Reverse Light Pigtail Replacement

[funkyscooter]

My car never had reverse lights - they were capped off at the housing.

Did a little internet hunting and can only find kits, which are either $220AUD for the wiring and pigtails, or $330AUD if you want a column mounted switch included.

Can get single wire pigtails for a 58Chev truck from the States, but at $40USD per plug plus shipping and duties that is going to add up.

Could also lop off the mount and fit an aftermarket BA-15 holder ($30 Each)

Or I can waste a day (or 2) and try and make my own with the 3D printer.

First up I need to pull one of the indicator plugs apart to measure it. Looks to me like the wire is stripped and placed in the pin/ferrule, spring loaded on the tip side and somehow the end of the tip is formed into a dome as the wire is soldered in place.

So I went the opposite way.

Use feeler gauge to get under the edge of the spring and prise off

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With the spring off, pull the wire as far back as it will go to reveal flared end of pin

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139

Crush with needle nose pliers until you can pull it through the hole.

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140

Now that I can get at everything, measure it up and after an hour of headscratching managed to model this in Fusion.

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I guessed the offset of the locating pin so trial and error might be needed.

As the pigtail is in a reasonably hostile environment I had a crack at printing this is ASA, which is similar to ABS but with slightly better heat resistance. Never done this before so pretty happy that it worked the first time. Quick test fit with the butchered pin and wire for comparison.

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That was the cheap, easy part. Pins took a bit more effort. To rebuild the pins I found some thin walled 3mm brass rod, some domed copper rivets (both in kits from Amazon), and some 15mm springs from Bambu. Cut the rod into 20mm lengths. After many fails trying to clamp and hammer a flare into the end only to deform and bend the rod out of round, I heated a centre punch and pushed it against the end of the rod which is spinning in a drill.

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Soldered the end of the 18AWG wire into the rod, pass the rod/wire through the plastic base. Now the tricky part - soldering the copper rivet on the end without melting the plastic holder. Ended up heating the rivet first, inserting it into the rod and dabbing solder. Seemed to work but very fiddly. Here is the first assembly.

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As I butchered one indicator already, might as well make a set of 4 to match.

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Cost of materials was roughly $70, time to R&D was a day, and they each take about 30 minutes to print and another 30 to assemble.

2 pin version would be a pretty simple 3D model change so I may end up doing those as well.

[Blacky]

Damn dude you have the patience of a saint

[Errol62]

Wow. They are the same socket as the indicators aren’t they? That is what I have used in the past. Indicator plugs. Current sedan actually lights up the rear indicators in reverse same as a commercial or FC. Nice dock as always scooter.


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[In the Shed]

Good Onya Scott

Having seen your work with door puddle lights, modified electric windows I somehow knew you weren’t going to just order them online

I admire how you often take the challenging path rather than the easy route, all the way learning something new and adapting materials to get the job done.

Stephen