Dash Ground 68 Cuda, anybody?

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andrewburnett99

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Hey guys!

I just finished completely refinishing the interior on my 68 notchback barracuda and everything turned out awesome, but I have one question that I'm sure you guys can answer!

I have no dash lights and my set of rally gauges isn't working. There is definitely power going to it, however I realized that I didn't hook the ground wire back up. My ground wire has two eyelets, one at each end. I know that one end was mounted to a steering column support bolt, (being the grounded end) but the end that connects to the back of the dash is the one that I'm not sure where it goes on the panel board.

On the back of the gauge panel, there is one terminal labeled "red" where the main red comes in, and then there is another line that seems to also be hot that is a black line that goes to another terminal which I marked upon taking it out. I'm not sure however where the ground line connects to. Any ideas???

Thanks in advance!!!

Andrew
 
If the ground wire you have is less than 6 inches long and has fairly large ring terminals it didn't go to the instrument panel. Factory added that little ground jumper from column bracket to column support when the slotted blocks in the support changed to plastic, The jumper insures ground to horn switch, shift indicator bulb, etc.. in the column.

The black wire on the ALT' gauge is hot not chassis ground. In a more perfect world that wire would be pink, black w/red tracer, anything other than black.

You instrument housing didn't have a actual ground wire from the factory. Chassis ground path was a daisy chain of parts and hardware. The panel should have a ground once it is screwed into the dash but with enough new paint, chrome screws, and such , who knows ?
If you add a perminant ground wire to the instrument panel... One end at the lower phillips head screw of center pod. A few inches from there to a male/female spade connection for service disconnect.
Other end all the way to fuse box or behind left kick panel.
Goal here is to be able to lower the column, pull the inst' panel out a ways and still have its ground complete for testing. Putting at the column support doesn't make good sense in respect to future servicing.
 
Your headlight switch also has a tab sticking out the end and it is a ground as well. That is where we "daisy-chained" grounds for dads 67 cuda. Steer column support-headlight switch-phillips screw(potmetall back of inst panel)
 
4spdragtop said:
Your headlight switch also has a tab sticking out the end and it is a ground as well. That is where we "daisy-chained" grounds for dads 67 cuda. Steer column support-headlight switch-phillips screw(potmetall back of inst panel)
Click to expand...

Reproduction headlight switches have the ground space so the one fits all whether the car has a wire for it or not. That spade didn't appear on OEM switches until the entire housing changed to plastic (75 i think ).
 
RedFish said:
Reproduction headlight switches have the ground space so the one fits all whether the car has a wire for it or not. That spade didn't appear on OEM switches until the entire housing changed to plastic (75 i think ).
Click to expand...

Makes sense...I was wondering that myself. That ground wire the OP is talking about is not factory correct?? Just an afterthought?
 
4spdragtop said:
Makes sense...I was wondering that myself. That ground wire the OP is talking about is not factory correct?? Just an afterthought?
Click to expand...

If what he has is infact the short column ground jumper it is probably correct. I dont know what year the slotted blocks in the column support changed from metal to plastic.
 

I do have the short jumper you guys are speaking of, but from what it sounds like my dash panel just isn't getting good ground from all the new hardware probably. I'll take a look at that tonight and try your suggestions! I really appreciate the help!!!

Oh, and yes the red wire pictured is the one I was speaking of. So both the red and the black are both hots correct?
 
andrewburnett99 said:
I do have the short jumper you guys are speaking of, but from what it sounds like my dash panel just isn't getting good ground from all the new hardware probably. I'll take a look at that tonight and try your suggestions! I really appreciate the help!!!

Oh, and yes the red wire pictured is the one I was speaking of. So both the red and the black are both hots correct?
Click to expand...

Yep, Those 2 wires did need to be different colors or terminals or something so they were properly placed. If connected reversed the gauge would work backward. Red is power comming in, black is power going out and will eventually get to ground via one circuit or another so that is the ground side of the gauge, not to be confused with chassis ground.
just extra typing now... RED is marked on the printed circuit board but who can see that with the panel close enough to make the connection? I always put a piece of red tape on that post while the panel is still on the work bench.
I also wrap the 2 harness connectors with white tape so they are easier to see. It keeps the female terminals from loosing position too.
The round terminal has a key in the center so it goes only one way. That key is about worthless to so I transfer that position to the outside , under my white tape, with a small piece of zip tie and super glue. I can feel which way is up.
None of this makes the other little 3 wire connector easy to properly install.
Must be a dozen different ways to screw that connection up.
There is a way to pilot and key that connector so a blind man could do it but more trouble than most would go to so I wont elaborate on that.
Good luck, be careful, happy moparing.
 
