Original ground to new headlight connection

[Chanman09]

Firstly, I’ve had a very busy summer with many jobs around the house and family members’ houses. So I’m finally getting to dig in on my 1986 C20 wiring.  I’m glad to get back to it, and have a renewed fire for finishing stuff up.

This weekend, I spent an hour or so taking out my front light wiring harness and this evening spent a couple more hours going about replacing all of the light sockets and assemblies.

I have been chugging along great this evening and am stopping often to check continuity between bulkhead input plug thing and the wire I’m about to splice to, and then checking the actual female plug after I use the solder/waterproof shrink wrap and heat gun. So far I’ve got continuity all throughout!!

I’m on my final one.

It’s the passenger side, top headlight (dim)

Here’s the rub.

The original plug, looking from the back of the plug, has right side- tan wire, center/bottom- green wire, and left side- black wire.
This black/ ground wire also has a black wire ‘coming out’ of the light plug. This is a ground that connects to the front radiator support, and then continues to another ground bolt on the frame, near the fuel pump area. The wires are crimped to eyelets that the bolts run through.

The new light plug I have has 3 wires.

How do I get the ‘extra’ ground wires on the new pigtail??  I gotta ground them and the original way seems to be the easiest/ most common sense way to do it.

The spades/pins are not the same In the original and new plugs, so leaving the original ground isn’t possible.

Let me know your ideas, or experiences.

Thanks so much!

[bd]

The original plug, looking from the back of the plug, has right side- tan wire, center/bottom- green wire, and left side- black wire.
This black/ ground wire also has a black wire ‘coming out’ of the light plug. This is a ground that connects to the front radiator support,
and then continues to another ground bolt on the frame, near the fuel pump area. The wires are crimped to eyelets that the bolts run through.

The new light plug I have has 3 wires.

How do I get the ‘extra’ ground wires on the new pigtail??

A pic would help clarify your question and possible solution(s).

If I'm duplicating your question, connect all of the ground wires (including the ground from the headlamp) directly to the original attachment point on the radiator support.

[Chanman09]

Here are pictures of the old and the new sockets. 

Sorry I was confusing earlier.  I think what I mean is the black ground wires have leads extending both directions from the plug.  The one that has come from the bulkhead side, and the one headed to the radiator/frame (I probably should have taken a picture of the ground leads too) 

The new plug has one lead inserted into the back. 

Will I need to make my new plug look like the old plug? (Do both grounds need to be inside and 'touching the light bulb'  or can the ground leads headed to radiator be spliced in at the junction of new and old wiring?

I probably confused everyone more.  LOL 

Thank you

[Chanman09]

another pic

[bd]

Connect all of the ground wires (including the ground from the headlamp) directly to the original attachment point on the radiator support.

This ^^^^^ is electrically identical to the original configuration.  The factory had two black wires crimped to the headlamp ground terminal strictly for assembly line convenience; one less wire to screw down using a ring terminal.  As long as the connections are clean and tight, all is good.

[Chanman09]

Thank you!

Got it! 

Got a new bright bulb coming in today and will have them all lit up!

My blinkers are lit up but not blinking, but I haven't done the rear wiring/sockets yet.  I'll get the blinker relay changed out to check that first, as it's old and will need to be replaced anyway. 

Thanks for the help throughout this project, I'm not so scared anymore.  I just gotta dig in and get after it. 

[bd]

You're welcome.



Now...




              GET 'ER DONE ! ! !