Spitfire GT6/Spitfire Lighting Questions

[Richter12x2]

Trying to make this easy to find for future searchers too, so bear with me: troubleshooting, wiring, switches,

Ok.

Still assembling the GT6 project, and in true British fashion, the wiring is a bit dodgy. To give an idea, when I first started, I wired it all up, the correct wires were all connected color for color, and everything looked like it belonged where it was connected. All the negative leads from all the lights on the front were connected together into the harness instead of to the chassis, as the book said.

So I flip the light switch on, and one flasher lights up solid, and one clear bulb lights up solid. Nothing else happens.

Figuring I need to clean up some connections and replace some bulbs, I go to the non-lighting clear lamp on the front, and give it a twist, then everything goes out and the headlights come on. There was also a good bit of fun while testing the brake lights, when I let all the smoke out of the taillights. Apparently the insulating sheet in the taillight had gone.

Anyway, fun story over and I've made some progress. Brake lights work fine and tails come on with the light switch, but I've got ('67 GT6) a pair of reds back there that haven't lit yet. What causes those to come on?

Also, on the front, I turn the light switch on the dash down, then the stalk on the right side of the column is Off then Lo then Hi going from top to bottom. Orange lights are flashers, what causes the white lights to come on?

In retrospect, it might have been useful to play with all this and see how the switches worked before disassembling the whole thing.

Thanks in advance!

 

[foxtrapper]

The light sockets on the Spitfire are remarkably horrible. Very prone to failing as they are pressed together. Beware also the bullet connectors and the dirty connection.

 

[Richter12x2]

Yeah, the bullet connectors are really bad. They don't appear to have actually been, you know CONNECTED at any point in time, they just pulled a few strands of wire through the hole at the end and called it good.

I found that I can get the bullet connectors from the auto parts store and crimp them on good and solid, then use a jewelers screwdriver to widen the tips, and they fit nice and tight now.

 

[Andrew Mace]

Brake lights work fine and tails come on with the light switch, but I've got ('67 GT6) a pair of reds back there that haven't lit yet. What causes those to come on?

The round red lights at the rear (L691 or L692, usually, on a GT6) are flasher (turn signal) lamps only.

Also, on the front, I turn the light switch on the dash down, then the stalk on the right side of the column is Off then Lo then Hi going from top to bottom. Orange lights are flashers, what causes the white lights to come on?

Those white lights (usually L594 glass or "beehive" lenses) are the side lamps or what we in the US usually call parking lamps. They should come on with the first position of the light switch, and they should remain on when headlamps come on (unlike most American cars pre-1968 or so).

And for whatever it's worth, the "power" wire from a running lamp usually is red, while the "power" wire from a flasher lamp is usually green. With the flasher lamps, the green connects to a green-with-red wire for LH side flasher and to a green-with-white wire for RH side flasher.

Does that help?

Oh, and I admit that some of the lamps on a Spitfire or GT6 can get a bit dodgy, but the only ones I ever routinely had trouble with were the taillamps. With only one screw holding the lamp and a lens gasket that tended to dry out and lose most all usefulness as such, I spent a few minutes every several months removing the bulb, cleaning the two contacts on the lamp and cleaning up the bulb itself...and then I was good to go again for awhile! :wink:

 

[Richter12x2]

Perfect, that's way helpful! Now, black from all of these and the headlights is supposed to connect back to the black wire in the harness coming forward, NOT to the chassis, is that right?

 

[Andrew Mace]

Right. Black is always ground, but there often is provision (such as in this instance) in the harness for ground wires from lamps and such. (Not that you couldn't use additional or alternate grounds, but....)

 

[booley]

... when I let all the smoke out of the taillights.

that smoke will have to be replaced if you expect ANY of the lights to work properly...

 

[Richter12x2]

Is there a way to do it without making the lenses all black like the Hondas do? :laugh: Actually found a good deal on a set of taillights from ebay from a gentleman in New York area, I think. He sent me two that are in great condition.

I think the ultimate classic must be an Arizona car with Northern wiring. Hot and dry is great for rust, but hard on wires.

 

[Richter12x2]

Right. Black is always ground, but there often is provision (such as in this instance) in the harness for ground wires from lamps and such. (Not that you couldn't use additional or alternate grounds, but....)

Ah cool, I wondered if there was any electrical reason for them to want the ground returned that way, like switching ground or something. Something's happening that makes the headlights want to short back to ground across these other bulbs. With great vigor once the horn wiring (with it's grounding ring) is installed. Breaking them out should help me isolate whatever's happening.

 

[UmmYeahOk]

... when I let all the smoke out of the taillights.

that smoke will have to be replaced if you expect ANY of the lights to work properly...

...umm... ...you're being serious right? Cuz I found this and got scared:

We have liquid smoke in the kitchen, but we were saving it for the steaks.

 

[Richter12x2]

All lights are now working! It's amazing how much a 45 year old blue with red stripe wire resembles a 45 year old black wire when making ground connections in dim light, and what a difference it makes to the function of the lighting circuits.

Kinda interesting though, you can switch from a positive ground to negative ground car with the flip of your headlight switch. :laugh:

Now I just have to clean up one of the connections and find out what's wrong with the reverse switch and we should be good to go!