There should be a ground from the engine block, typically the back of the pass side head, to somewhere on the firewall. And then there should be a ground strap that goes from one of the studs that holds the column up, to one of the side bolts that holds the bracket that holds the column up. And there is no harm is adding more ground wires, like to the headlight switch as mentioned, or to any metal parts of the dash cluster to the dash frame. The more grounds you have the better.
 
andrewburnett99 said:
Hey guys!

I just finished completely refinishing the interior on my 68 notchback barracuda and everything turned out awesome, but I have one question that I'm sure you guys can answer!

I have no dash lights and my set of rally gauges isn't working. There is definitely power going to it, however I realized that I didn't hook the ground wire back up. My ground wire has two eyelets, one at each end. I know that one end was mounted to a steering column support bolt, (being the grounded end) but the end that connects to the back of the dash is the one that I'm not sure where it goes on the panel board.

On the back of the gauge panel, there is one terminal labeled "red" where the main red comes in, and then there is another line that seems to also be hot that is a black line that goes to another terminal which I marked upon taking it out. I'm not sure however where the ground line connects to. Any ideas???

Thanks in advance!!!

Andrew
Click to expand...
Yea, as metioned, DON'T GROUND OUT THOSE HEAVY RED AND BLACK WIRES! That will totally fry and melt your wiring! Those are the heavy hot leads off the battery and alternator that feed power to EVERYTHING but the starter. Run the ground strap you mentioned to the column stud and to the column. I think they added those ground straps due to the nylon bushings for allowing the column to slide and collapse in an accident acting as an insulator. And don't be afraid to ground out the metal parts of the dash frame and gauge cluster. The lights in the printed ckt board ground through the screws that hold the board to the metal dash cluster housing, and those are supposed to ground to the dash frame by the screws that hold the dash cluster to the dash frame, but sometimes they might not be solidly making contact. You can't have too many grounds...
 
RedFish said:
Yep, Those 2 wires did need to be different colors or terminals or something so they were properly placed. If connected reversed the gauge would work backward. Red is power comming in, black is power going out and will eventually get to ground via one circuit or another so that is the ground side of the gauge, not to be confused with chassis ground.
just extra typing now... RED is marked on the printed circuit board but who can see that with the panel close enough to make the connection? I always put a piece of red tape on that post while the panel is still on the work bench.
I also wrap the 2 harness connectors with white tape so they are easier to see. It keeps the female terminals from loosing position too.
The round terminal has a key in the center so it goes only one way. That key is about worthless to so I transfer that position to the outside , under my white tape, with a small piece of zip tie and super glue. I can feel which way is up.
None of this makes the other little 3 wire connector easy to properly install.
Must be a dozen different ways to screw that connection up.
There is a way to pilot and key that connector so a blind man could do it but more trouble than most would go to so I wont elaborate on that.
Good luck, be careful, happy moparing.
Click to expand...


Okay, so I have verified that I have power coming down the two hot leads from the alt. and the battery, and I have a solid ground as well from what I can tell and test, but still no rally gauges working.

What does the three prong connector you speak of do? I didn't have it hooked up until you posted that and then I realized it was still loose. Upon connecting it however, nothing changed except for I got a couple indicator light bulbs working now such as high beam indicator. Anything else that could be causing my fuel gauge, oil pressure, temp and alternator gauges not to work?

I'm about to go nuts with this issue :) haha thanks so much guys!
 
We'll get there. That 3 post connector on the smaller board is 2 indicator bulbs and 1 illumination bulb only. All good there.
Majority of inst' panels have a gauge voltage limiter attached somewhere. Some of the Chrysler panels have that limiter housed inside the fuel gauge. This is why your fuel gauge has 3 posts. 12 volts goes in on the extra post. The lower voltage that operates the gauges in fed to the fuel gauge inside there and out to the other 2 gauges via the copper trace. If none of these 3 related gauges work , that limiter is your problem.
 
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