68 how do you keep the parking lights on with the headlights

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I guess that I would have to try it to believe that parking light wouldent feed the headlights when you have the switch in the parking light position

Maybe if the switch has a terminal for parking lights and a terminal for tail lights you could (at the switch) unhook the parking light terminal and connect it in line with the tail light terminal that would add the 2 front parking lights???

The headlight power is a different crcuit - it is fed by the headlight terminal on the switch - the parking lights are powered by a "switched" terminal, and the tails are powerd by their own terminal. If the tails and parking lights are jumped, it wont affect the heads because the heads are powered by their own terminal that is not connected.
 
My sales brochure called the front parking lights on the 'Cuda rallye lights.

The text says:

Sure the 'Cuda's got rallye lights. Big, square yellow ones. And when
you snap on your headlights, they continue to burn. Why? So you can spot another Barracuda coming towards you at night. So you can wave or tap
your horn.
You've been elected to a club. With a quick-cornering membership badge.


Yeah, back in 1969-70, before cells, texts, etc., we'd cruise around Friday and Saturday nights like in American Graffiti. My buddies would spot me easily because my 67 barracuda always had the "rallye" lights on at night. It was somewaht rare to see parking lights on w/ the HL's back then because it was not a federal requirement until the 68 model year (along w/ side markers). As others have said, it was a safety issue in case a HL burned out.

For some reason, as kids, we called a one-headlight-car a "Padiddle" and whoever spotted one first, got to punch whoever was sitting next to you in the arm while yelling "PADIDDLE!" Punch!

The cudas ALWAYS lit them starting in 64-1/2 through 69. Not the 66 though because the PL's were not in the grille that year. The 65-67 GTO's would have been a natural for that but it never happened.
 
Has anyone done this to their '68 yet? Would appreciate photos of the headlight switch showing how to jumper it. Thanks
 
sorry it took so long to post these - busy summer - this was the first time I took this thing out of storge since May. It's dirty, and they're cell phone pics but you get the idea.

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forgot to take closeup pics of them, but if you look right under the front valance, you can barely see two black little "oval" things - those are the LED turn signals I mounted when I lost the turn function of the parking lights. They are smoke LED signals from a motorcycle - bought them off Ebay.
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Be aware that motorcycle turn signals are not legally or technically adequate for cars and trucks. Today's motorcycle turn signal intensity and size requirements are less than half what they were for cars and trucks in '68—and the inadequacy is even greater if we compare today's motorcycle signals to today's car/truck signals. Be an awful shame to get in a crash because your homemade signal system didn't do an adequate job of conveying your intent to other drivers (which is, after all, what they're for...they're not fashion accessories or toys). Be an even bigger shame if the crash were deemed entirely your fault ($$$ tickets, insurance hikes and/or lawsuit) because of your inadequate safety lighting. Don't laugh it off; it has happened.
 
Be aware that motorcycle turn signals are not legally or technically adequate for cars and trucks. Today's motorcycle turn signal intensity and size requirements are less than half what they were for cars and trucks in '68—and the inadequacy is even greater if we compare today's motorcycle signals to today's car/truck signals. Be an awful shame to get in a crash because your homemade signal system didn't do an adequate job of conveying your intent to other drivers (which is, after all, what they're for...they're not fashion accessories or toys). Be an even bigger shame if the crash were deemed entirely your fault ($$$ tickets, insurance hikes and/or lawsuit) because of your inadequate safety lighting. Don't laugh it off; it has happened.
actually, the LED lights I'm using are far brighter than anything that ever would have come factory in 68. I think we'll be just fine. Thanks for your concern:thefinge:
 
Wow…a lot of tailchasing and guessing in this old thread! Fact is, the headlamp switch is the same whether you have a car that turns off the parking lamps when the headlamps come on (all cars through '68 except Barracudas) or a car that leaves the park lamps on with the headlamps ('69-up). It's safer to have the parkers on when the headlamps are on; that way if a headlight burns out other drivers still see you as a double-track vehicle (not a motorcycle). You don't need a relay and you will not overload the switch by making the easy mod to keep the parkers on with the headlamps.

Remove the headlamp switch and place a short 18ga jumper between the "P" and "R" terminals on the headlamp switch body, right down at the base of those terminals. Make sure the ends of the jumper are neatly tucked so they won't touch any adjacent terminals, then push the connector block onto the switch, on top of your new jumper wire. That's all you have to do. It puts the tail and park lamp contacts on the headlamp switch in common with each other. '69-up cars fed the parkers and tails from what had previously fed only the taillamps (which obviously remain lit with the headlamps).

Dan, when you say jumper, do you mean just using an 18ga wire connecting the P and R terminals?
 
