1957 Brougham, engine wiring replacement

[Roger Zimmermann]

This small report was published in another forum which may be closed soon. As the Eldorado Brougham is a rather rare car, I have the impression that many aspects from this car could interest people.
When the US dollar was low (not as low as now!) in 1998, I did an extravagant buy: the engine wiring for my '57 Brougham. I had so far no trouble, but, when I restored the car some years earlier, I had to repair the wiring from the engine compartment. Furthermore, with all the oil the engine loosed previously, the insulation was hard and brittle.
The picture #1 is showing what was to be installed.

To proceed, of course the battery must be disconnected and to gain access to some connectors, the front grille is to be removed. To replace the hood's springs supplied by David King, I will have to remove it again (which I did some time later), picture #2.

The rubber cover/duct on top of the radiator is also partially removed to have access to the headlamps wiring, picture #3.

This model is known for its electrical complexity and the great number of relays. We begin the tour in the engine compartment: first both relays for the 4 horns, picture #4.

Then, the relay for the fuel pump, picture #5

[Roger Zimmermann]

On all cars with the Autronic Eye, there is this relay, picture #6.

The electrical compressor for the air suspension is installed on top of the 55 A generator and it has his own relay, this is the picture #7.

There is another relay which prevents the electrical fuel pump to run if there is no oil pressure. That relay is well hidden...picture #8

The last relay on the driver's side of the compartment is a protective relay for the air suspension, picture # 9.

[Roger Zimmermann]

We go now to the other side of the engine compartment. The grey relay is for the automatic antenna; under it there is another relay for the air suspension (why is that suspension a nightmare?) and, at the left, a relay for the generator tell-tale.
You can see some orange wiring near the frame; they are the hot wires, feeded from the black wire coming from the battery, picture #10.

This is not a relay, but the regulator for the generator, picture #11.

There are other electrical devices, like the A/C idle speed, picture #12.

or the automatic starter system, picture #13.

To finish the overview, the resistor for the fan motor, picture #14.

[Roger Zimmermann]

We are going now inside the car. There are at least two relays, one is very high inside and could not do a picture, #15.

Now there is the turn of the safety switch installed on the steering column, picture #16.

and, to finish with the overview, the fuse holder, "ideally" placed behind the front speaker, picture #17. Of course, the front speaker was removed for the picture.

Now, it's time to work. The first task is to lift the front end of the car. Simple? Yes with any car, but not with a Brougham. By lifting the car, the front diaphragms have the full air pressure and could be damaged, at least I did the experience. To prevent this, I let the air escape by lifting the front a little bit and open one door until I have the impression that the remaining pressure is acceptable.
Then, by lowering the car, I will not be able to take the jack away, because the front end will be very low...so I added some pieces of wood under the frame. The picture is showing the front diaphragms with the suspension extended, picture #18.

[Roger Zimmermann]

Now that it's safe to go under the car, I can remove the wiring going to the starter motor, picture #19.

as well as the wiring from the oil pressure sender, picture #20.

Now that the wiring under the car is gone, I can lower the front end and begin to identify and mark each connection in the engine compartment. It's long and boring, but a great help when doing the comparison of both wiring to discover a possible error and during the installation of the new wiring, picture #21.

Ouch! To remove the wiring from the horns, it's necessary to remove the headlamp body. Anyway, it will be necessary to remove them to replace the headlamps wiring as the connectors are different.
While I'm at that, I'm removing also the tube assembly for the windshield washer; since years I had a new assembly but never installed it, picture #22.

The old rubber tube assembly is now on the floor, picture #23:

The disassembly continues
After the LH lamps, the RH are now out of the car, picture #24.

The front end is somewhat sad, picture #25:

[Roger Zimmermann]

There is no rust at all. The preparation I did 20 years earlier was well done and I don't regret the associated work load.
I can remove the wiring from the headlamps and voltage regulator; no regret I had to remove the grille, it makes the work easier.
I noticed that the wiring going to the foot switch is still connected. But where is that switch? It's now evident: without removing some wheelhouse plates, there will be mission impossible, picture #26.

The view is much better; I will have access to almost all without trouble. Here is a view from the heater motor; the rubber duct will be replaced, I have a new one on stock, picture #27.

Some wiring and the windshield washer tubes are routed behind the booster, picture #28.

More details:

Without the splash shields, the horns are easily accessed. It will facilitate the installation of the connectors, picture #29.

When lying on the floor, I can feel the light switch, but I'm unable to disconnect it. It has to go out! For that, some more work is necessary. The kick panel must be removed to gain access to the bolts, picture #30.

At least, the switch is now out, picture #31.

