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I hope my last message went thru but anyway I got a 79 Vette for really cheap before going over seas with military I just got back and found that my brother took off the starter that I still haven't got an answer to but anyway I'm left with this I have one wire coming from battery I know where that goes but then I have solid purple wire then I have a red with white stripe and a red with black stripe wired together then I have a solid red wire looks to have a fuseable link in it and finally a big wire coming off frame of car I'm guessing that's the ground wire but I have no idea where the other wires go to on solenoid i know it would start before with this being wires the way it is but like I said I have no idea where they go thank u please help I have just finished putting in the engine myself and can't wait to start her up thanks again
Last edited by Silverbuyer0416; Apr 25, 2025 at 09:41 PM.
Not the same # of wires, but maybe this will help from another thread on a '79 starter:
Originally Posted by bmotojoe
You do have 4 wires.
#1 Positive cable from the battery
#2 Fuse link circuit(s)
#3 Start circuit
No other black wires will attach to the starter.
Somewhere in the starter harness there will be a #14 gauge black wire with 3/8" eyelet that connects to the lower bell housing bolt.
That #14 black wire serves as the wiper motor, blower motor and anti-theft hood switch ground.
May also serve as the coil ground for the high speed blower relay if A/C equipped.
Not the same # of wires, but maybe this will help from another thread on a '79 starter:
Well first off thank u but so sorry about the tread on 79 starter when every thing in the net talks about yellow and all this other but thanks and so the big cable that's mounted to frame don't or can't be grounded to starter cus it's to short to really make it to block and to be honest I thought this place would be good place to go but I was wrong first off your pictures didn't tell me **** ok I was being nice cus as u read I have chased the wiring harness I told u the colors and yet you think your pictures cleared up anything they didn't ok cus ur pictures don't address the question so to be clear before u jump someone make sure it right because ur not there is no bracket on the 79 I looked it up check for yourself ok two didn't explain the colors at all so wtfever ok **** on this
Last edited by Silverbuyer0416; Apr 26, 2025 at 11:37 AM.
I think you may have misinterpreted the Judge Judy gif -- that was intended to add levity to your brother removing the starter.
I did acknowledge that your car does not seem to have the same wire number and colors, but the pic posted shows the '79 solenoid wiring from another thread.
How many electric terminals do you have on your solenoid? Try this screenshot from a Willcox diagram:
Last edited by barkingrats; Apr 26, 2025 at 03:49 PM.
I am pasting your PM message because I think it's valuable to the thread:
Originally Posted by Silverbuyer0416
And I have no idea what ur calling a bracket cus there is no such thing on this one starter held up by 2 bolts nothing else around it
Bmotojoe mentioned the bracket, not I, however there should be one at the front of the starter to help support it to the block. The bracket bolt to the block is where a short frame grounding cable is attached. This diagram calls it a brace:
I am pasting your PM message because I think it's valuable to the thread:
Originally Posted by Silverbuyer0416
No I just don't get how my harness can be so different it's so frustrating I have figured out that I would say purple wire goes on lug closet to block my main big line goes in center and I guess the red and white and red and black go on main lug as well but I guess the solid red goes on there as and nothing on the other lug I'm just saying big lug middle with the two lugs labels r and s
I just want to confirm you are working on a '79, yes? With the wire colors it seems like an earlier C3 (or replacement harness?), but maybe not.
Is this what you've got?
purple wire
joined red/white & red/black
solid red (large terminal?)
large positive battery cable
With your 4-wires: of course the large ring-connector cable that comes from the transmission tunnel is the battery positive that goes under the large top nut. If you have a large ring-connector red, it should also pair with the battery positive under the large lug -- this is how the rest of the car gets battery power. The S (start) terminal should be the purple wire (small ring-connector); the R (run) terminal should be the joined red-stripe wires with small connector.
Last edited by barkingrats; Apr 26, 2025 at 03:51 PM.
I am pasting your PM message because I think it's valuable to the thread:
Bmotojoe mentioned the bracket, not I, however there should be one at the front of the starter to help support it to the block. The bracket bolt to the block is where a short frame grounding cable is attached. This diagram calls it a brace:
Thank u for that so basically I can just use starter bolt
Thank u for that so basically I can just use starter bolt
I KNEW that starter bolt in the illustration would throw people off! The smaller horizontal bolt at the end of the starter bolt is what should be used in conjunction with the brace. But, if the frame ground cable will reach to a rear starter mounting bolt then that's OK too.
Need help on 79 starter
