63 under dash wire

[Richard M.]

Re: 63 under dash wire

Tim, My last pic shows the harness wire for the horn. It's tan on a '63. And from the column it's Black....

However, you may be on to something as repro upper bearings were once supplied with Green wires IIRC.

Rich

[Brian K.]

Re: 63 under dash wire

Hi Tim, I'll have to check the horn. But the black wire with the green tracer is taped into the harness just like Monte's picture not coming out of the column from the bearing.

[Richard M.]

Re: 63 under dash wire

I don't have a 1965/1966 AIM showing radio U69(?), but maybe somebody added a original style 65/66 Power Antenna on the red 1963 car pictured and the car in question.

On '65/'66, what color wire is the power lead going to the antenna? And how is it routed? Is it a wire that follows along with the rear harness and the antenna cable?

If it's not Blk/Grn, I guess we can rule that out.

Rich

[Joe R.]

Re: 63 under dash wire

Gentlemen,

I have several mid year instrument wiring harnesses in different states of damage (or repair). Of 6 or 7 there is one that has the black with green tracer in the area of the fuse block. Still don't know where it went but it is actually there.

JR

PS. From the wiring diagrams we know it's not for the radio or the power antenna. Whatever it is for it is there!

[Richard M.]

Re: 63 under dash wire

Wow this is a tough one. I spent time this morning trying to figure it out and I'm clueless now.

Joe, You're gonna have to get the testlight or meter out and find out where it goes. Does it have a black connector on it? Is it a single or dual terminal in it?

[Brian K.]

Re: 63 under dash wire

Rich, its got a black connector that single terminal. sincerely Brian

[Norm B.]

Re: 63 under dash wire

Well, I'll be durned! There's one of them on my car as well. Since I spent half of this summer chasing wiring issues behind the cluster on my '63 but did not remember this wire you have piqued my interest. I just went out and checked my car and there is one. It's there but not connected to anything and the end with the connector was tucked down behind the left kick panel. It's an October 29th coupe.

Auxillary hookup for those famous 6 tail light cars maybe?

[Richard M.]

Re: 63 under dash wire

I think I know what it is. We ruled out just about everything. Bill Clupper has the original wiring diagrams and not there. Those are probably Production diagrams. This mystery wire may have shown up on some cars. This is purely scepticism, but this may make some sense.

Ready? Here goes.

The 1963 Corvette had some interesting features. Many of us know about the "toolboxes" under the seats on early cars. Well, they are NOT toolboxes. They were designed in for clearance for Power Seat mechanisms, which NEVER made it to production.

I am implying that the Black/Green wire made it into some harnesses at Delco in preparation for the Power Seat option. The option never happened and some of the harnesses made it into production due to shortages or what ever.

I just recalled Fellow Member Sander Van Balligooij from the Netherlands found the Prints.
https://www.forums.ncrs.org/showthre...189#post459189

I may have a copy of these prints somewhere but no time to look now.

I think that's what it is. We need to find where that wire goes in the harness. I'd bet it goes into the Fuse panel, or is cut along the way there in the harness.

Rich

[Monte M.]

Re: 63 under dash wire

As I asked a while back, has anybody checked to see if it is hot, ignition hot, acc. hot, or grounded. This might help point us in a direction.

As mentioned before, I have the interior out of my 63. Including my harness. It might be easier for me to try to trace the origin of the black / green wire. Weather permitting, I will give it a go tomorrow.

Thanks all,
Monte

[Richard M.]

Re: 63 under dash wire

Monte, If my hunch is right,I suspect it will have no connection to anything, as it may be the power source wire.

Below is my only photo of my '63 Fuse Panel. I see 2 terminals at the lower right.

P1070011.jpg

On a '67 fuse panel photo I have, it shows those terminals are likely constant power, as the feed wire is a heavy gauge Red wire.... maybe #12AWG.

P3210049Mod.jpg

It appears from your photo of the suspect wire and plastic terminal housing, that the housing is double wide. I wonder if the terminals in the plug are male or female. If it has 2 female terminals, I think it may fit into the fuse panel at the lower right.

