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My 1976 was purchased with kinda a wiring mess in the inside. Ive been trying to sort out this mess to get it finally road worthy. Ive been putting this off for 2 years. Time to bite the bullet and get it fixed. I hope you guys can help this novice…
Pic #1 (above) This black wire (I assume a gnd) is screwed into the metal on the passenger side. A grey wire is spliced into the end Im holding. Where does it go?
Pic #2 (above) This saucer shaped object (by passenger kick panel) , Im not sure what it is but the black wire from it goes nowhere. Wire, its just hanging… What is it and whats it supposed to be connected to?
Pic #3 (above) This wire w/connector has 2 looped leads on it. What is it and whats it supposed to be connected to?
Pic #4 (above) This connector by the drivers side has a connector on it but nothing connected…? What is it and whats it supposed to be connected to?
Pic #5 (above) Another shot of: This connector by the drivers side has a connector on it but nothing connected…? What is it and whats it supposed to be connected to?
Pic number 4 connector is the connector for the rear window defroster(appears broken should have 4 connections in plug I believe). Located on Center console near right knee. I have a 76 but am working quite a bit as I try to also finish mine. I will look for those other connections as soon as I can get a chance. (dash is torn out right now.)Mine is all original so I can retrace for you.
Pic number 4 connector is the connector for the rear window defroster(appears broken should have 4 connections in plug I believe). Located on Center console near right knee. I have a 76 but am working quite a bit as I try to also finish mine. I will look for those other connections as soon as I can get a chance. (dash is torn out right now.)Mine is all original so I can retrace for you.
You might want to consider buying one of the large plastic coated wiring diagrams for a 76. It shows all wires and their colors so you can trace each circuit. I use a grease pencil to highlight the circuit working on at the time. This has been a great help to me when sorting out all the various circuits and wires that bubba has been into at one time or another.
pic #3 is for the HVAC control light (I think that's what it's called). They go on the light on the top side of the center gauge bezel.
In this pic, it's the wedge in front of the a/c vents:
*Note*
I swapped my 77 dash out for a 78 dash, but the wiring and center cluster are the same between the 76 & 77. That's why it looks different than what (i'm sure) you've seen for the 76.
Last edited by TurboStitchCW; Jul 28, 2014 at 06:20 PM.
While I can't make a totally subjective judgement by your photo's, you would do yourself a big favor and inspect the whole dash wire harness carefully. How do the speedo and tach bulb holders look? Are they totally beat up, with copper wire exposed out the back? Are there numerous taped up repairs? Are many of the wires scorched, damaged or frayed? Are the connectors all beat up looking (like the one in the photo)?
If your wire harness meets all the criteria above, you'd be way better off, just getting a new harness. That thing is nearly 40 years old and believe me, it won't be the end of your troubles with it. I dicked around with mine for many months and it finally smoked on me, on the freeway without warning.
While the $500 bucks sounds like a lot, I'd have paid that up front, to not go into the dash four or five more times, disassembling and reassembling it, tracking down the numerous gremlins, repairing the repairs and on and on. It would've saved me a bunch of time and my time is worth something.
I've got a new harness in my '74 and worry no more.
PS: I just took a really good look at the photos and it meets the criteria. I see black tape, beat up bulb holders, with frayed wires hanging out the back (and that's 12v too!). Your harness is shot, kaput. Replace it or suffer the consequences, like I did. Spend it now, or spend it later. After all, you've been putting it off for two years to tackle it, why not start fresh. You won't regret it. You will regret not getting a new one, though, guaranteed.
While I can't make a totally subjective judgement by your photo's, you would do yourself a big favor and inspect the whole dash wire harness carefully. How do the speedo and tach bulb holders look? Are they totally beat up, with copper wire exposed out the back? Are there numerous taped up repairs? Are many of the wires scorched, damaged or frayed? Are the connectors all beat up looking (like the one in the photo)?
If your wire harness meets all the criteria above, you'd be way better off, just getting a new harness. That thing is nearly 40 years old and believe me, it won't be the end of your troubles with it. I dicked around with mine for many months and it finally smoked on me, on the freeway without warning.
While the $500 bucks sounds like a lot, I'd have paid that up front, to not go into the dash four or five more times, disassembling and reassembling it, tracking down the numerous gremlins, repairing the repairs and on and on. It would've saved me a bunch of time and my time is worth something.
I've got a new harness in my '74 and worry no more.
PS: I just took a really good look at the photos and it meets the criteria. I see black tape, beat up bulb holders, with frayed wires hanging out the back (and that's 12v too!). Your harness is shot, kaput. Replace it or suffer the consequences, like I did. Spend it now, or spend it later. After all, you've been putting it off for two years to tackle it, why not start fresh. You won't regret it. You will regret not getting a new one, though, guaranteed.
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If pict two is a wire plugged into the vacuum line then I would kind of make me wonder what else the PO may have done under there.
I have a 76 and bought the big glossy wire diagram also. Having the photo of the connectors really makes it easier to figure out where everything goes. Or is supposed to go.
Need Some 1976 Wiring Help
