Painless Wiring Conversion

[DADAMS]

Hi all, I'm in the midst of a rebuild of my 63 SWB IIa. I'm well into putting things back together and currently getting into the rewire/conversion to a Painless 12 circuit harness.

I've seen a couple recent threads on upgrading wiring, and I have some questions also.

I'll start by saying that I have a limited understanding of electrical systems and am out of my element on the engineering portion of this. I havent had any trouble getting the basics done, but the more complicated systems, I can stare at for hours...

For those that have converted to an aftermarket wiring harness and gone through the engineering process on this sort of conversion, do you have wiring diagrams of what you did to make things work?

At the top of my list is the single indicator bulb on the Tex MagnaLite turn signal switch. The Painless harness has wires for left and right indicator bulbs but simply connecting them together to light the single bulb doesn't sound right... I have contacted Painless tech support and they suggested diodes to keep current from back flowing, but since they have no R/D experience with Rover wiring, they are only able to offer limited (but much appreciated) help.

I am also converting the original single circuit brake system to a SIII dual circuit system and I've been trying to make sense out of the connections for the brake switch. Painless diagrams show a connection between the turn signal switch and the brake switch (#918 for those in the know). In the old wires for the Tex Magnalite, there is no association to brake system wiring at all that I can see.

I'm working everything out on paper right now and labeling wires to where they will go, but before I start making any connections, I thought I would see what others have done. Any suggestions would be welcome.

Thanks in advance --Dave

[greenmeanie]

Before we start, what painless kit are you using.

[superstator]

The turn signal wiring on my rig is the one place I really regret not documenting better. I cna tell you the brake light wiring is completely seperate though - that's in the painless docs for cars that use a single bulb and filament for brake and turn signal. I ended up using inline diodes on mine to make everything work, but I immediately lost my sketch after I finished, so I couldn't tell you exactly how I did it.

[DADAMS]

The Painless harness I am using is 10102 Universal Street Rod 12 circuit non-gm column.

I have been studying the manual and understand the difference between the integrated and seperate turn/brake light systems. My understanding is that the #918 wire is capped and stored.

Its the getting the single blinking indicator to flash when turning left/right that leaves me scratching my rectifier...

Thanks again for any input --D

[frans]

#918 is the stop lamp switch wire

1. Count the number of wires coming out of the turn indicator. Are there 7 wires?

2. Determine if you are using a (2) prong or (3) prong turn indicator flasher.





...If you are using a universal turn indicator switch which is usually mounted by a hose clamp on the steering column and has (7) wires coming out of it then do this:

The painless wiring block has (2) places for flashers. They are designed for a (2) prong flasher unit.

On the turn indicator one, take a wire and attach (2) spade connectors to it. then insert each end into the slots. This will bridge the two connections in the flasher receptacle. Ignore the hazard one, do not put a flasher unit in there. The turn indicator switch (if universal) has the hazard switch internally so you don't need the one in the Painless fuse block.

Then use the diagram which I have attached to complete the wiring. It is for a standard Trucklite turn indicator switch.

Note: the blue wire is called a 'pilot' wire and is used to light up the little bulb inside the turn indicator which blinks when you activate the left or right turn indicators.

Hope this helps
frans

[ScottT]

I'm following this with great interest as I am planning on the same swap-out once the warmer weather returns.

[DADAMS]

Thanks for the input Frans, I did get that same diagram that you attached from Tech Support at Painless. I dont have that particualr switch, I have the optional equipment "Tex MagnaLite" switch that is standard British issue. I have the wiring diagram for it in the back of my workshop manual. I'll see about attaching a photo of it if needed...

I have five wires coming from the switch. One is ground. One sends to left side, one to right. One comes in from the flasher (P) to light the indicator bulb on the switch. And the other is from the flasher (L) I assume this one sends power to the front and rear directional lamps.

