Jim Kniola

I am pulling the speedo cluster out of my 1950 88 and need to disconnect all the wires to the lights and gauges. As I started to pull the whole cluster out as one unit, the wires on the temp/gas/volt gauges began to come off inside the dash instead of allowing me to disconnect them by hand after I pulled it out with enough room to label each one. I stopped pulling after two or three wires popped off the leads on the back of the gauges but reaching a hand under the dash with a readable label will be difficult. Does anyone have suggestions on how I must label the wires for each gauge so that the reverse process, putting it all back in, goes more smoothly?
Also, I'm thinking one wire is ground and the other is live but I do not have enough technical training to determine which is which. Suggestions from those of you with more experience?
Thanks!

steverw

If there anything like my 65 Vette, with plastic plugs, each plug would be specific for the gauge. In other words my amp gauge plug will fit only the amp gauge. If you can get it out enough to put masking tape labels to the appropriate gauge then you can unplug those and pull it out more as you go.
good luck
Steve

RetroRanger

A pic or draw a pic of the configuration and what color wires go where.

joe_padavano

Your cell phone camera is your friend.

oldcutlass

I use masking tape and a black fine tipped marker.

Jim Kniola

Thanks for the thought but the '50 is not that straightforward. Each gauge has two threaded prongs out the back. Neither one is unique from the other so the electrical "male" ends can slip onto either one or the other. I was considering changing the attachment from a slip-on to a washer-style screw on using a nut to tighten them down. It would take a lot more effort to remove but, at this point, I kind of like that option.

Jim Kniola

Thanks for the thoughts on pictures and drawings. There are so many dark blue/black/brown wires that look similar. I think I'll have to wrap a label (I got a kit to create and print labels by Avery from Office Max) each wire. I just don't know how to label them: left vs. right? hot vs. neu? + vs -? I don't know gauges well enough to know which lead does what. I should look these things up, right? Where can I find wiring diagrams for '50 Olds gauges, do you think?

RetroRanger

on stuff i might not know what the wires are for i draw a diagram and then label the wire color and location for example if the wires are attched in a sort of circular fashion i might label th ediagram rewd wire at 3 oclock brown at 6 o clock black at 9 oclock and yellow at 12 oclock etc.

oldcutlass

You need a wiring diagram for your car. There are a few wires that are the same color, lighting, gauge power, and grounds.