pic request for trunk light placement

[Wade 10]

I'm looking for pictures showing placement of the trunk light as well as the wiring. I have one to put in and have no idea where it was or how it was wired from the factory.

 

Any help is much appreciated!

[69RavenConv 286]

I'm prepping my vert for paint so I've got the trunk lid removed.

 

Basically, it mounts recessed into a square opening by the latch. The wire travel inside the channel around the outside of the lid and exits by the hinge on the driver's side. There is a plastic clip that snaps in the hole by the exit and holds the wire in place.

[Wade 10]

Well it looks like the aftermarket trunk lid is missing that square hole. I have photos showing what the lid looks like. So this means I gotta do some cuttin'. I might just use a hole saw and make a round hole, that would probably be the easiest thing.

 

Then I need to figure out the wiring. I posted some pics of the old wire that was cut on one end and still has the male connector on the other end. So that is helpful to see where the factory one went.

 

But I don't see where to connect to in the wiring harness, there is no female connector around. There is a wire that was spliced and is going across the the trunk floor. I posted a photo of that too.

 

Last question, when is the light on? I assume that there is no switch so that means it comes on when the headlights are on?

[Wade 10]

Well I just found a wiring diagram and it looks like the light is farther over toward the drivers side of the trunk lid?

 

This diagram doesn't help much on the wiring since I have no idea where those are going to. I see it dropping down to the gas tank.

[69RavenConv 286]

Well I just found a wiring diagram and it looks like the light is farther over toward the drivers side of the trunk lid?

Like so many things on these cars, the line workers didn't always follow the prints to a "T". My car came with the convenience group so I know the light is factory, but the hole is obviously cut and not stamped so it was done by a worker. They probably put the hole wherever they thought it should go. The central, flat spot where mine is at makes the most sense on a vert/coupe though. It looks like you have a sportsroof where the geometry is different.

 

The female plug on my car is right at the wheel well. It may be the spliced one in your pic, I can get the color of it tomorrow. Sicnce it was an option, I suppose it's possible some cars don't have it. The switch is a Mercury type so any continuous 12V will work and it should turn on when the lid is open.

Edited July 26, 2010 by 69RavenConv

[rmarks 20]

Mine is plugged into the green wire with red female plug of taillight harness near the left rear wheel well (same harness as in your pic 3 & 4 Wade), but I have two wires coming out of the harness with female plugs besides the wire for the fuel tank.

Edited July 26, 2010 by rmarks

[Max Power 74]

I have a fastback and my light socket was mounted on the drovers side of the decklid. The wiring wasn't hooked up so I am not sure if it was the original location. I eliminated it during the resto.

[Wade 10]

Thanks guys for the info.

I just found something which showed the dual exhaust had a slight variation on the wiring. I'll try to post that diagram later when I get some time. Maybe this can help someone else as well.

That does not surprise me 69ravenconv, I'm finding all sorts of things about these cars where they just threw them together on the assembly line. Mine came with that option and I'd like to restore it to the factory specs.

 

I appreciate all the info!

[Wade 10]

So it looks like the wire going to the fuel tank needs to be split. Does anyone know where I can get a factory wire with a female plug? I really do not want to cut the wire for the trunk light and I want everything to be as factory original as I can get. I just posted that other diagram showing routing for the dual exhaust, not sure why they had so many variations for these cars.

 

Where can I get the clips as referenced in the diagrams? Are those reproduced?

 

Thanks!

[buening 63]

There were different taillight harnesses AFAIK, one with the convenience group and one without. My factory taillight harness (70) on both cars did not have this trunk light connector. You'll have to run a new power wire up to your underdash harness. You may be able to splice into the underdash courtesy light harness for power. This has been my experience at least

[buening 63]

That wire in your last diagram is for the fuel sending unit. There are some that have a continuous wire from the taillight harness directly to the sending unit, and others where an extension is used from a connector inside the trunk. I never knew the reason for that but apparently it was for dual exhaust.

