Vintage Don
Well Oiled
I decided the '48 Pickup needed turn signals - and a passenger side brake light too - instead of the single brake light it was born with. (Because they give Driver's Licenses to people born in 2004 nowadays. Think about that...)
So this is one of the very, very few places I have deviated from bone stock - and I struggled with that. But concluded it was an essential thing to do.
Some time ago I had ordered the complete wiring harness from Walcks, with the turn signal stub-out wires added in. And I also bought the usual aftermarket switch to mount on the column. Much of the harness has already been installed, in the frame and engine bay areas.
Well, I've been building out the cab interior for the past week or so, mostly wiring things in -
- and I finally ended up at this damn turn signal wiring situation. The problem I faced is that of course there is no provision for any of this stuff anywhere up under the dash - and you're adding about 7 or 8 new additional wires, and the little flasher unit, with no place to route or secure them.
I hate wiring spaghetti up under a dash... So since my steering column is still out of the way right now - I decided to tackle this and design something that Willys might have done, if they had had all these extra wires to deal with.
First I did a mock-up, got the lights and things all working right, and understanding it all. That was fun...
(these are just long jumpers below, while I figured it all out)
Next I studied the area I had available to work with. (The labeled wires hanging below here are the "harness-end" extensions, which will need to tie-in to the "turn signal switch end" wires.)
Then the new "switch-end" wires will follow the column down to the firewall, and then they just end... You need to extend the wires that came with the new harness (as above), and hook them all up right. And the flasher unit needs a home, too.
The only existing place I could see to create a junction and bracket for all this new stuff was that existing support bracket above the column. I didn't want to drill new holes in the firewall. So I started trying to design something with my paper.
Bought a junction block at Home Depot. Then had to paint it gray and "age" it so it would blend in (not shown).
And finally came up with an idea where I'd like everything to mount.
Lots of things to consider! Keep out of the way of the column, the choke cable path, clear the existing screws coming into the area from the engine side, all that stuff you don't think about until too late...
So I channeled my inner @Gojeep as best as my abilities would let me, and started making a bracket that would do all this!
Welded in the studs to attach the new junction block piece, and made a place to plug in the flasher - and offset the downward portion of the bracket to allow for the stud heads behind it and still mount flush...
And I think it's gonna work out.
I got as far as a first, full-dress mock-up before dinner.
Hopefully tomorrow I'll get this thing painted and the harness-side wires attached to it. I want to make it look "like it grew there" and blend in. Once that first set of wires is in place, I'll set the column back in there and tie those wires in, too.
So this is one of the very, very few places I have deviated from bone stock - and I struggled with that. But concluded it was an essential thing to do.
Some time ago I had ordered the complete wiring harness from Walcks, with the turn signal stub-out wires added in. And I also bought the usual aftermarket switch to mount on the column. Much of the harness has already been installed, in the frame and engine bay areas.
Well, I've been building out the cab interior for the past week or so, mostly wiring things in -
- and I finally ended up at this damn turn signal wiring situation. The problem I faced is that of course there is no provision for any of this stuff anywhere up under the dash - and you're adding about 7 or 8 new additional wires, and the little flasher unit, with no place to route or secure them.
I hate wiring spaghetti up under a dash... So since my steering column is still out of the way right now - I decided to tackle this and design something that Willys might have done, if they had had all these extra wires to deal with.
First I did a mock-up, got the lights and things all working right, and understanding it all. That was fun...
(these are just long jumpers below, while I figured it all out)
Next I studied the area I had available to work with. (The labeled wires hanging below here are the "harness-end" extensions, which will need to tie-in to the "turn signal switch end" wires.)
Then the new "switch-end" wires will follow the column down to the firewall, and then they just end... You need to extend the wires that came with the new harness (as above), and hook them all up right. And the flasher unit needs a home, too.
The only existing place I could see to create a junction and bracket for all this new stuff was that existing support bracket above the column. I didn't want to drill new holes in the firewall. So I started trying to design something with my paper.
Bought a junction block at Home Depot. Then had to paint it gray and "age" it so it would blend in (not shown).
And finally came up with an idea where I'd like everything to mount.
Lots of things to consider! Keep out of the way of the column, the choke cable path, clear the existing screws coming into the area from the engine side, all that stuff you don't think about until too late...
So I channeled my inner @Gojeep as best as my abilities would let me, and started making a bracket that would do all this!
Welded in the studs to attach the new junction block piece, and made a place to plug in the flasher - and offset the downward portion of the bracket to allow for the stud heads behind it and still mount flush...
And I think it's gonna work out.
I got as far as a first, full-dress mock-up before dinner.
Hopefully tomorrow I'll get this thing painted and the harness-side wires attached to it. I want to make it look "like it grew there" and blend in. Once that first set of wires is in place, I'll set the column back in there and tie those wires in, too.
Last edited: