TR2/3/3A tr3 unsoldered push in connectors

[sp53]

Hi all well does anyone know where the tail, brake, turn, and plate lights grounded originally on a tr3. I am doing the lights in back the old school way with the larger unsoldered push in connectors and each light base has a plug that will utilize a ground inaddition to the case ground provided by the mounting screw. One way would be to use a push on unsoldered connecter and a short piece of wirer and run that to the mounting screw, but I do not see the advantage of that; it would basically be another case ground, this time with a piece of wirer. Was there perhaps a community ground like on the dash panel? I remember many years ago redoing what I am doing now because I thought that the PO was lazy and just stuffed the bare wire into these cheap looking bullet type plugs. I went ahead soldered bullets on the ends squeezed the female fitting on the base together some, and told myself I must be the only one that really knows what he is doing on this car. This is a lucky car all the time hearing in my head my high school electronics teacher telling about resistance and unsoldered wires.
Steve

 

[TR3driver]

I believe that originally, all of the rear lights were grounded only through their mounting screws. The fixtures were supplied by Lucas with the unsoldered bullets stuck in the sockets, but those were not used by Standard-Triumph when building the cars.

Since I am more interested in functionality than strict correctness, I made up a ground harness that daisy-chains all of the rear fixtures, then runs around to a ring terminal and internal star lockwasher under one of the fuel tank mounting bolts. I've also got a second wire from that ring terminal up to the fuel tank sender (which likewise was originally grounded only through it's mounting screws).

 

[sp53]

Thanks Randall for your note. I was thinking of doing something similar and a utilitarian approach is often the safest. I stay with the stock originality because I have been working on these cars so long that original-ness has become a curiosity. There are not many places to attach the ground and the gas tank bolt is a good spot. There is that little bolt that holds the belt bracket in place for strapping the spare, I think,( it might be a welded stud) and it is kinda small. They kinda had that daisy chain thing going on with the gauges anyway, so I thought perhaps there was something in trunk. Interestingly, I found two of those gauge grounding loops in my box of extra wire. I was always curious where they went until a discussion we had awhile back.
Steve

 

[eschneider]

I can't speak to TR3/4 originality, but-

Morgans use those unsoldered terminals ("earthing terminals") and they work well, especially if coated with silicone grease or kopr-shield. Personally, I like 'em.

Morgans also ground the lights through the harness. Like Randall, I like to build a "ground sub harness" that daisy-chains the grounds, and then bolts/grounds to the chassis on each side of the car (two ground paths)