ConcoursMustang Forums
1st Generation 1964 1/2 - 1973 - Questions & general discussions that apply to a specific year => 1966 Mustang => Topic started by: Bill Cabaniss on February 11, 2010, 04:27:32 PM
-
My 66 coupe has the original tag light and wiring with ink stamp c4de-c on the wire inside the trunk area. The cloth type braided cover has deteriorated and fell off within the last year on the outside. The rule book states: Tag light wire must have braided black tar cover. I am not fimiliar with a black tar cover. Both of my cars had cover material like the covering on the trunk wiring harness.
Can someone explain to me what the black tar cover is, and hopefully where I can get one, and then how I can fit it over my original wire. I am not willing to part with my original light and wire. Any help and advise will be appreciated.
This is a dearborn car, date 5-14-66. thanks, Bill.
-
If you have the original tail light wiring inside the trunk, flip the trunk mat up and you will see a black cloth covering over the gas tank sending unit lead. The covering on that section is exactly what should be on the license plate light wire (on the outside only.)
-
I lifted up the mat and I do have the stiffer black coated covering going across the trunk and then starting again outside and extending to the sending unit. It is in excellent shape too. Looks like I wil have to visit the salvage yard again and cut a piece and fit it to my wire at the tag light. Thanks Charles. Bill.
-
Or you could buy a new one (p. 163, upper rh corner);
http://npd.dirxion.com/WebProject.asp?BookCode=tan09flx#
-
I purchased a new cloth piece from NPD as shown above. Then I removed the light bulb, pushed the wire through the front of the brass socket. I cut the wire at the crimp. pulled the wire out through the back of the brass socket and rubber piece. Installed new cloth covering. put the wire back through the socket then stripped the wire back just a little and soldered it to the crimp connector. Put everything back together works good and looks brand new.
Dave
My car is a May 13, 1966 Dearborn. Here's a pic of my restored light
(http://i664.photobucket.com/albums/vv8/dkcain1/RestoredRearLicenseLight.jpg)
-
Thanks Jim, but the repro cover from npd and virginia mustang appear to be the same and the tube is gloss white and the diameter is small, and the grommet is small too. They do tell you this but it doesn't help you if you are looking to stay original. I have seen parts like these for many years. Someone makes a repro part but leaves something about it a little different than original. Then "here comes the judge" and we take a point or two off for it. :-[ Thanks for trying Jim. Bill.
-
Dave, our cars were born on the same day on the same assembly line,KOOL. I was wondering when I found a cover, how to install it and it look original and proper. You have answered that question for me. I will do what you did. Thanks ,Bill.
-
Bill - I guess you have put two and two together and realize I was referring you to the black wire covering, not the repro light with the white cover? I also reworked mine using the black covering as described.
-
It's amazing to me how far off the mark the repro plate light wiring is off. There basically is nothing correct about it.
I'll restore 100 originals before I use one of those junky repro's.
-
Charles - you are right of course. I had to swap the wire and boot from my old light, recover the old wire, swap the lens and screw from the old light, etc. I have learned to view most repro stuff as a "kit" to use as a starting point and then you see if you can rework it into something you can use.
-
Jim, I'm sorry, I was so focused on those "white" repro covers that I didn't see the black cover material you were actually referring to. Thanks for pointing that out to me. This will save me from cutting into a otherwise good harness from a salvage car. Boy, I really do like this web site. Bill.
-
I'm with Charles. Nothing like restoring the original. the only thing new on mine is the asphalt wire loom and the gasket for the light cover. cleaned everything, re-plated, restored.
Dave
-
I found a piece of the braid cloth this morning and did exactly what Dave told me to do with the wire. Put the braid cover on and soldered the wire back together and it looks great and works as well. Thanks to yall I have saved one more original part, and left one repro part on the shelf where it belongs. Bill. ;D
-
I purchased a new cloth piece from NPD as shown above. Then I removed the light bulb, pushed the wire through the front of the brass socket. I cut the wire at the crimp. pulled the wire out through the back of the brass socket and rubber piece. Installed new cloth covering. put the wire back through the socket then stripped the wire back just a little and soldered it to the crimp connector. Put everything back together works good and looks brand new.
Dave
My car is a May 13, 1966 Dearborn. Here's a pic of my restored light
(http://i664.photobucket.com/albums/vv8/dkcain1/RestoredRearLicenseLight.jpg)
So glad I found this post! This technique worked perfectly on my license plate light. My only remaining problem is that the grommet is in bad shape. And I'd like to replace it before I solder the wires back together. Does anyone know if the grommet is available?
