How do all you wiring gurus do it? This wiring stuff is over my head!

Well, I'm finally getting around to wiring up the headlights and tail lights. I just realized that the little lights under the headlights are only set up for one thing. I wired them in as blinkers, and just stored the parking light wires for now. Did these ol trucks have parking lights originally?

On another note, the tail lights have 1157 bulbs, and therefore two wires coming from each of them. How do I know which wire goes to the brake/blinker filament, and which goes to the running light filament? Are the bulbs marked somehow? I couldn't tell...

On yet another thought, my painless (yea right!) wiring harness has two wires running to the brake light switch, one says "power b+" and the other says "turn switch" (or something to that effect) With only two terminals on the switch I figure I have a 50/50 shot at getting it right. Maybe ya'll can help me out...

 

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I have a 56. It has a 12V system. The park lights are also turn lights with two wires like the rear brake lights and use 1157 bulbs as well. When my headlights are on, the park lights are also. Turn signals just blink brighter like the rears. If your park light socket has only one wire, you can replace it with a two-wire socket for an 1157 bulb.

I found out which wire to the tail light was which by turning on the ignition and the turn signal. I used a test light to find out which of the two leads coming to the back was hot. Then used a jumper from that lead to each tail light wire to find out which one was the brighter turn signal. The other lead is, by default, the running tail light. Did same on the other side to find the turn signal. The other tail running light is just a splice from the other side's tail light lead.

I'm not much of an electrician either. BUT, I have found out that patience is the best tool for electrical work. Just think of the current as water and the wires as pipes. Everything goes to a ground.

Get a Shop Manual (it has all the schematics) and wade into it. You'll get the hang pretty quick. I have not found an electrical problem that I haven't been able to resolve on my own or with some help from the forum folks.

Good luck

 

Where does one find a shop manual? I want to get one now, so that I will have it when I need it (If I ever find a truck).

 

You can get a shop manual from Motor Haven listed at the top of this site. Or from others like Dennis Carpenter, Sacremento Vintage Ford, or Midfifty.

 

Electrical brake switches are non-denominational, er...bi-polar, well, they don't care which wire goes where, they are either on or off.

FWIW, Painless has the best instructions of the 4 or 5 different brands that I've installed over the years and is what I put in all of my vehicles.

Mike

 

wiring is not difficult, it's just plumbing for electrons. People that think nothing of running brake lines or putting in a new sink freak out just because they can't see them.