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37 LaSalle wiring question

Started by Groucho, February 22, 2010, 10:32:59 PM

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Groucho

Hi guys. I don't think I've posted before, nor do I know if I need to and intro myself. Lemme know where, and I will. If not, I'm bringing back from storage, since 72, a friend's 37 LaSalle coupe. I will have many questions. But, for now, I need to know where I can find out all the wiring's exact routing for the new harness, as it comes to me with none. Thank you so much
If you don't drive it, don't talk to me

Otto Skorzeny

#1
Last night I shot an elephant in my pajamas... never mind.

Click on the link in my signature and you will find a long list of vendors specializing in parts and services for vintage Cadillacs and LaSalles. There are two companies listed ythat make complete wiring harnesses for any car. One is Rhode Island, the other is YNZ.

You'll need to buy a shop manual. They turn up on ebay now and then.

The Modified Cadillac Chapter's website has various shop manuals online. 1941 is the oldest they have but I'm sure it will be similar enough to give you an idea.

http://www.modifiedcadillac.org/

fward

Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for YOURSELF

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Glen

Gee Otto if that elephant fit in your pajamas it must have been a small elephant or you are …..  well… large. :D
Glen Houlton CLC #727 
CLCMRC benefactor #104

harvey b

Hi Groucho,i will have a harness from my 37 Caddy,same as lasalle harness,it is being replaced with one from YNZ that i recently bought,it is not an authentic harness,is made with colored plastic coated wire,but it looks good and works fine,it is complete and includes the regulator and all wires will be tagged,however it would not be available until the first of june,my car is stored and it wont be home until then.I have used this harness for the last 3 years without any problems,we made it our selves,it is copied from the original one.I want 300.00 for it,let me know if you are interested in it,PM me if you like,i do have a copy of the wiring diagram for the car if you want a copy of that too.here is apicture of the regulator area,I have an original regulator i am going to use,the system is still the 6 volt as original. thanks Harvey B
Harvey Bowness

Groucho

Thanks guys. I already have a YnZ harness (cloth) that my buddy bought yrs ago. I also have a shop manual. BUT, what I need is the exact routing of the harness, as the original is long gone for me to copy it's original path. Thank you. BTW, did  I "miss" the elephant joke?
If you don't drive it, don't talk to me

Groucho

Quote from: harvey b on February 23, 2010, 06:45:08 AM
Hi Groucho,i will have a harness from my 37 Caddy,same as lasalle harness,it is being replaced with one from YNZ that i recently bought,it is not an authentic harness,is made with colored plastic coated wire,but it looks good and works fine,it is complete and includes the regulator and all wires will be tagged,however it would not be available until the first of june,my car is stored and it wont be home until then.I have used this harness for the last 3 years without any problems,we made it our selves,it is copied from the original one.I want 300.00 for it,let me know if you are interested in it,PM me if you like,i do have a copy of the wiring diagram for the car if you want a copy of that too.here is apicture of the regulator area,I have an original regulator i am going to use,the system is still the 6 volt as original. thanks Harvey B
That pic shows me where a larger part of the harness enters the enginge compartment (under a shroud like piece) next to the regulator. Thanks, that helps a bit with part of my routing question
If you don't drive it, don't talk to me

Jack Mcilwraith

Just a line from a Marx brothers movie.

harvey b

Hi Groucho,misunderstood your request,the harness comes through the firewall by the regulator and goes down toward the frame rail and attaches to the inner fender,the wires head for the headlights,and a couple go toward the generator?,there should be a wiring block with 3 or 4 terminals that the headlight wires join to the harness,up under the dash there are some u shaped hoders that attach with the bolts that hold the insulation pad to the firewallit goes across the top area and the wires point out toward the dash?,then it goes down the firewall and out a hole down by your feet on the pass side,these are the wires for the starter and right side headlights,again a wiring terminal block mounts on the inner fender,headlight wires join there.on the drivers side,the brake light wires follow with the headlight and generator harness,up under the dash the bulk of the wires are attached to the firewall area,it may take a couple of tries but it all will fall together.it helps if you have the clovebox out and the 2 big guages out so you can see?if your harness is marked for each wire it is pretty easy to install,HTH Harvey B
Harvey Bowness