-
I cleaned the entire assembly and am going to send it out for plating. Is there a secret to getting the rubber boot off?
I actually put a small tear in it trying to see how it is attached.
-
Is there a secret to getting the rubber boot off?
The "trick" is to press the light socket out, boot and all. To do that, assuming that everything is disassembled, force the wire up where the bulb was and clip the terminal off - leave about 1/8 inch wire on the terminal. Now the wire can slide out of the boot. The plastic insulating base and spring are also free so don't lose them. Find a socket that will fit where the bulb was and, with a long enough extension, you can "press" out the socket and boot. You don't need to take it off at all. Besides, you don't want to plate the socket and its innards any way. You can slide a new section of insulating sleeving over the wire before you reassemble the socket. To reassemble, put everything back the way it was in the socket, wire thru the boot, spring, plastic insulator and pull enough wire thru so it stays. Strip off 1/8 inch of wire insulation and solder the terminal to the wire. This is critical - make sure that the solder joint does not bind up at the base of the socket or the bulb won't go in and lock. Of course, if you happen to have a replacement terminal handy, you can use that. If you are lucky, you may be able to remove the clipped off wire from the old terminal. The ones I've seen are crimped and sometimes self-destruct if you get too aggressive.
One more thing. The two rivets that hold the lamp "thingy" to the mounting frame are not supposed to be gold zinc plated. I drill out the olds ones and disassemble those two pieces. More often than not, the plating process leaves some "liquid" behind and it oozes out between the two pieces. I use new rivets, but if you opt to not remove the rivets, you "may" be able to remove enough of the gold from the head of the rivet by using an ink eraser.
Jim
-
I already removed the wire and actually opened the crimp on the terminal, so I can replace the wire and re-crimp it with some pliers. The socket is really stuck in there so I am soaking it in WD-40 to try and clean out the joint. I did already try a socket but it didn't move so I'll try it after a few days of soaking. I have some stainless rivets I am using on the heater box that look like a match. They however are a pronged crimp so I will need a new crimp tool to roll them over rather than split it into the 8 legs.
Thanks for the step by step.
-
I didn't wait, I went out and tried it after soaking overnight and it cam out fairly easily. I did look at the rivets and they are a different size from the heater box ones so I'll need to order some.
I have seen it mentioned before but is there a good source for a replacement grommet? Mine is a bit rough but not too bad. I will look at some donor lights a friend has.
I did find the wire sheath and placed an order.
Thanks again
-
Does anyone know if the 65-68 grommet is reproduced for the license plate light to the same specs. I can only find grommets for 1969-1971 that are similar to those years and are Mopar grommets.
Also does anyone reproduce a black wire with the white letters ingrained. Its easy to find the correct reproduction wire but to have the white letters marked is impossible to find. Maybe someone makes the white letters using laser etch.
-
Also does anyone reproduce a black wire with the white letters ingrained. Its easy to find the correct reproduction wire but to have the white letters marked is impossible to find. Maybe someone makes the white letters using laser etch.
Not aware of any one reproducing or marking the wiring. Printing on round rubber or plastic takes some special inks, processes and stamps from what I've seen with others that are doing this to much larger/thicker items on the market. Once you get that addresses there are often font issues (current verses originally) that must be addressed. No reason going through all this work and not do it 100% exact/correct.
If you can figure it all out you could be the "tag/license plate light wire guy" ;)
-
I do restore the license plate lights, its just I'm running out of original wires and grommets. I can't even find the correct pig tails for 65-68. For 69-71 the pigtails are available just not for earlier lights.
Having a new reproduction Factory looking wire is nice and soft pliable vinyl, just having no letters doesn't seem 100% concours to me. I know many original white letters after 55 years wear off, and finding NOS wires or license plate lights is nearly impossible these days. I remember I saw one NOS 67 light sell for 300 a couple months ago. The light did have some rust stains but the wire looked excellent with all the letter markings. Also, had a FoMoCo box.
-
I believe I used a wire cover from a oil pressure sending wire pigtail I had lying around. that seemed to be close to what I had originally. I cobbled a reproduction and parts of my original together. My original was too far gone to save. re stamped the part number and looks about as good as I could hope for.
-
Try Rhode Island Wiring http://www.riwire.com/ under the conduit section. They have been a go to company for miscellaneous wiring parts for me for decades.
Jim
-
Did you re-stamp the part number into the wire using white letters.