What's up! I hope everybody got to work on trucks this weekend.
Have made good progress with the new wire harness...12v repro gauges, new sending units, etc. Since power is now coming from one central fuse box and I dont have to pull it over from the ignition key switch, I think all I need for the headlight harness is hookup for "control" of the lights, or do I still need to pull power over from the key switch?. I have a power lead for the headlights and a separate power lead for the headlight Dimmer...can these be connected to the same position on the back of the headlight switch? I am using the original key and headlight switches (so I can keep the pushbutton start), I have inserted the pushbutton starter in line between the key switch and the starter...shouldnt need a ground at pushbutton since it is only Un-Breaking the circuit when pushed.
How would You hookup the headlights????
thanks, Ed
ps...It's a snap harness, power goes to fusebox then out to all areas

 

Are you sure the "headlight dimmer" wire is a power wire? I would have thought it would be going from the headlight switch to the dimmer switch?

 

If you are wiring your truck lights similarly to how they were originally, you don't need the dimmer wire. Power for the lights should come from your headlights lead from the fuseblock and go to the "B" tab on the light switch (if it's the same as a 56). Then a wire should run from the "H" tab on the switch to the floor dimmer switch. That switch will toggle power between the bright and dim elements in the light.

 

Yep, both the headlight and dimmer wires are labled "pwr". I am trying to use the original headlight switch, key switch and pushbutton starter. There was no fuse box on these originally, only a couple of circuit breakers that transferred power (screwed to back/side of dash cluster). The new wire harness has a complete fusebox that has a single power lead in and then distributes the power elsewhere. The new dimmer switch plug was wired exactly like the old setup. If I remember correctly, the main power came in thru the key switch..to the breaker and then from there to the pushbutton and also to the headlight switch. So, if I have two power wires going to headlight switch (one for both the dimmer and the headlights)...there is the stumper. The original head light switch has two "b" terminals.
I'll try to post a pic of the switch(s) tomorrow night so you might see what I'm looking at.
I hate to change switches now due to the dash already being painted and I dont want to alter and mess it up.
Making a 53 yr. old truck work with new wires in an old style way is to say the least...an interesting challenge!
thanks agin for any ideas.
Ed

 

There is absolutely no point to running power to the dimmer switch from the fuseblock, unless you want your headlights on all the time.

One wire goes from a fused source to the headlight switch. Two wires come off the headlight switch: headlights and parking lights. The headlights wire goes to the dimmer switch, which selects whether the power goes to the high beams or the low beams. That's all there is to it!

Your starter setup has nothing to do with the headlight switch.

 

Albuqs right. On the original harness, the main power for the whole truck comes through a 10 ga wire from the solenoid to the headlight switch. The headlight switch in the 53-56 is the main circuit breaker for the truck. If your switch fries, you can lose power to every thing. The ign switch is fed from the head light switch, it does not feed the head light switch. The head light wire from the headlight switch feeds the dimmer, and the dimmer feeds the lamps. So, 1)power from solenoid to H/L switch 2) H/L switch to ign 3) H/L switch to dimmer switch 4) Dimmer switch to lamps.