[Roger Zimmermann]

As the connectors for the headlamps and fog lamps are not the same as the original ones, I have to replace also the short wiring harness going to the lamps. The first task is the remove the rubber plug with a screw driver. Fortunately, these rubber parts are not too hard, despite their age, picture #32.

The harness is coming out from the front, picture #33.

Headlamps and Co.
The new harness is just the reversal procedure; the installation of the rubber plug is facilitated with some silicone paste, picture #34.

It is now installed. It takes more time to describe the job! Picture #35.

Now, it's the turn to the fog lamps. Most Cadillacs from this time have the fantastic fog lamps (driving with them alone is more or less as efficient as without light at all, but it's nice to have) with the particular bulbs. The first time I tried to replace such a bulb by turning at the glass it did "crac" and I had the glass in the hand and the socket still on the car. Therefore, I developed a method to remove/install the bulb which requires the removal of the assembly from the car:
Once the lamps are out, remove the lens, picture #36.

Once this is done, unscrew the bolt attaching the reflector from behind, picture #37.

[Roger Zimmermann]

The wire under the bolt is for the ground. The paint applied during the restoration is thick enough to prevent a good ground. The marking paper is there to install the reflector at about the same place. Aiming will be anyway necessary.

The reflector with both bulbs is coming out of the case; some pushing is necessary, picture #38.

The 3 pins retaining the special bulb are visible, #39.

The new harness is installed from the front. Some more work is necessary as the contacts have to be soft soldered, picture #40.

Now, the bulb can be reinstalled with a small tool I did to push all 3 pins together to prevent too much efforts on the glass. That tool has indentations to keep more or less correctly the pins. Without that tool I used to push the pins with the fingers; some nasty words were usually the result, sometimes the bulb was also installed.
Sorry, the picture #41 is not very good, I was alone to push on the pins and take the picture...

After that, I disconnected all remaining connectors in the engine compartment, picture #42:

as well as all what is still connected inside the car, picture #43.

[Roger Zimmermann]

Now that everything is disconnected, the next task is to get the harness out of the car. At first, the harness from the engine compartment must go back into the cabin, through a small hole in the firewall. It's not easy, as the space between engine and firewall is not generous and some wires are hard due to the age and exposure to oil.
After one hour of pulling and pushing, the old wiring is out! picture #44

This is the small hole from which the engine compartment's harness came. The new one will have to go through the same hole...picture #45.

I did then the comparison between the old and new harness. I found 3 or 4 errors: wrong or unadapted connectors; they are easily replaced when the harness is out of the car; I took the ones from the old harness.

It's now time to install the new wiring. I can tell that it's not an easy task: the section of the new wires is a bit larger than the old ones, but the hole in the cowl still is the same.
After a while, the wiring for the engine is on the right side of the cowl. A second person would be a great help to do that; unfortunately, I was alone, picture #46.

I began with the installation of the harness in the engine compartment. Halas, the first clamp I intended to install went down somewhere between the hoses for the transmission's cooling. I had to lift the car to get it from under...
The new harness is installed in the engine compartment (picture #47) with the changes introduced by the manufacturer. This fact rendered the comparison rather difficult; fortunately, I have all pertaining documents issued by Cadillac and the former BOAC.

[Roger Zimmermann]

When I restored the car, I had to remove and fabricate new front wheel well mud flaps. The old staples were either rusted or broke during disassembly. As I had then no idea how to replace these staples, I used sheet metal screws to fix the rubber parts. This is not very nice and dangerous for the fingers: I had to be very careful by cleaning the inside fenders...Someone told me that I could have used a stainless wire to form new staples; unfortunately that idea came 20 years too late.
As those various elements are on the garage's floor, it's time to do some improvements by using plastic rivets.
The picture below is showing the ungainly screws, picture #48.

The strangely shaped holes were done on the assembly line more than 50 years ago. Another proof that those cars had a lot of rework during the fabrication.

Installing plastic rivets:
Once the holes done at the right diameter and the sheet metal protected against the rust, the installation can begin by pushing the rivets into place, picture #49.

Then, the "riveting" is done with the corresponding tool, picture #50.

When the rivets are installed, picture #51.

A look at the other side, picture #52.

The assembly is long and sometimes boring. And the memory is what it is, not foolproof: I could not remember where some wires were routed exactly; therefore, it is useful to do a max of pictures for future reference.
As previously mentioned, the connectors for the headlamps and fog lamps are not identical with the original ones. This is not important at first glance; by assembling the harness, I noted that the connectors are no more going into the original supports! I had to improvise a foolproof method to avoid that the wiring is touching what it should not. Fortunately, these details are well hidden once the job completed.

