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1970 CUDA Tail light wiring harness - couple questions.

Posted By: PAINT IT BLACK

1970 CUDA Tail light wiring harness - couple questions. - 11/18/11 05:21 PM

1st - There is a ground wire that is not part of the harness and it was removed from the drivers side corner of the lamp assembly. Which bolt is it supposed to be attached to? Anyone have any pics or factory diagrams?

2nd - Is there a supplier of the harness "covering"? I don't really need a new harness especially since I read that the sockets are different on the aftermarket harnesses... its just that mine looks a little ratty.
Posted By: burdar

Re: 1970 CUDA Tail light wiring harness - couple questions. - 11/18/11 05:49 PM

Part of the covering on my original harness was like new...the part that was protected by the rocker guard. Is it possible to move the good section of the covering to the trunk area?

Someone was recovering original harnesses at one time. I don't know if they still are.
Posted By: aar1

Re: 1970 CUDA Tail light wiring harness - couple questions. - 11/18/11 10:41 PM

the trunk harness has a cloth type of wrapping, doesn't it? Not sure where you can get any of that. The wiring harness sold by Year One (made by M&H) is very good. Correct wiring, sockets and wrapping.
Posted By: rayztoy

Re: 1970 CUDA Tail light wiring harness - couple questions. - 11/19/11 12:04 AM

Evans Wiring Harnesses can wrap your harness for you. Contact info is http://www.evanswiring.com/ or 814-864-2622 or rbevans7@aol.com
Talk to Bill, as he is very knowlegable. They do a GREAT job!
Posted By: 1970mopar

Re: 1970 CUDA Tail light wiring harness - couple questions. - 11/19/11 01:58 AM

Quote:

the trunk harness has a cloth type of wrapping, doesn't it? Not sure where you can get any of that. The wiring harness sold by Year One (made by M&H) is very good. Correct wiring, sockets and wrapping.



the original trunk wrapping is a cotton weave if I recall. I believe M & H can re-wrap your original harness if you call them directly.

The M&H repro harnesses are good reproductions, however the sockets are not 100% correct for OE. The side marker and two of the four tail lamp sockets differ from originals in appearance by quite a bit.
Posted By: screamindriver

Re: 1970 CUDA Tail light wiring harness - couple questions. - 11/19/11 04:17 AM

Hi Steve...Glad to see you're finally getting down to the final steps on the cuda...Here's the drawing you've requested...

Attached picture 6926082-70CudaTaillightandSidemarkerGround.jpg
Posted By: PAINT IT BLACK

Re: 1970 CUDA Tail light wiring harness - couple questions. - 11/19/11 04:44 AM

Thanks Colin. I found that pic searching through old Moparts posts. Exactly what I was looking for. It seems the passenger side tail light is grounded through the lock lever guard, but an additional ground strap was added to the drivers side to ground. Seems like a hokey afterthought. But that's what I have apparently devoted my life to... the hokey afterthought that is the '70 Barracuda!
Posted By: lahatte

Re: 1970 CUDA Tail light wiring harness - couple questions. - 11/19/11 04:55 AM

Will your vanity plate say, "HOKEY70"?
Posted By: PAINT IT BLACK

Re: 1970 CUDA Tail light wiring harness - couple questions. - 11/19/11 04:44 PM

I tried that, but the DMV messed up and sent me HONKEY70.
Posted By: 70440+6bbl

Re: 1970 CUDA Tail light wiring harness - couple questions. - 11/19/11 07:18 PM

Here is how the original wire looked.

Attached picture 6926799-1970cudawiring.jpg
Posted By: 70440+6bbl

Re: 1970 CUDA Tail light wiring harness - couple questions. - 11/19/11 07:22 PM

Top view...

Attached picture 6926803-1970cudawiring1.jpg
Posted By: PAINT IT BLACK

Re: 1970 CUDA Tail light wiring harness - couple questions. - 11/21/11 05:17 AM

Perfect pics. Thanks.
Posted By: 70plymA34

Re: 1970 CUDA Tail light wiring harness - couple questions. - 11/21/11 05:16 PM

was this ground wire on all cudas??? i have an early build 1970 and i restored the original wiring harness and never saw any wires routed to grounding the harness. no cuts or anything. very interesting info......
Posted By: PAINT IT BLACK

Re: 1970 CUDA Tail light wiring harness - couple questions. - 11/21/11 07:19 PM

I am pretty certain your Cuda would have had the additional ground strap. There will be no indication on your regular harness as this strap is entirely independent.