Groucho

Quote from: harvey b on February 23, 2010, 10:58:04 AM
Hi Groucho,misunderstood your request,the harness comes through the firewall by the regulator and goes down toward the frame rail and attaches to the inner fender,the wires head for the headlights,and a couple go toward the generator?,there should be a wiring block with 3 or 4 terminals that the headlight wires join to the harness,up under the dash there are some u shaped hoders that attach with the bolts that hold the insulation pad to the firewallit goes across the top area and the wires point out toward the dash?,then it goes down the firewall and out a hole down by your feet on the pass side,these are the wires for the starter and right side headlights,again a wiring terminal block mounts on the inner fender,headlight wires join there.on the drivers side,the brake light wires follow with the headlight and generator harness,up under the dash the bulk of the wires are attached to the firewall area,it may take a couple of tries but it all will fall together.it helps if you have the clovebox out and the 2 big guages out so you can see?if your harness is marked for each wire it is pretty easy to install,HTH Harvey B
XLNT!  am I getting that the brake lite wires go out the firewall FORWARD with the gen wires??? Again XLT. Oh, what route on the rear body wires? Thank you
If you don't drive it, don't talk to me

Mark Lowery

Harvey,
That is a pretty concise written explanation of the routing, and I'm going to print it out to help me when it comes time to install same on my 37 LaSalle.  The one thing you didn't mention is the routing down the frame rails.  My recollection is that it goes down the drivers side.  In any event, there are a series of clips that hold the portion of the harness that feeds the taillights and fuel level sensor.  Hopefully, in Groucho's case, they were left on the frame.  If not, the scratches from the tabs that bite onto the frame may still be visible.  From the description, I'm assuming that the frame has not been painted and that the body is still mounted to the frame.

The terminal block on the inner fender is something I'd like to replace.  All the metal components on mine are fairly rusted.  Wonder if anyone has come across a supplier that makes a suitable replacement.  I have considered making a new one, but the crimped-on threaded (#8-32) metal portion of the terminal is something I have yet to find as a standard electrical component.

Mark Lowery, CLC #25216

harvey b

Hi mark and groucho,on my ynz harness the brake wires are the ones that have the funny metal push together ends,all the wires that come out the elbow on the firewall,point downward,the rear wires and the dimmer wires turn back around where the Ebrake cable is,the dimmer switch is wired outside the car?,out in the elements so to speak,the brake light switch is down there too,the rear harness "plugs" in handy the brake light switch,if you have any of your original wires there,you should be able to see the metal ends i was talking about?,the wires just attach to the rails all the way to the back with metal clips..one thing i forgot was the horn wires,they exit the firewall through the "oblong" hole up handy the cowl vent,the choke cable and wiper vacum hose are in the same hole too,you need a rubber gasket to trap the peices in place,it is available from steele,also there is a gasket that goes on the elbow at the firewall,use it as it helps keep the wirs in place too.as for the terminal clips,Coopers in Calif. have them in stock,i got a couple there 2 years ago when i was there,they are in Burbank,place is out of the way but well worth a visit,sort of like a caddy museum.Coopers have a lot of 37 parts too.you can call me if you have any more questions,i have a hard time typing what i am trying to say ???. 902-894-9334 ask for harvey..  HTH  Harvey B
Harvey Bowness

