i'm putting interior back together on my 68' BB coupe....both dash panels are in, so i'm down to center gauge cluster and console. i have two wires that i'm not sure about (really just one, i'm 99% on the other)

first wire (dual black wire with terminal on the end, with green tape to identify)......i'm pretty sure this is a console ground, but WHERE does it plug in to?? 2 pics included of this wire....





the next two pics are of a single black wire that comes out of the harness at the same point that the instrument lights, and instrument plugs come out....it was cut at some point, and has nothing but bare wire at the end....another ground? for what/where?? this black wire is in about the middle of the pic.....

 

Spade terminal on the underside of the console trim plate; just in front of the ashtray.

Can't help with the unidentified black in the bundle.

 

thanks Mike, that helps a bunch, and takes care of one connection. just wish i knew what that other black wire was for.....since it exits the harness at the exact same place that all of the other center gauge wires exit, i have to believe it is intended to go there (somewhere).....does the center gauge cluster/radio bezel have a separate ground?? Rick

 

Yes, it starts at the center terminal of the temp gauge, the other end of that black wire attaches to the A pillar just above the dash.

 

The 2 black wires joined in one spade connector is attached to the spade terminal located on the side of your a/c-heater control head.

The other black wire ...that has had the terminal cut off of it went to your factory radio connector. The 3 terminal connector that went to your radio also had a grey wire and the yellow wire ( which is radio power).

DUB

 

i have the ground in place at the A pillar and the black wire is in place in the center terminal on the temp gauge plug (i assume you mean that the black wire is part of the actual plug/connector for the temp gauge, or are you saying it is separate, and attaches to a terminal on the back of the gauge itself?) my connector for the temp gauge does have all 3 wires intact. let me know if you are talking about an independent ground wire ok? thanks for you help, Rick

 

Dub, i checked my wiring again tonight, the radio plug has all 3 wires in place, yellow, grey and black....this one black wire that i can't identify is probably a little lighter gauge than the other black wires in the harness, and comes out of the harness at the exact same spot that the lamp wires, and instrument wires(for the center bezel area) exit the harness, coming from the fuse box area. i just feel like it is intended to go somewhere in the center instrument bezel area based on it's position in the harness....any more ideas?? i appreciate your input, and know that you have lots of experience. thanks, Rick

 

FWIW: my 68 AIM has a wiring diagram in it. Does your AIM have the diagram?

 

ALL of the AIM's have wiring diagrams.....thank you! i have the AIM and actually sent away for a second (more simplified version) wiring diagram, but have not been able to identify this particular wire. (which is why i started this thread)........FWIW, Rick

 

i did check this wire with my multimeter last night, and confirmed that it has continuity with a known ground wire....so it is definitely a ground...just not sure where it belongs! LOL.....anyone? is there an independent ground running to the radio/instrument bezel, or are the grounds in the plug/connectors? thanks, Rick

 

Not true. My 68 and 69 AIMs have wiring diagrams, but most of the later ones do not. I brought it up because I do not know the source of your AIM. Mine is ancient (literally) and came from Mid-America. Yours could be newer and from a different vendor.

For the dash and center cluster, in my AIM the grounds (blacks) tend to meet at a single source. I was thinking you might be able to do a process of elimination to get an idea of what your unidentified one might be.

Stock radio connector has a black ground, gray illumination, and yellow power.

Center cluster does not have a separate ground.

Tach and speedo each have separate grounds. These two are usually bundled with the wiring group behind each instrument, but I can see where the tach ground could have gotten over by the center cluster.

 

Sorry Mike, my bad....i have quite a few AIM's and they are all ancient (purchased them years ago from a local vette shop going out of biz) so yes, they do have the wiring diagrams, which have come in real handy so far...but this one DAMN wire eludes me! LOL both my tach and speedo have their separate grounds...and i now know where the separate ground goes to console...so i will study my diagrams again and see if i can use process of elimination! thanks for your help, Rick

 

So much for that hunch.


Thumbed through my AIM this evening and found these. All are black:
Gauge
14 Temp gauge; Console trim plate (a pair); HVAC control (from pair above); Radio; Tach; Speedo; Wiper solenoid
16 Ammeter (not a ground)
18 Wiper switch; wiper override switch
20 Ignition switch lamp (with a gray)

 

Mike, this is a smaller wire, probably more like 18-20 gauge.....all of the black wires that you just mentioned are in place on my car...UNLESS you are saying that the wiper switch has a separate ground? or were you just talking about the black wire in the connector? (thanks for researching for me) Rick

 

Yes, you have that correct, the 3 wire temp plug black ends at the a pillar.
Sorry, I don't have any other suggestions.

 

ok, thanks for letting me know! Rick

 

black wire in the connector.