Turned out to be a pretty easy modification. The hardest part was getting to the headlamp switch behind the dash (had to unscrew the fuse box first). As you know, there's not a lot of space to squeeze your arms and hands underneath (lots of scrapes and scratches). I also had a heck of a time getting the button on the headlamp switch pushed down enough to release the switch stylus. With a little help from my Dad, we were finally able to remove it. I'm happy with the results, it looks cool and is much safer.

Thanks to danmc and ssdan for their advice in this thread. FABO is a great resource!

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Good work! Yep, to get easy access to the headlamp switch it helps if you're a 14-year-old Japanese girl with tiny hands and arms, or if you break your arm in several places before attempting to reach the switch.
 
I remember having to get to the headlamp switch on my Duster, it was a lot easier; probably because the switch was connected to the instrument panel and not the dash.
 
I love it when some "Dude" that manages to wire in a light bulb argues with Dan, an automotive lighting engineer.

Cracks me up every-time.
 
I love it when some "Dude" that manages to wire in a light bulb argues with Dan, an automotive lighting engineer. Cracks me up every-time.

It's equal parts amusing and annoying, from this end. I just got back from the International Symposium on Automotive Lighting in Frankfurt. Some seriously cool stuff is in the works, including headlamps that use lasers(!) as the light source. On the subject of automotive lighting, I have to know what I'm talking about, otherwise I'm out of a job in a hurry. But there will always be those who want to argue, usually for one or more of the following reasons:

• They mistakenly think they understand something they saw/heard/read — an advertisement or an internet forum discussion or something like that.

• They want their advice to be taken because it makes them feel authoritative and important.

• They spent a whack of money, time, and/or effort on doing something a certain way and they don't know enough to understand what's wrong with it, but they're bound and determined to feel good about their investment (the Slick-50 effect: "Of course it runs better and gets better mileage; I just spent $49.95 on a bottle of Slick-50!").

• They resent the guy who always seems to give the answer that turns out to be right (this is a real sticky one…if you make a habit of keeping yer mouth shut unless you actually, really know the answer, you get simultaneous reputations as a go-to guy and as a know-it-all).

• Sour grapes: they got caught out giving bad advice and now have a permanent hate-on for the guy whose answer actually worked in that totally trivial case a long time ago, so now they follow 'im around bіtching and moaning about 'im and trying to find something to pounce on in one of his posts.
 
I love it when some "Dude" that manages to wire in a light bulb argues with Dan, an automotive lighting engineer.

Cracks me up every-time.

It's equal parts amusing and annoying, from this end. I just got back from the International Symposium on Automotive Lighting in Frankfurt. Some seriously cool stuff is in the works, including headlamps that use lasers(!) as the light source. On the subject of automotive lighting, I have to know what I'm talking about, otherwise I'm out of a job in a hurry. But there will always be those who want to argue, usually for one or more of the following reasons:

• They mistakenly think they understand something they saw/heard/read — an advertisement or an internet forum discussion or something like that.

• They want their advice to be taken because it makes them feel authoritative and important.

• They spent a whack of money, time, and/or effort on doing something a certain way and they don't know enough to understand what's wrong with it, but they're bound and determined to feel good about their investment (the Slick-50 effect: "Of course it runs better and gets better mileage; I just spent $49.95 on a bottle of Slick-50!").

• They resent the guy who always seems to give the answer that turns out to be right (this is a real sticky one…if you make a habit of keeping yer mouth shut unless you actually, really know the answer, you get simultaneous reputations as a go-to guy and as a know-it-all).

• Sour grapes: they got caught out giving bad advice and now have a permanent hate-on for the guy whose answer actually worked in that totally trivial case a long time ago, so now they follow 'im around bіtching and moaning about 'im and trying to find something to pounce on in one of his posts.

Please show me at what point I "argued" with anything you stated. I merely posted the mods I performed on my car. I understand the implications of what I've done. I have a problem with your method of delivery - pretty much self-indulgent, condescending post after post is your MO. I'm not a child, and have never challenged your knowledge on the subject. And while I don;t claim to be a lighting engineer of any sort, I have done a fair bit of research and understand the mods. I understand the housings aren't designed for HID, I understand I changed my signals to LED, I understand that my running lights no longer function as originally designed. While I don't question you knowledge on the subject, I find it extremely hard to believe that you can immediately ascertain that the new LED signals are not up to the job, when you have no knowledge of the exact positioning of the lights in relation to the original signals, no knowledge of the light output, no knowledge of the number of LEDs in each signal, yet you automatically accuse me of playing with "toys" and insinuate that I have the mentality of a child.

