Reversing Lights

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BILLY BLACKARROW
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Reversing Lights

Post by BILLY BLACKARROW »

Hi all
I am sorting my wiring out and the reversing light has a twin element Globe in it doe's this mean that the reversing light also acts as a parker ?? And what colour are the wires. Has anyone replaced the wires in the little plastic terminal if so how do you do it as mine are old and hard and I don't want to just join on to them.
BILLY :arrow:
BILLY BLACKARROW
MY Father always said do the hard part first --because when you are OVER IT you only have the easy part left to do THINGS I HAVE TRIED TO LIVE BY
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Joe_FBHolden
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Location: Thornleigh, Sydney

Re: Reversing Lights

Post by Joe_FBHolden »

I'll let you know soon Billy. I just bought a reversing lamp kit from Alan and will be installing it over the next month or two. Will keep you posted.
Blacky
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Re: Reversing Lights

Post by Blacky »

I think the reverse lights should only have a single filament globe , maybe some previous owner has made up a reverses light setup using old stop/tail globe holders ? Probably not a bad thing , you can wire both up and have a brighter reverse light !
When you're faced with an unpleasant task that you really don't want to do, sometimes you just have to dig deep down inside and somehow find the patience to wait for someone else to do it for you.


Foundation member #61 of FB/EK Holden club of W.A.
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WayneXG95
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Re: Reversing Lights

Post by WayneXG95 »

Geoff is right it should be a single.
Had to use a twin in mine but the electrican blocked one off.
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Harv
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Re: Reversing Lights

Post by Harv »

Billy,

The reverse lights are a pale green wire. They start near the drivers right foot, and run all the way through the car to the boot. Bullet terminal each end.

Most FB/EKs had the reverse lights plugged off with a rubber plug, and the green wire left bare. Once the plug is removed, you are staring at a metal bayonet coupler that takes the bulb contacts. This is a short pigtail, which is connected to the pale green wire. The bayonet coupler has offset lugs, meaning the pigtail end needs to be offset too. Most of these pigtails are scavenged from old wiring harnesses. The offset lugged pigtails that are scavenged normally are the stop/brake ones. These have two electrical prongs, and are ready for a twin element bulb.

From memory though, the other end of the bayonet coupler (the bit the bulb screws into) is set up for a bulb without offset mounting pins. The brake/tail bulbs don't fit... unless you file off one pin. I struggled to find a bulb without offset pins and dual element... cause I was too lazy to try anywhere other than the local retailers. If you try a single element bulb (like an indicator bulb, without offset pins), it doesn't contact well with the pigtail - the pigtail has two electrical prongs off centre whilst the single element bulb has one electrical contact dead centre.

The solution is normally to get a bulb that matches via an auto sparky or eBay.

Cheers,
Harv
327 Chev EK wagon, original EK ute for Number 1 Daughter, an FB sedan meth monster project and a BB/MD grey motored FED.
rosco
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Re: Reversing Lights

Post by rosco »

Billy,
all of what Harv says x2.

However, I vaguely recall that when I attacked the blanking plug in the reverse light mount - I used an indicator contact base. I do recall that I had to play with it an awful lot.. just can't remember how I did it. Most likely, I filed off all that wouldn't allow it to fit and built up some sort of sleeve around the holder then drilled and fitted a short metal stem into that for purposes of fitting it to the tail-light assembly.

If you don't want original, you might consider fitting super bright LED's instead of an incandescent globe.
There are all sorts of LED packages available... just find one which will fit into the hole and lock it in.... you most likely won't ever have to replace the LED's - as you might a globe.... so the fitting can be made a bit more permanent.

frats,
Rosco
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