olds70supreme

Hello,
I am putting the dash back into my 68 Cutlass. The car was originally a clock delete car but I am putting in a rally pack. The directions call for an orange wire to be wired to the clock but I don't see one on the original harness. Given that this was originally a clock delete car is it possible there just wasn't a wire for that included? If so I can tap into the other orange power leads but I just want to make sure that I'm not missing one already there.

I have found two orange power leads on the original harness. I believe that the black connector is for the radio power and the other connector is for the cigar lighter. Could anybody confirm that that is what the cigar lighter power lead looks like? If not, what type of connector do I need to look for?
IMAG1168_zps34e06c79.jpg

MDchanic

The radio wires are Yellow, Grey, and Black, for Power, Lights, and Ground, respectively.

The heavy Orange wire, which usually has a melted plastic plug, is for the lighter.

Other Orange wires are for clock, map light, glove compartment light, etc.

- Eric

72notchback

The two orange wires look to be for clock and cigar lighter, with the round tip one for the cigar. There should also be a gray wire for the clock lights for when the key is turned.

Good luck

olds70supreme

Thanks. I did find a gray multi-connector to plug the clock light into, but still am not seeing an orange lead for the clock power. I am thinking I will take the orange wire formerly for the console (now a 4 speed car) and use that for the clock.

72notchback

Isnt that wire with the black end your orange lead? It is the wire that is closest to the metal dash in your picture. Pull the wrapping down off the wires and see if it is really orange but faded and not your yellow wire. I see what looks to e a yellow wire further back and most likely those are first to get cut when hooking up aftermarket radios.

olds70supreme

72Notchback - You are right, I see the clock and cigar wires side by side near 5 oclock. However, I am still missing an orange lead for the radio. There are two wires, but three devices. Since this car did not have a clock I thought maybe the wire wasn't included.

72notchback

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The radio lead is yellow and I think it is the one I labeled with the yellow arrow

rcorrigan5

My '68 was also a clock-delete car. When I restored it, I was able to wire in the clock using mostly what was in the existing wire harness. I had 3 orange wires coming out of the end of the wrapped harness. One was the lighter wire as described above and I believe I can see in your picture. The second was a wire that went along with a white wire to (I believe) the light for the ash tray, and I can see that in your picture as well. The third orange wire had a female plug on its end that went nowhere. When I put in the clock-tach, that's where I put that orange wire (see picture below).

There were two other wires I had to run. I had to make a short ground wire (black) that went from the psngr side speedo pod attachment point behind the dash to the driver side clock-tach pod attachment point. And, I had to make a brown wire that went from the tach (with an in-line 2 amp fuse) to the (-) side of the coil. I had a factory grey wire for the clock that plugged into the grey wire system, again as you described.

But, again, for me, I had 3 orange wires coming out of that main wrapped harness behind the dash and the one for the tach was just loose - not used until I installed the tic-toc-tac.

Randy C.

olds70supreme

Do you remember what powered your cigar lighter? On my car the third orange wire coming out goes over to the glove box switch.

MDchanic

Not to interrupt the scavenger hunt too much, but the schematic in the Chassis Service Manual shows just how many wires there are, and what they should connect to.



- Eric

72notchback

image_zps81d10f95.jpg
From top starting with radio, clock, cigar, glove box, gray for clock lights, brown, optional courtesy lights. Brown I think is temp control
image_zpsdcceb78f.jpg
Bottom picture shows clock and cigar. The glovebox and clock feeds are identical

MDchanic

Looks like you've got it!

- Eric

rcorrigan5

...and the orange wire I mentioned that I said it appeared to go to the ash tray light...upon closer inspection, it went to the glove box light, just like Eric's (MDchanic) diagram.

Randy C.

MDchanic

Yeah - ashtray light should be grey (with maybe a black ground), as it works with the rest of the panel lights.

- Eric

olds70supreme

Thanks for the help guys. It finally hit me (and I feel like an idiot because 2-3 different guys on here were saying it 2-3 different ways) that I am not missing a power lead because the power lead for the radio is not orange, it is yellow. I read that a hundred times, and each time would go out to the garage to look at the wires and would still think, "Hmm, 3 devices that need power, but only two orange power wires, that's a problem". I do have two orange leads and a yellow (capped with a wire nut by a previous owner).

Now a follow up question: The connector on my cigar lighter lead is fubar. What do you call this type of connector (i.e. socket, pin, etc...) and can I find a new crimp-on end at a local hardware store for it?

Thanks again.

MDchanic

Good question. I really don't know. It's kind of like a bullet connector, but kind of not.

I've never seen them for sale separately, but they're probably out there.

I'd say your best bet would be to cut one out of a junk car (any GM for about 20 years should be the same) or have a member here sell you one for a nominal price.

- Eric

72notchback

Olds70supreme,
I think I might have something that might work for you. I will PM you

JCMC64

Just what the good doctor ordered! Good pics and description of the spaghetti ingredients!