You could always just wire it up without the ground and see if the left side works (if in doubt)?
Posted By: 70440+6bbl

Re: 1970 CUDA Tail light wiring harness - couple questions. - 11/21/11 07:27 PM

Quote:

was this ground wire on all cudas??? i have an early build 1970 and i restored the original wiring harness and never saw any wires routed to grounding the harness. no cuts or anything. very interesting info......



The pics above came from a survivor '70 Cuda I owned that had an SPD of November 5th '69 and was built at the B-Hamtramck plant.
Posted By: gtx6970

Re: 1970 CUDA Tail light wiring harness - couple questions. - 11/21/11 07:39 PM

Quote:

was this ground wire on all cudas??? i have an early build 1970 and i restored the original wiring harness and never saw any wires routed to grounding the harness. no cuts or anything. very interesting info......



Ditto, the cuda I just finished had no signs of this ground wire( hamtrack built car btw)

I will say. The one I did, did not have these style nuts holding the lamp in

Attached picture 6929636-1970cudawiring1.jpg
Posted By: gtx6970

Re: 1970 CUDA Tail light wiring harness - couple questions. - 11/21/11 07:42 PM

I had this style - April 1970 SBD

Attached picture 6929640-nuts-70-71.jpg
Posted By: PAINT IT BLACK

Re: 1970 CUDA Tail light wiring harness - couple questions. - 11/21/11 09:01 PM

My Cuda has the nuts as in the survivor pic and has an Oct. 10th build date. Not a survivor though... but my ground wire is exactly the same as in the pic with the same ends on it and everything.
Posted By: lahatte

Re: 1970 CUDA Tail light wiring harness - couple questions. - 11/22/11 03:50 AM

The ground wire was not part of the harness. It was a single wire.
Posted By: 70plymA34

Re: 1970 CUDA Tail light wiring harness - couple questions. - 11/22/11 07:09 PM

Quote:

I am pretty certain your Cuda would have had the additional ground strap. There will be no indication on your regular harness as this strap is entirely independent.

You could always just wire it up without the ground and see if the left side works (if in doubt)?




Everything works fine without the ground strap. thought all the lights were grounded to the the housings. when you pull a light socket out with lights on , the pulled light goes out.
Posted By: gtx6970

Re: 1970 CUDA Tail light wiring harness - couple questions. - 11/22/11 09:29 PM

same here, the car is done and all the lights work perfectly. I went thru the boxes with the old/original wiring that came with this car, and no signs of this single ground wire.
Sadly , I got the car in boxes, so I can't say if this car ever had one or not.
And I had lunch with the cars owner today and he couldn't remember one way or the other
Posted By: MrNormTA

Re: 1970 CUDA Tail light wiring harness - couple questions. - 11/24/11 03:31 AM

I just removed my taillights from my 70 gran coupe and it has the same exact ground wire. My lights have never been removed and the car is a 9/69 build date. Although my mounting nuts for the lights look just like the acorn style nuts holding the small side marker light in on the above photo. The photo Bill linked for the retaining nuts looks more correct for a challenger.
Posted By: 70440+6bbl

Re: 1970 CUDA Tail light wiring harness - couple questions. - 11/24/11 04:31 AM

Quote:

I just removed my taillights from my 70 gran coupe and it has the same exact ground wire. My lights have never been removed and the car is a 9/69 build date. Although my mounting nuts for the lights look just like the acorn style nuts holding the small side marker light in on the above photo. The photo Bill linked for the retaining nuts looks more correct for a challenger.



I have also owned a couple of '70 'Cudas with that acorn style as well.
Posted By: screamindriver

Re: 1970 CUDA Tail light wiring harness - couple questions. - 11/25/11 02:08 AM

Quote:

Quote:

I just removed my taillights from my 70 gran coupe and it has the same exact ground wire. My lights have never been removed and the car is a 9/69 build date. Although my mounting nuts for the lights look just like the acorn style nuts holding the small side marker light in on the above photo. The photo Bill linked for the retaining nuts looks more correct for a challenger.



I have also owned a couple of '70 'Cudas with that acorn style as well.

I wonder when the change-over occured...My 70 {SPD 9/11/69} had the acorn style...The above engineering drawing shows them being used...
Posted By: gtx6970

Re: 1970 CUDA Tail light wiring harness - couple questions. - 11/25/11 05:15 PM

Although I've not looked in the trunk of every Cuda out there, but this is the 1st I've seen or heard of this kind of palnut used on an E-body.
I've seen something similar used on various B-bodies though( different sizes)
70-71 Challengers are 10-24 machine thread

But these ? maybe production date or plant thing ?
8-32 machine thread - same nut as used on the sidemarker lamps.

Attached picture 6935583-376B.JPG
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