Headlights and Turn Signal Light Grounding

[paulsherman]

Do I need a dedicated ground buss for these lights on a fiberglass bonnet? It looks light the head light 3 prong plug has a ground wire. Right or wrong

Thank you

 

[Jim_Gruber]

I tied all grounds into a single ground point as I used a 6 wire trailer quick disconnect for the front harness. I left lots of slack that I zip tied and coiled up. Ground went to a bolt on PS fender. On bonnet side all grounds led from common wire to headlights and turn signals.

 

[dklawson]

Jim's solution is very clean and sounds economical.

You are correct the headlights have a ground wire already. The turn signal lamps will need you to run a ground wire as they would originally have been grounded through their mount.

 

[David_Doan]

The grounding "scheme" on these cars is really a mess. Save yourself a lot of grief and just treat the ground as another required wire instead of assuming the the ground path exists in the metal. Then solder or seal any connections in exposed areas like the headlights and signal lights.

From the factory, the lighting ground was distributed via one of the bullet connector junctions near the passenger side blinker. Over time these connectors get corroded and cause dim or erratic behavior.

I'm in the process of putting together a new harness for my car. The dash, bonnet, and rear lights each get a dedicated ground wire to ensure the lights work all the time. Each of the lights on the dash also gets a ground wire to wart off the prince of darkness. Even when new, I think you'd be lucky to have everything working 100%.

"I'm not negative, just a realist"