I have a 1970 442 automatic car. The car was originally a shift on the column car with bench seat. Thirty or so years ago I found a console & shifter for the car. Finally, I'm trying to hook up the wiring for the lights.
I purchased the console extension wiring harness. The car has the neutral safety switch still on the column & I want to keep it there. So, all I need is the wiring for the lights in the console. I'm looking
at the service manual & It shows that I would plug the console extension harness into a curtesy light plug somewhere behind the ash tra





y on the main harness. After removing the clock & the A/C vents
I don't see a plug there. The car doesn't have courtesy lights. The service manual also shows a plug connection on the steering column. also, no plugs there. The extension harness & the console harness have connection wires of white, orange & gray.. The console harness has a three-prong male connector. There is a connector on the extension harness that would plug into this. All I need is ignition switched power to make this work Right? I attached photos
to help with this. It is very confusing to me. I hope someone can help.

 

I used the 71-72 extension harness and console harness on my 70. I was able to keep the NSS on the console and get power for all my lights in my console. All plug and play. I did have courtesy lights so I had to unplug that harness from my main harness and install the extension harness in between.

 

I can't believe that there would be a different harness for courtesy light cars. Unless I can't find the plug. Do you remember if it was behind the ash tray?

 

My ‘70 doesn’t have a console but does have courtesy lights. Here’s the plug on the courtesy lights that connects to main harness under the dash. The connection is closer to the steering column I recall than the ash tray. Orange, gray and white with black stripe. Yours is the same male plug and wire colors. You’re looking for a 3-wire female open plug. I’ll crawl under my dash to find that plug if this doesn’t help.

Edit: I crawled under the dash and find that female power connector located above the heat/fan controls. Since your car doesn’t have courtesy lights, it’s possible that plug is tucked further up above the heat/fan assembly, possibly up near the clock location.

 

No, the instrument panel, courtesy and console lights are not powered with the ignition "on." The courtesy lights turn "on" when a door is opened or the switch for the map light on dash is turned on. Other courtesy lights (ash tray light and headlamp switch dash courtesy light) as well as console lights turn "on" when the headlamp switch is pulled out to the "on" position either for parking lights or for headlamps. The ignition switch does not control power to those bulbs.

 

^^^THIS. The orange wire is powered at all times and feeds the dome, courtesy, and console lamps. The white wire is the dome/courtesy ground and is switched to ground by the door pin switches and the contact that is closed when you turn the headlight **** all the way CCW. Grey is the dash lamps feed from the INST LPS fuse and only powers the shift quadrant illumination lamp in the console.

 

Old thread same question answered here: https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...version-91488/

 

Look for the male and female 3-prong connectors a few inches apart on your console extension harness. (See image.) The male connector of the console extension harness connects to the existing 3-prong female connector under the dash (near the clock location). The male connector of the console harness connects to the female 3-prong connector on the extension harness.

 

Thanks everyone. I need to take it apart again and look for the three-prong plug. I had the clock out & the A/C ducts but did not find it. maybe it's behind the insulation.
It is a job crawling under the dash with the seats in. I just changed the heater core with the seats out. I wish I would have tackled this then. I like to tackle one
project at a time. That way I can still drive it.
At least Joe P. explained what each wire does so if I don't find the plug, I can do some kind of hook up. Thanks again to all.

 

I found mine, by removing the clock and it was right below it. If i remember right it was taped up with the harness that feeds the clock, etc. Assuming no one molested the harness, it will be there, it was still included on non console cars.

 

Yes, I will look there. It's possible I missed it. What a great forum. Thanks everyone.

 

You could’ve added the courtesy lights harness as well when the seats were out. It’s a neat and inexpensive option, and fairly easy install too. The bulb socket for the headlamp light switch on the lower left side of the dash requires removal of the headlamp switch and it’s tricky and in confined space. That light is not significant though so it can be ignored. All of the other harness connections for the courtesy lights are easy. Not counting the small headlamp and ash tray courtesy bulbs, the option adds a total of 5 bulbs - 3 to the dash and 2 for the front footwell areas. I think the console has footwell courtesy lights though.

 

The console has rear foot lights, but not front ones.

 

I found the plug for the extension harness. It was above the center air conditioner vents. I bought the extension harness & console harness for a 1971 just like you said. I now have all the working lights. It turns out that the plastic part of my console is a 1971 & the shifter part is 1970. The console harness was for a 1971 but the very rear light didn't work. But the others did. So I bought the new 1971 console harness. Thanks for all the help!