In regard to the topic of the thread, I answered it CORRECTLY, on page #1, and went as far as taking the time to dig up schematics and identify the exact terminals that would need modification. You came along in your usual arrogant manner and not only do you disregard it, but you take it a step further to attack me oh so subliminally by essentially calling me an "***" in you first retort. Funny thing is your answer to the OP's question was already answered, by me, and you disregarded it and start your post with an insult to pretty much every prior posters' response with your "a LOT of tail chasing" comment.

Again - a point that you previously ignored - this is an automotive forum. You'll find that the majority of members do various mods to their car that can affect the performance from what the original manufacturer intended. LOTS of these mods can affect safety, yet they are accepted. Do you really thing that every member that modifies their brakes and suspension are certified mechanics? Don't you think all these parts that are advertised as "off-road use only" have the potential to affect the reliability and safety for the worse? Why is it then that I need to be a "Automotive Lighting Engineer" to have even a basic understanding of the impact of lighting mods?

The fact is that your bullet-point summary of "stupid" posters that DARE offer their opinion on the subject is just further proof that YOU are the arrogant know-it-all constantly trying to be recognized as the end-all be-all on the topic. It's your ego that needs constant reassurance that the rest of us are just a bunch of child-like idiots.

I get it, you don't like the HIDs, the issues they MAY potentially cause on the roads, and above all, you don;t like someone that has a different opinion from your own. But we don't need constant lectures from and old fuddy-duddy curmudgeon like yourself every time you may disagree with what another ADULT on the board may have done.

And for 68formulaS340 - I'd expect no less from you. You never miss an opportunity to critique and attack other members of this forum. you're a miserable prick - always have been and always will be. In the 6 or so years that i have frequented this board, I can't honestly recall a single post of yours that wasn't an attack or some condescending comment. Your opinion means nothing to me.

That's pretty much all i have to say on the subject - for all that look at this thread for answers, i hope I helped answer them on page one - a long time before the two know-it-alls found the thread.
 
btw - I don't think I spent more than maybe $200 for the 3 sets of HID lights, and two sets of headlight housings, so no, I very happy with the cost of my modifications, thank you.

and far as "need for attention as the go-to guy," I think you'll find that my posting history over the last 6 years is evidence enough that I've never been that guy - but a quick look at you history says that is EXACTLY what you are.

This is my last post in this thread - have at it boys.
 
Please show me at what point I "argued" with anything you stated.

I wasn't talking about (or to) you.

I have a problem with your method of delivery

Then don't read my posts. Add me to your Ignore list. It's really easy, and solves the problem completely. In fact, that is exactly what I'm going to do with you as soon as I hit "post" on this here message.

I'm not a child

"I'm gonna modify my car's safety lights however the hell I want! Safety effects on other road users? I don't care! I can do whatever I want!" H'm. Doesn't sound very grown-up to me. *shrug*

I find it extremely hard to believe that you can immediately ascertain that the new LED signals are not up to the job, when you have no knowledge of the exact positioning of the lights in relation to the original signals, no knowledge of the light output

I do, in fact, have that very knowledge. But it's not necessary, any more than it's necessary for me to see any particular square wheel to state correctly that there's a problem with the concept.

I get it, you don't like the HIDs

You don't seem to get it, no. HIDs are terrific -- as long as they are properly engineered and built. "HID kits" in halogen-bulb headlamps, fog/auxiliary lamps, or signal lamps (any kit, any lamp, any vehicle no matter whether it's a car, truck, motorcycle, etc.) do not work safely or effectively, which is why they are illegal. Full detail from a whackload of good sources here.

you don;t like someone that has a different opinion from your own

Variety is the spice of life; it'd be a dull world if we all had the same opinions. But the grownup thing to do is to realise that sometimes there really is one right answer, sometimes there isn't room for a warm fuzzy "agree to disagree" variance of opinions. That's the case with things like car lights, which either work correctly or unsafely with no middle ground. Sorry that chaps your hide, but -- like the sun's stubborn insistence on rising in the East and setting in the West -- it stubbornly remains factual.

Bye, now!
redbeard.gif
 
Free bump...Someone asked me for this info,Took me a while to find it but here it is.
Really simple.....YOU CAN DO IT lol
 
68-GTS, thanks for bumping the info. Wish I had seen it while I had my headlamp switch out in my 65 Dart. I never noticed my parking lights are off with headlamps on, but have yet to start driving it regularly.

danmc77, your lamps look great to me, as does you car. The main thing is to use the turn signals, regardless of brightness. Most drivers around here have no clue what the stick on the column is for. Heck, if the cops would just stop them from routinely running stop signs and red lights (right turns are slow a bit, maybe yield), that would be a big safety improvement.
 
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