[Roger Zimmermann]

Now, the headlamps are in place again, picture #53. Before I can install the wheelhouse, I have to install the air duct, picture #54. Will the new one be good for 50 years?

The old rubber duct is put on side (picture #55); in fact, I gave it some time later to a French man restoring a '58 coupe, as the parts are identical.

The kit for the windshield washer is also installed, picture #56. The headlamp wiring is well attached too...

As all the connectors are in place on the driver side, I can install the 3 sheet metal and the polyester parts. The number of screws to assemble all those elements is impressive. For once I had not to search in all the garage for the screws, picture #57.

And, from the other side, picture #58.

On the bottom right of the picture, you can see the new rivets. It's not original, but better looking than screws...

[Roger Zimmermann]

As the mud flaps on the RH side were installed the same way as on the LH side, it is the right time to replace as many screws as possible. As the parts stay in place, I'm installing the head of the rivet on the outside side, picture #59. As the inner side is crowded by so many electrical devices, the "cauliflower" are out of view.

Once finished, picture #60.

The fog lamp's shields are not yet installed; they will be mounted once the fog lamps are aimed.

Now, I can go to the inside of the car. During the examination of the harness, I missed a detail: the fuse holders are labelled on the large side; when installed, the label is no more visible. It's not catastrophic as during the 30 years I had the car, I never had a burnt fuse. However, I prefer the right way and, to overcome that situation, I reused the old fuse holders

The wrong ones, picture #61.

The right ones, picture #62.

Most fuse holders are replaced, but not all as I'm missing some. No problem, I will survive. During the installation of the harness, some holder "home free" went out of place, picture #63. Cadillac spared and would not modify the main sheet metal holder for the Brougham. I will have to find a way to maintain the free holders in a safe way.
As the wires are larger than the original ones, the whole harness is larger too, rendering its installation rather difficult.

[Roger Zimmermann]

Something else is taking time: the removal of the small labels identifying each wire. With a fine scissor between the insulation and the label the task is done. Unfortunately, I lost (misplaced as you say) already 2 pairs!
About 2 years later, I found one into my regular car. How got it there?

The job with the wiring is not yet over:

As the instrument cluster was accessible from the back, I found a good idea to check the various bulbs and replace the ones which were dark.
In 2008, I went for the first time to Hershey. Fortunately, the weather was fine: as my suitcase was misplaced, I just had the cloths I wore during the travel. Despite this inconvenient, I had a good time. As I was short with bulbs #57, I expected to find some in Hershey. When I asked at the stand of Bill Hirsh, the seller convinced me that halogen bulbs were much better; they were expensive too!
Now, I had the opportunity to install those marvels, picture #64.

I should have know! Those bulbs were a bad idea: I broke the first one I tried to install: the space is tight, the access not easy and the socket would not go into the hole, because it was not square...To overcome the problem, I removed the cluster and put it on the radio, picture #65:

I could not remove the cluster from the car as the fine tube for the water temperature is still attached and I had no envy to remove it.

The gained space will facilitate the duct connection for the heater and A/C, picture #66:

I did something positive the day I broke the bulb: I installed the light switch, picture #67.

When I inspected the wiring on the garage floor, I did not remark that the wires at two connectors were wrongly installed. On one connector 2 wires were crossed and on the other connectors, the wires were correct when seen with a mirror. As there are too many unconnected wires, I cannot check for the functionality of each circuit.
As explained, I had to play with the connectors and wires. Here are the correct wires arrangement; the pictures are from the old wiring, picture #68:

The natural and the yellow wires were crossed, picture #69.

At Cadillac (maybe other GM makes too) the turn signal wiring is connected to the main harness with 2 small connectors, picture #70:

[Roger Zimmermann]

The difficulty is that the wiring is not completely finished, picture #71.

A piece of plastic is also missing; it must be saved from the old wiring harness, picture #72.

Wiring problems and smoke:

When all the small labels are removed and the wires and plastic holder attached with the band included in the kit, I can connect the turn indicator harness, picture #73.

I found another error: a connector was too short; I replaced it with a spare black one I had, picture #74:

Now that the electrical part is more or less over, the hardware has to be installed, like the heater ducts/hoses, picture #75.

With that, the underside of the dash panel is crowded...It is important to verify the correct routing of the elements and that the wiper's cable are free and don't touch something.

