I had a buddy stop by w a 72 swinger he bought with a fresh but rough B5 blue paint job, blacked out grille, some SBP centerline auto drags and an awful krylon canned white bee stripe on it. Car looked ok from a distance actually. Everything was held together electrically under the dash w scotchlock connectors and all yellow hook up wire. Lic plate lamp wouldent light, running lamps in the back, no brake lights, no rear turn signals, no horn. Well there was a horn kinda. Yellow hook up wire and a pushbutton on the dash next to the column.
Where do i begin, well i started w lic plate light, yes there was a bulb in it. They cut the wire inches from the damn barrel connector to take the bumper off. I get that mended w solder and shrink wrap. Light still wont light. I pull drivers kick panel, they cut the wire going to the running lights, and attached it to a yellow hook up wire going to some cheezy under dash gages. I hooked it back up, and viola running lamps and a lic plate lamp working. One tail lamp working a little too brightly. I pulled the lens off, somebody botched in a late model bulb socket. I told my buddy to hit the junkyard for a good correct taillight housing with good sockets to fix that.
Turn signals and brakelamps were all fixed by me replacing the turn signal harness in the column. Old one was all melted together. When i pulled the beat to **** grant GT wheel off to get to the turn signal switch i found the source of the horn problem. Besides the wheel not having a horn button, somebody took the stock dart wheel, and cut off the spokes off leaving just the center nub from the stock wheel. then they removed the wheel mounting nut they installed the grant wheel over the nut, and tightened the snot out of the nut so the grant wheel would turn the column. I couldent believe it. I still cant believe someone did something that unsafe.
We went to Vatozone and Bob bought a new grant wheel, and correct wheel adaptor kit for it and i installed it. When i pulled the yellow hook up wires off the horns and hooked the horns back up to the stock wiring the horns worked fine.
I ended up dewiring all the home brewed **** wiring out of this car, tossing it all in the burn barrel, and helping him wire it up correctly for a stereo and fix the remaining little problems.
No joke this car was that effed up. Took me about 4 hours knowing these electrical systems to troubleshoot and fix it. Thank God he me as a friend to help him. A shop would have raped him to make it worth of passing inspection.
