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Hi , brand new member - haven't figured out search yet !
Just bought a 68 Corvette, got it home - washed it , waxed it , took it for a spin , and then just before i got it home , i stopped at some lights as the guy next to me tells me my tail lights are not working .... Got her home but found , Break lights work , turn signals work , tail lights not so much ... when the head lights are on the tail lights should come on right ? I switched out the fuse - changed the bulbs - still not working , dont think its a ground issue as the break lights work and the turn signals work and its all the same bulbs and connections , What else could it be ? 6.4 ft - its crazy hard to get under the dash .. wow i need to see a chiropractor after this ...LOL...
Really appreciate any idea's you may think of ...
Thanks
Dale
Could be the headlite switch, under the carpet on the driver side there is a connection for the rear harness, just remove the sill plate for access. Easy place to check for voltage. T
Thanks , checked the Voltage and there is none , so i took the headlight switch out , that was fun ..order a new one .... does anyone know which wire feeds the taillights power ? is it the brown one ? 68 Corvette
2025 c3 ('74-'82) of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
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Originally Posted by Dale68
Thanks , checked the Voltage and there is none , so i took the headlight switch out , that was fun ..order a new one .... does anyone know which wire feeds the taillights power ? is it the brown one ? 68 Corvette
Having had a 1968 C3 for 29 years I can tell you a thing or two about the 1968 Model C3 Corvette.
Have you tried removing the bulbs and cleaning the connections in the socket? Dirty grounds are a killer on these old Corvettes. I use DeOXIt to remove the corrosion on the contacts and the light is brighter than ever.
Back about 20 years ago I bought a spare bulb kit. Very handy to have spares.
Thanks for your replies , I have ordered a new headlight switch and took the opportunety to remove the instrument cluster , i guess i will change the bulbs and clean things up , until the headlight switch arrives , the stamp in the speedo says Nov 19 1967 , car is older then me by one year ..LOL
I will update the status when I have everything back together and hopefully working.
Boy was it a chore getting that cluster out , i am not looking forward to putting it back together , it took me 4 hours to get it out , i spent another 4 hours today cleaning it up and rewiring the lights for the tack and speedo as Bubba really made a mess of it , joys of owning a corvette !
If you did not remove the steering column then do it now....before you try to reinstall the dash. It's easy and makes things a lot easier and you won't break any delicate fiberglass parts. Believe me. I've taken out my dash maybe 10 times in 35 years and only did I pull the column last time---- it is well worth it to avoid breaking things.
Easy to SAY "remove the steering column". That is still a piece of work!! And you need 2 people to reinstall it (you can't see to line the spline up when you're inside the car!!)
If you got it out without removing the column (and without breaking the driver's dash panel), put it back in the same way (that's my suggestion, anyway).
2020 Corvette of the Year Finalist (performance mods)
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you dont have to completely remove it. If the driver seat is out , you can unbolt the steering column and let it drop and be able to get the dash back in. I usually start on the passenger side and work across as the drivers side is the hardest to get back in. Did you happen to take a picture of how the harness was positioned behind the dash. On a 68 they ran them a couple of different ways. I think min is diagonal across instead of all up or all down. Oh and im only 5'10"ish and I have to pull the drivers seat whenever I climb under there. I was 5'11 but climbing under there took and inch out of me
NOw back to your issue. ON a 68, THe power for the rear lights with the switch pulled out goes from the light switch down to the fuse panel, through the fuse then back up to the light switch then to the dash and to the rear running lights so if you didnt have the light switch pulled out you wouldnt have power at the wire. And the same at the fuse block. I had this same issue but my dash lights were not working. I had a burnt wore on the back of the fuse block.....If you have the old switch, plug it back in and see if you have power to the rear light fuse with the light switch pulled out.
Last edited by Rescue Rogers; Aug 11, 2020 at 05:35 PM.
Hi, headlight switch came in , discovered it was one of the tan wires from the headlight switch that goes to the alternator was completely fried , the insulation was falling off and the wires were very thin and broken , I replaced it , plugged in the headlight switch and we have tail lights.. thanks for all your help . I took the drivers dash out and replaced the bulbs and put it all back , my god was that a alot of work , i did drop the column , but man was the harness hard to get back into place , i originally thought it went over the speedo and tach , but after hours of trying to get it in place it just wouldn't , its is kind of on a diagonal , but it went in and i have hooked everything back up , lights work , tach works , ignition works , headlights and vacuum wipers work . The only think i can't get to work is the under dash courtesy light , any idea's on that , i see an orange wire , and a white wire ...haven't really had a go at it yet . hoping to fix that tomorrow and then put all the trim and top dash pad back in tomorrow . I have to say this has taken me probably 20 hrs of work .. 6.5 ft 245 lbs .. my hand are cut , my body hurts and i hope i never have to do this again ...LOL
2020 Corvette of the Year Finalist (performance mods)
2019 C3 of Year Winner (performance mods)
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For the dash switch to turn them on with a twist to the lock position, it has to have the ground plate on it. It's a little steel formed ribbon that went from the switch lock bolt to the speedometer housing. The other way is for the door switch at the front of the jamb to give it a ground..they always have power...I'll look at my schematics when I get home...I know all the dash wires are orange. I thought the courtesy was just white but it's probably both
EDIT
the orange is from the switch, white is door jamb at front of the door
Last edited by Rescue Rogers; Aug 15, 2020 at 05:47 PM.
figured out the under dash lighting - door switch wasn't grounded ... fixed ... everything is back together and working . Going to have a beer and give her a bath tomorrow and go for a ride ... Thanks very much for all your help , really appreciate it
2020 Corvette of the Year Finalist (performance mods)
2019 C3 of Year Winner (performance mods)
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Post pics or it didnt happen, you could be sitting in the basement playing video games and claim to be out cruising in your vette enjoying yourself....LOL
LOL... the last video game i played was Atari - maybe 1985 ?
Here are some pictures..
was a nice day out ! everything working - thats me in the shadow ..LOL back of dash - ground to headlight switch tach Nov 19 1967.. 52 years of dirt! trying to label the vacuum hoses to make reinstalling a bit easier . Steering wheel removal Instrument cluster is out ... that was not fun , not easy and not enjoyable ! cleaned it up a bit ignition - we have lift off. Headlight switch , one of the tan wires was completely burnt out .
2020 Corvette of the Year Finalist (performance mods)
2019 C3 of Year Winner (performance mods)
2016 C3 of Year Finalist
Hope you had a great cruise. We had heavy clouds and a light rain yesterday...More sprinkles a good rain after 230 here. Not bad overall aand a little cool for a change!!
Tail Light Saturday