With regard to hazard lights, I had hoped to set up hazard lights via a switch on the dash. There is a hazard flasher built into the fuse block. This isn't a high priority though since it wasn't original equipment in '63, its not required for state inspection. If it is an easy hookup, i'm game, if it is a project... hazard lights can wait until the car is back together and on the road.

Thanks again --Dave

[siiirhd88]

The Triumph TR3 has a single indicating light for the turn signals. The light is driven by one post on a three post flasher, with the other posts being incoming power and power out to the turn signal switch. Find the replacement flasher for the TR3 and you should be able to wire it to drive your indicating light. I used to buy a generic replacement at the local parts store, but I haven't looked for one in a while.

Bob
'96 Disco SE7
'80 SIII 109
'75 SIII 88 V8
'68 SIIA 109 V8
(and a '58 TR3...)

[Jeff Aronson]

The Roadster Factory in PA, Moss Motors and Victoria British all carry TR-3 parts in the US. Since you're in ME, it's worth a call to Leyland English Auto (http://leylandenglishauto.com) in Kennebunkport, ME. Erick Van Sickle has many, many NOS and used parts off classic British sports cars. He's an RRC owner himself.

Jeff

[frans]

Thanks for the input Frans, I did get that same diagram that you attached from Tech Support at Painless. I dont have that particualr switch, I have the optional equipment "Tex MagnaLite" switch that is standard British issue. I have the wiring diagram for it in the back of my workshop manual. I'll see about attaching a photo of it if needed...

I have five wires coming from the switch. One is ground. One sends to left side, one to right. One comes in from the flasher (P) to light the indicator bulb on the switch. And the other is from the flasher (L) I assume this one sends power to the front and rear directional lamps.


Thanks again --Dave

So the bulb is not lighting up on the switch itself? Humm, did you check if the bulb is o.k.? How about putting a voltmeter on the wire to the bulb and seeing if you got power there?
Could be that you need an alternate power supply to that bulb. This wire is called a 'pilot light' usually.


In general, you are mating a standard U.S. off the shelf wiring system with a British system. When I did my rover I used a universal turn indicator switch. I used an older one because I did not want some shiny new plastic looking component that did not match really with everything else. Got the switch from a wreaking yard.
It must be that the look of your turn indicator matches what you are looking for in appearance, but it would sure be easier to simply swap that turn indicator with something more standard.

My philosophy with my rover is ease of maintenance, reliability, and ease of getting parts.
Land rover built their reputation on those ideals. However we live a world away from England and the fact is that if you go into a standard parts store here and mention land rover they usually start scratching their heads and look uneasy.

-sorry I was not of more help. Maybe attach a diagram of the switch? I could not find it on google

[DADAMS]

Hi, thanks again for the input. Keep in mind that I'm still in the planning phase right now. I'm not making any connections as yet. Just routing wires and trying to work out what wires should go where.

I do have the original Lucas three prong flasher, as well as a new replacement Tridon flasher from NAPA. The Lucas flasher had stopped working when the truck was on the road a few years back, but I kept it for reference. The NAPA flasher had been working fine and I suppose it will again when the circuits are wired correctly.

I'll keep plugging away at the easier stuff and run this by a couple engineer types to see if the two systems can work together.

I'm keeping notes and will make sure I diagram the crossovers for the benefit of others looking to do the same thing.

Thanks --Dave

[DADAMS]

At lunchbreak yesterday I sent a couple sketch diagrams to tech support at Painless. Within a few hours they sent back a revised diagram.

Big package coming today from McMaster with terminals and heat shrink... off we go...

[frans]

Hey thats great!
Whenever I called Painless they were always helpful. Glad to see it worked out.
I too am a novice at this stuff. When I got the harness installed, I sure did not want to power it up! Kind of scary to do it but it worked out just fine.

What I did was to buy heat shrink connectors from Fastinal. they sell in bulk so alot cheaper. They seem to be much better quality than the connectors included in the Painless kit...

frans