Finally Getting Taillight Wiring Done But What Is This?

Finally getting around to getting the cracked, incorrect tail lights and wiring done. At some point in its history, someone had run a single solid red wire from the headlight only circuit at the junction box under the hood all the way to the rear. My first thought was one of the factory wires must be broken. But the normal yellow wire for the running lights is working fine. So are the brake/turn wires. So does anyone have any idea why someone might run that wire?

Next, in 58, were the taillight lenses glass or plastic? I got the repos from Walcks but the plastic lenses are already scratched. Cheap Chinese stuff. They had even painted the inside of the bulb socket. Took me awhile to figure out why it wasn't working. Obviously if you paint the inside of the socket, you get no ground. Idiots.

 

Maybe the red wire was dedicated for lights for towing?
-Donny

 

Mystery to me. But being hooked to the headlight circuit, the only thing I can think of is like Glenn suggested, a work light. Willie had spent all his life on a ranch outside Kerville Texas. But it was a really bad wiring job.

 

I've seen similar circuits. Often used while driving at night to fight back following vehicles (too close or high beams).
There would be a corresponding ground circuit broken by a toggle under the dash to fire off the death ray (often times a tractor light)..

 

Yes. But had been stripped and since was solid wire like thermostate wire, looked like it was attached to something. It had also been zip tied to the original wiring harness along the frame.

 

Homemade backup light?

 

Remove it and be done with it. Not good to have solid wire in flexing looms.

 

No switch any where just a straight run from headlight terminal under hood on the fender to the back. So if it was a rigged up backup light it would be on all the time the headlights were on, plus no sign of any attached lights or anything. Very strange.

Yep that's the game plan now that I have made sure the taillights work like they supposed to.

 

Separate switched ground...Light wouln not be on all the time, It could be fired off only if the headlights were on.
i.e. could not be accidentally run during daylight hours unless headlights were on.

 

Yep, but who know but at this point it's back to original, works so at some point I'll remove it.

 

I'd recommend at least removing and cutting off the terminal at the j- box/lug.
Can't be too difficult removing the 8' or so of unnecessary copper.

 

I removed the wire today AND think I may have figured out what it was for. While bleeding the brakes, I saw the taillights were not coming on. I shorted the terminals and got lights so assumed it was the old switch. Turns out it takes a lot of pressure then they come on. I'm thinking the PO ran the wire to give him the option of pulling the light switch to force brake lights. Just a guess but make more sense to me now.

 

file this in the baling wire and duct tape section of forum to be lost forever. Hopefully...

 

Phew, never know what those po's will do