Wiring Color Changes Not As Expected

[Gary Lewis]

Heretofore I've believed that the page below from the 1986 EVTM means that the dots and hash marks on the wiring were done away with as of 1986. But it doesn't quite say that - I just inferred that.

However, today I found that some of Big Blue's wiring doesn't have the expected hash marks, and instead has stripes. In the page below from the '85 EVTM he should have a red/yellow hash wire for circuit 640. But instead, he has a red/yellow stripe wire. However, elsewhere he does have dots and stripes.

So, apparently the changeover wasn't done during the model year change, but gradually on a by-circuit basis. However, generally the 85's had dots and hash marks, and 86's had stripes.

[salans7]

That makes sense, use up the older spools you have before you switch to new style.

[Gary Lewis]

That makes sense, use up the older spools you have before you switch to new style.

Yep. No one was going to throw anything away. So it is very possible that '86 trucks got the wires with dots and hash marks.

[Rembrant]

That makes sense, use up the older spools you have before you switch to new style.

Boy you guys are lucky Steve83 isn't here!!...lol.

[Gary Lewis]

Boy you guys are lucky Steve83 isn't here!!...lol.

LOL! Yes, I do remember that conversation now that you mentioned it.

[Rembrant]

LOL! Yes, I do remember that conversation now that you mentioned it.

Steve was always adamant that there was no such thing as using up leftover parts! If you thought that then you didn’t understand just in time production!

 

[ArdWrknTrk]

Steve was always adamant that there was no such thing as using up leftover parts! If you thought that then you didn’t understand just in time production!

Which never seemed to be a thing for The Motor Company.

We just discussed hydraulic clutches being phased in.

Or acres of castings left to season that needed to be machined before updated blocks or heads would make their way into vehicles and off the line.

*SO many anachronisms in the production of these trucks.*

Is there a reason to care whether dots or stripes?

Are any of us doing real concours restorations?

[ArdWrknTrk]

Yep. No one was going to throw anything away. So it is very possible that '86 trucks got the wires with dots and hash marks.

If you'd bought 100 miles of pink wire with black dots would you throw it out because it was August 1985?

The electrons on the inside never see the 'sell by' date, nor do they care.

[Gary Lewis]

If you'd bought 100 miles of pink wire with black dots would you throw it out because it was August 1985?

The electrons on the inside never see the 'sell by' date, nor do they care.

My concern yesterday was that I get the right wire. I didn't want to solder/heat shrink into the wrong wire and the colors aren't very distinct at the instrument cluster plug 'cause they've been unwrapped for 35ish years. The EVTM said I should be looking for a red with a yellow hash, but I wasn't finding one.

I started to check the pinouts on the connector, but the EVTM doesn't give that info. (I should add it to our copy.) So I checked my '82 donor harness and sure enough there was a red w/a yellow hash mark. And it was in the same position as the red w/a yellow stripe on Big Blue.

So now there is both a red/yellow stripe and a red/yellow hash wire at that position as I used a wire from the donor and grafted it in there.

[85lebaront2]

My concern yesterday was that I get the right wire. I didn't want to solder/heat shrink into the wrong wire and the colors aren't very distinct at the instrument cluster plug 'cause they've been unwrapped for 35ish years. The EVTM said I should be looking for a red with a yellow hash, but I wasn't finding one.

I started to check the pinouts on the connector, but the EVTM doesn't give that info. (I should add it to our copy.) So I checked my '82 donor harness and sure enough there was a red w/a yellow hash mark. And it was in the same position as the red w/a yellow stripe on Big Blue.

So now there is both a red/yellow stripe and a red/yellow hash wire at that position as I used a wire from the donor and grafted it in there.

Gary, a lot of items like that have to do with the build date of the vehicle and the lead time on components like wiring harnesses. A truck built in Dearborn in Aug 1985 might have the 1986 style harnesses while one built in Norfolk could easily have the older harnesses.

I had a 1964 Falcon that had a lot of Mustang PNs, 289 heads on a 260 etc. it was built July 27th 1964.