[specialfinds 10]

Does anyone have an extra wire that goes to the passenger side trunk floor to the fuel sending unit for dual exhaust cars mine has been butchered up,hopefully a nice one.thanks

[Wade 10]

There were different taillight harnesses AFAIK, one with the convenience group and one without. My factory taillight harness (70) on both cars did not have this trunk light connector. You'll have to run a new power wire up to your underdash harness. You may be able to splice into the underdash courtesy light harness for power. This has been my experience at least

 

thanks Buening, this car did come with the trunk light as a factory option. But I'm sure the wiring had been butchered up during the years. I'll need to unwrap all the tape on the existing wires and see what's under there. It looks to me there was two female connectors coming out at a point and one was for the trunk light and one was for the fuel sending unit.

 

Is it possible to get small sections of wiring harness?

 

Also if anyone still has the factory wiring intact can you take a pic of how it looks.

 

thanks!

Edited July 26, 2010 by Wade

[buening 63]

The trunk light connector is typically at the top of the wheelhouse or just to the front of that spot. Its been awhile, but I'm pretty sure the wire is green and the bullet connector is red. Its the only connector in this location with exception to the gas gauge wire. The other end should be connected to the harness at the dash, in case you may have your instrument cluster removed.

 

Here is an gas gauge sender extension piece for the cars with dual exhaust. I'm pretty sure they are the same as the cougar one: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1969-1970-Cougar-Mustang-Gas-Tank-Gauge-Wire-Harness-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem2eaecf1375QQitemZ200501302133QQptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

[rockhouse66 22]

I'm pretty sure all the '69s had this light wire in the harness, because my very low option (no trunk light) car has it. It was pretty hard to see, well up in the wheel well area. You can see the red connector in the middle of this pic;

 

[buening 63]

Yeah I've been round and round with this over on the VMF a few years ago. Some people claimed they had the connector but never had the convenience group, others say the connector is missing on their harness. My specialty is 70 cars and not the 69, so its possible that all 69 cars had them and then a change happened for the 70 cars. The wire should be green with a yellow stripe as pictured above and may be close to where the quarter pillar light connector is. I have 4 taillight harnesses in a box from 70 cars and none of them have this connector.

 

You will notice in the NPD catalog that they have two different 69 taillight harnesses, one with the safety convenience package and one without. AFAIK, the only thing that the safety convenience package would affect on the taillight harness would be the trunk light.....but you can ask NPD directly if you are curious.

 

Its possible that many of the cars received the harness with the convenience package even though they didn't have that option, as back then they used whatever they had on hand. You may have the connector and you may not

[69RavenConv 286]

I looked tonight and I have the green wire like Rockhouse pictured. Even if your harness doesn't have it, those bullet type connectors are available if you look for them. So you can run a new wire from the dash, under the sill plate and over the wheel well to power the light and no one would be the wiser. It should be unswitched 12V.

[Wade 10]

Thanks everyone for your input. I'm wanting to start making this car as factory correct as possible. I've decided to enter it for judging in the local concours show next month. I'm not planning on getting any awards but it will be fun and good to see what they have to say about it.

[Wade 10]

thanks for that pic rockhouse. late last night I decided I wanted to take a closer look, so I walked out to the shop with my trusty can of bear spray ( have met bears in my driveway 2 times so far during the night). After getting inside and safely shutting the door behind me away from the wild things, I looked up around the wheel well and still nothing. So I actually climbed in the trunk, stuck my head up in that area with my flashlight to see as much as I could. I spotted a wire leading up to the front of the car and disappearing on the other side of the wheel well. I pulled it up and there it was! I found the missing plug in connector!

 

I never would have looked that hard for it if you didn't show that pic and state how far back it was. And mine was pushed back way farther than the one you showed. Not sure what color it is yet since it was painted, I'll get out there with some acetone to see if I can clean off the paint overspray on it.

 

Much appreciated to everyone who helped me solve this problem.

[rockhouse66 22]

I had to pull the connector forward to make it visible in the pic, so mine was tucked away like yours. Happy to help.

 

BTW, I live in the boonies and haven't encountered a bear yet (though they are around) but there are coyote so I don't really venture out at night "just in case".

[specialfinds 10]

Here is an gas gauge sender extension piece for the cars with dual exhaust. I'm pretty sure they are the same as the cougar one: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1969-1970-Cougar-Mustang-Gas-Tank-Gauge-Wire-Harness-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem2eaecf1375QQitemZ200501302133QQptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

 

 

That sending unit wire is shorter it's for single exhaust,the other runs along bottom to the passenger side.