CB_Black_Green_WireMag.jpg

If not, I suppose it's possible that the plug is made to connect to another wire or harness, maybe to the power seats, so it would have probably been to a constant power source.

If you or Joe or Brian can trace that wire it would certainly tell us more, and if my theory is way off base or not.

Either way, it's fun for me to diagnose "over the weber-net".

Rich

[Norm B.]

Re: 63 under dash wire

Monte - Mine has no power to it. I tried key off, key on, and accessories. Did not try it for ground but I doubt it would be.


Rich - The terminal is a single wide female. There is a picture of the terminal in my previous post.

Also in one of the pictures I posted you can see my fuse panel in the background and there is an orange wire with a tag on it plugged into the left one of the two bottom terminals. I used that terminal for my after market radio, I did that to avoid messing with the original radio connections. That terminal has power when the ignition switch is on or at accessories. The words "POWER WINDOWS" are stamped right below those terminals.

[Richard M.]

Re: 63 under dash wire

Norm, Good info. I saw your photo the other day but your connector looked different from Monte's photo, and hard to see the "green" tracer. So looking again at Monte's cropped photo I made, it looks just like your connector..... a single, but with a cover plug over the end...... interesting.

I thought that may be a radio wire you added but couldn't read below it. Thanks for the clearer photo.

However, a good look at the wiring diagram for the '63 shows those 2 Fuse Panel terminals connect to that #12AWG Red wire, which is fed from the Horn Relay Buss Barr, so it's powered at all times, not just IGN or ACC. RPO A31 Power Windows make sense in that terminal as they work at all times, and being constant power then feeds the A31 Circuit Breaker which mounts above the headlight Roll up/dn Circuit Breaker.

The other terminal is unused, and may have been slated for that "unknown option".

Rich

[Norm B.]

Re: 63 under dash wire

Rich

I just double checked those two terminals on my fuse panel. The left one that I have my aftermarket radio plugged into is only live when the ignition switch is at IGN or ACC, that's why I utilized it. The right hand one is hot, live at all times.

While I was under there I double checked that mystery wire that started all this and it is definitely black with a green tracer, has no power to it at any time, and it is not a ground wire either.

The plot thickens.

Norm

[Richard M.]

Re: 63 under dash wire

Rich

I just double checked those two terminals on my fuse panel. The left one that I have my aftermarket radio plugged into is only live when the ignition switch is at IGN or ACC, that's why I utilized it. The right hand one is hot, live at all times.

While I was under there I double checked that mystery wire that started all this and it is definitely black with a green tracer, has no power to it at any time, and it is not a ground wire either.

The plot thickens.

Norm

Norm, this is strange.... the 1963 wiring diagram shows it's always hot. See pg 2 where it shows a solid buss to those 2 terminals from the Red feed wire. My 2nd photo in Post#25 here clearly shows it's both from the Red. Maybe somebody modified your FP before you got the car.....???.

Earlier I did a little more research, looking at Corvette and passenger car wiring nomenclatures, and Power Seats use a Orange/Black feed wire. So I'm getting 2nd thoughts about my theory of that Black/Green wire for Power Seats now. ???

We may never know. I now wonder how that wire is handled in judging. If a judge sees it, it could be a deduct. It would be nice to get to the bottom of it.

I think Joe Ray has the best chance to find where it goes with his one loose harness with the culprit wire. He may have to break it open though.

Rich

[Norm B.]

Re: 63 under dash wire

We are dealing with a very small sampling of cars here, mainly mine, and it is an early car at that. None of the previous 5 owners I contacted gave me any indication that the electrical had been modified when I asked about modifications in general but I was unable to locate owner #1, owner #2 feels he may not be with us any more due to age. The original owner only had it for a couple of years so it is unlikely he would have done anything like that to it anyway.

It would be interesting to get a sampling of other '63's to see if that black/green wire is there and also how those two bottom terminals are configured. For the most part though I agree with you,........we may never know.

Norm