Tail Light Wiring

[navydevildoc]

OK wise sages of all things Lucas...

I am replacing the lights in the back, as well as some very hacked PO installed trailer wiring.

After removing all of the crap, I am left with the new lights, and the original wiring popping up out of the frame in the rear from the front.

According to the lucas wire color codes, I have wires for flashers on both sides, and for brake lights. But I don't have a solid red wire for the tail lights.

This is a 1965 RHD 88. Originally from New Zealand. Is it possible they didn't have steady burning tail lights? Seems strange, but there doesn't seem to be any other way this can be wired.

[Jeff Aronson]

Your harness might not be original. Your tail light wire would be the one that powers on with the headlights, with the ignition off. The parking lights and directionals would work only through the ignition being "on."

Hope this helps.

Jeff

[navydevildoc]

Well Jeff, I think you were on to something.

There was a solid black wire that I just assumed was ground.

After spending some quality time with the fluke and the dash panel off, I figured out that at some point the wire goes from the solid red leading off of the ignition switch to the solid black wire at the back of the truck.

Probably one of the more dangerous SPO tricks I have found on this truck yet. Had I not traced it out, I would have assumed that the solid black was ground, and it would have shorted. Since there is no fuses in this chain anywhere, it could have ended, well, poorly.

[scott]

Doc mine's orig, just 4 wires, black, grn/org, grn/prpl, green/wht. I think the tailllights blink on during the day and off at night

[navydevildoc]

Doc mine's orig, just 4 wires, black, grn/org, grn/prpl, green/wht. I think the tailllights blink on during the day and off at night

Yup, that's what I have. So I guess it is factory. Kind of strange, since red is supposed to be the color. All the other color codes are correct.