[Roger Zimmermann]

Now, it's time to do a verification. By connecting the battery, there is no spark, there is a good sign! I'm going into the car, trying the light, everything seems to be OK. Boy, the instruments are clear with those halogen bulbs, almost too bright! Fortunately, there is the rheostat to dim the dash lamps. Oh sh.t, some smoke is coming from the light switch! what is the problem? I rush out to disconnect the battery and I began to scratch my head: what can smoke in that switch? Ok, I'm doing again a test: when the inside illumination is full, everything is OK. When I dim the lamps, there is smoke and boy, the ceramic of the rheostat is hot!
Obviously, there is a problem.
The original bulbs have a power of 2 cp or about 2.4W. The nice halogen bulbs have a power of 10W. With all the original bulbs, there is a current of about 1.6A and, with the halogen bulbs, 6.6A! Obviously, the problem is there.
I reordered regular #57 bulbs at another place and installed just 2 halogen bulbs at the turn indicators as they were difficult to see during the day.

As I have to wait some time for the bulbs to arrive, I can test and repair other elements of the car. In fact, I found something wrong: with a rear door open and the shift lever on D, there is a strange noise coming from the air protective relay and the tell tale lamps from the generator and oil pressure are on! What is the problem?

Further, when the shift lever is on D, I can open the rear doors! Obviously, I have to check this matter.

After studying the various schematics I have, I came to the conclusion that when a rear door is open, there must be 12 volts on a gray wire. And, effectively, the wire is hot with an open rear door. The problem is that the wire is not connected at the right place!
To be short, the correction I did here, (picture #69) was wrong!
It seems that this wiring was wrong in the car (I never checked before the rear doors) but I'm unable to tell if the error was present when I bought the car in 1982 or if I did myself the mistake during its restoration. Anyway, after correcting that wiring, the rear doors cannot be opened from inside when the shift lever is in D.
However, the shift lever can be put in D with a rear door open and I hear the relay working. Where and what can I search now?

Obviously, I have to remove that relay. It is conveniently placed at the bottom of the steering column and very near to the floor, picture #76.

I noticed that the mounting base of the relay was "massaged" with some hammer blows; I suspect this device never functioned. To add the frustration, when the screws are loose, the lever can enter; at the moment one screw is tight, it's no more good. After a while, I realized that the device was not centered correctly. After an elongation of the holes, I could install definitively that relay.

The end is near

As I had to wait for the bulbs, I installed the protective plates behind the fog lamps; the rubber flaps are held with plastic rivets, picture #77.

To gain access to the headlamps, I removed the grille. After so many years, a good cleaning would be good. Here is the look of all parts, picture #78.

Now I have to reassemble the whole thing...All vertical and horizontal bars are held together by an astute interlocking method; just the top is held with some screw and clips, picture #79.

To install the new hood's springs (which I had not yet when I did this repair), I will have to remove the grille again. This time, I will not disassemble it!

[Roger Zimmermann]

After a while, the ordered bulbs arrived. In your location, a quick drive to the next store is all it needs to buy them. In Europe, it's not the same, I have to order them in the US!
Now that all the bulbs are installed and checked (also for smoke!) the instrument wiring can be finished, picture #80.

The glove box insert and lid are not yet installed, picture #81.

The glove box insert is getting the light, picture #82.

The entire wiring is installed, picture #83.

Now, the dash top which was repaired by Just Dashes is installed (not an easy task), picture #84.

The side and windshield pillar can be installed, picture # 85.

The end!

Now, all mouldings are installed, as well as the original sun visors, picture #86.

This job was performed over a period of 5 months. It's a lot of time, but I was not everyday in my garage. There was probably no activity in December and January as there is no heater and temperature can be almost zero °C during this period.

Any comments or questions are welcome.

[Roger Zimmermann]

On some pictures, the turn signal indicator "lamps" are red. This was done by the previous owner for an unknown reason. Some years ago, a company in Sweden reproduced the green lenses; I bought a pair and they are installed now.

[59-in-pieces]

Roger,
I was nothing less than awed, and fascinated at the complexity of the electrical system that you shared with us.
I had certainly heard how complex the wiring was, but until now, I had not really seen just how understated that description was.
Nothing less than brain surgery.
Well done.
Have fun,
Steve B.

[Ralph Messina CLC 4937]

Members,

The 1:1 restoration is nothing compared to Roger's model building skills. He's documented his fabrication of a '56-7 Continental MKII on the MKII forum. It's entirely scratch built, about 1/18th scale and incredibly detailed including operational power windows. It's a true work of art rivaling a Patek Philippe watch.

You need to register at https://www.markiiforum.com/login.php?do=logout&logouthash=1523301021-6869667db614a25642185c85b49d3828e4a03b16
It only takes a moment and you won't be able to stop reading and looking at the pictures. The thread begins here:
https://www.markiiforum.com/showthread.php?545-Roger-s-Mark-II-model-construction&highlight=Roger+Zimmermann


Ralph

[savemy67]

Bravo Roger!

You must have the patience of Job.

Christopher Winter