, the typical difficult to install/remove bulb (loose and floppy as the contact is crushed and rusted to the base of the socket, or rusted "up" and makes it hard to get the bulb out or in) one can just pull the boots back off the sockets, clip the wires and resolder the new contacts in with new "inserts". Nice shiny as-new springs and shiny new contacts with good continuity. A far simpler fix to a somewhat common issue than stripping the harness to bare wires and replacing the loom.

This fix will also work for standard '67/'68 mustang tail lights too....

HTH
 
Top