1968 Dodge Dart Engine Bay Wiring Fix Questions

[68Dart500]

Hey everyone,

I've got a 1968 Dodge Dart that had the wiring harness previously modified to run a mopar electronic ignition. I am wiring in an MSD 6AL2 so I'd like to remove any unnecessary wiring from the modified harness.

I've also swapped the automatic transmission for a manual. I noticed my manual transmission has a 2 prong reverse switch while my auto only had a single prong. I bought the wiring harness from the trans switch to the bulkhead but I'm not really sure where it goes from there.

Once I install the MSD6AL2 I am assuming I can remove the ballast resistor that is seen in the picture below? On one of the ballast wires there is a soldered blue and yellow wire which goes to the electronic ignition so I planned to remove that wire and toss that harness. Then I noticed one of the field wires from the alternator (blue wire in the pic coming from the left) goes into that yellow spade connector which then goes into the voltage regulator as well as another wire going into the harness near the ballast. Are these wires I can remove or do I need to keep them? Basically out of all the splices are wires here, what ones can I remove and what ones do I need to keep or tape off etc?

This is the electronic ignition harness that I am assuming I can remove once I unsolder it from the ballast wire?

Thanks for any help with this. I've looked at some wiring diagrams and I can't make heads or tails of them.

 

[67Dart273]

If you don't have one, wander over to MyMopar.com and download a factory service manual. Also get the aftermarket wiring diagrams. They are not always detailed/ complete, but can be easier to follow.

The single transmission wire IS NOT reverse lights, it was for the neutral safety. You need to ground that to get the key to operate the starter relay, or else research the clutch safety switches used on 70/ later cares and re-route the wire to that switch

The problem with eliminating the ballast is that the "ignition run" (IGN1) power from the ignition switch GOES DEAD during cranking.

The only ignition power then comes from the resistor "bypass" circuit, (IGN2) which is brown.

So find the brown connecting to the coil side of the ballast resistor and the blue "run" and hook them together.

A simple way is to simply tie the ballast wires together, then take the old original coil + wire and feed that to the "small red" trigger wire on the MSD. Read the destructions carefully. 'Main power' the "big red" is always hot to the MSD. The "small red" works like a relay trigger wire, and THAT is what you wire "switched."

Alternator.........you NEED that blue field wire, someone has converted your alternator to the 70/ later style which is fine and better. "Short story" is, trace all the wiring to the ECU plug and eliminate only those. Hook everything else together in a splice there at the ballast

 

[67Dart273]

The yellow splice / blue wire is not factory so it's difficult to give you a step by step...........standby..............

1 coming out of the original harness goes to the alternator field. Leave this alone

2...coming out of the original harness is a branch of "IGN1" and originally went to the regulator IGN terminal. That must still go to the VR wire coming out of the yellow connector

I'm assuming the other blue coming out of the yellow and going off left goes to the remaining alternator field? That needs to stay as well

 

[67Dart273]

Cut the circled wire and get rid of the ECU connector to the right. Splice the remaining wires on the ballast together and tape them up nice. Run your original Coil+ wire to the MSD small red

CAVEAT!!!! You should ONLY HAVE the two wires from the MSD connected to the coil. NO OTHER WIRES!!! No condenser and no tach to the coil

 

[67Dart273]

I cannot tell what the eyelet wire end above your hand is for. (Might go to horn relay?)

Everything else stays, hooks to the alternator. Does not matter which field terminal the blue and green hook to

 

[68Dart500]

Thanks for the info guys. I'll see what additional questions i come up with once I start doing some of what has been suggested.

Does anyone know where the wiring goes for from the 2 pin switch on my manual trans? To the firewall bulkhead I'm assuming but then where once inside the car?

 

[67Dart273]

There's another member discussing this exact problem right now. Connects to the connector inside the car, which would have connected either to a column shifter reverse switch, or by extension to the console shifter (automatic). This is a half moon shaped connector. Feeds up through the wiper section of the bulkhead connector, from there down the engine bay side of the firewall to the 4 speed switch

Link he posted to the switch

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