Groucho

Quote from: harvey b on February 23, 2010, 01:55:48 PM
Hi mark and groucho,on my ynz harness the brake wires are the ones that have the funny metal push together ends,all the wires that come out the elbow on the firewall,point downward,the rear wires and the dimmer wires turn back around where the Ebrake cable is,the dimmer switch is wired outside the car?,out in the elements so to speak,the brake light switch is down there too,the rear harness "plugs" in handy the brake light switch,if you have any of your original wires there,you should be able to see the metal ends i was talking about?,the wires just attach to the rails all the way to the back with metal clips..one thing i forgot was the horn wires,they exit the firewall through the "oblong" hole up handy the cowl vent,the choke cable and wiper vacum hose are in the same hole too,you need a rubber gasket to trap the peices in place,it is available from steele,also there is a gasket that goes on the elbow at the firewall,use it as it helps keep the wirs in place too.as for the terminal clips,Coopers in Calif. have them in stock,i got a couple there 2 years ago when i was there,they are in Burbank,place is out of the way but well worth a visit,sort of like a caddy museum.Coopers have a lot of 37 parts too.you can call me if you have any more questions,i have a hard time typing what i am trying to say ???. 902-894-9334 ask for harvey..  HTH  Harvey B
Thanks again. Got a lot of it done today with the help here. Bob Cooper is real close by, and I go there often (great people there). Anyway, you know the old saying "out of site, out of mind"? Well, the dummy that I am, not acknowledging cars that are covered...... Embarrassment starts here.....I have my friend's 37 Caddy Sedan covered behind my shop, that's a wealth of info too. OK, lemme have it ;D
If you don't drive it, don't talk to me

Groucho

OK, am I to understand that the dimmer sw. installs from below the floor? Thank you
If you don't drive it, don't talk to me

harvey b

Hi Groucho,yes it comes up from the bottom,you might need an extra set of hands to hold it while you get the screws started,its easier if you attach the wires to it first as there isnt a lot of room in there.Do you have any pictures of these cars,everyone here loves pictures ;D. HTH Harvey B
Harvey Bowness

Groucho

Quote from: harvey b on February 24, 2010, 07:18:16 AM
Hi Groucho,yes it comes up from the bottom,you might need an extra set of hands to hold it while you get the screws started,its easier if you attach the wires to it first as there isnt a lot of room in there.Do you have any pictures of these cars,everyone here loves pictures ;D. HTH Harvey B
Sure, I'll take few today. There's the 37 LaSalle coupe here that's been parked since 1973,after my friend was not too happy with the new paint (trim/lites/grill still not on from that), and his 37 Cad sedan with 29K orig miles and it's orig paint (a blue so dk. it looks black). I'll get em up for you guys in a few hours. And thanks again for all the great info. Man that thing has a LOT of wires under the dash for a 30's car!
If you don't drive it, don't talk to me

Tod- NTCLC

Mark -

You were mentioning that your headlight junction boards on the inner fenders needed updating - Bob Cooper has those brand new and in stock.  I talked with Bob, Sara and Vinny yesterday, and ordered a set - he has both the the 3 terminal and 4 terminal blocks available.

Give him a call - ordering via e-mail is a bit spotty, plus they are in the middle of a move right now.

Tod

Groucho

#16
Quote from: Tod- NTCLC on February 24, 2010, 10:41:52 AM
Mark -

You were mentioning that your headlight junction boards on the inner fenders needed updating - Bob Cooper has those brand new and in stock.  I talked with Bob, Sara and Vinny yesterday, and ordered a set - he has both the the 3 terminal and 4 terminal blocks available.

Give him a call - ordering via e-mail is a bit spotty, plus they are in the middle of a move right now.

Tod
I might be missing these too. I'll drive over and see Bob and Co. later or tomorrow I guess. It's only a 10 minute drive, and I love going over there. He's just got so much stuff. If any of you guys needs someone to go to Cooper's to actually take a look at something, lemme know, OK?
If you don't drive it, don't talk to me

Mark Lowery

Tod,
Thanks for the tip concerning the terminal strip being available from Coopers.  Mine had three lugs, but this raises another question; I will be adding fog lights which were not originally on the car.  Should I be getting the 4-lug version of the terminal strip?  Does the 4 lug version use the same mounting hole spacing, approximately 2-7/16" cc ?

Groucho, if either the coupe or the Cadillac [undercover] had fog lights from the factory, could you check this detail?  BTW, my car is a 37 LaSalle 4dr. sedan, but I would assume this would be the same for the 60 series Cadillac of the same year (1937).

Mark Lowery, CLC #25216

Groucho

OK guys. In a few minutes I'll post some pics. I'll post them in the general discussion part, as I ASSume it will reach more people(?)
If you don't drive it, don't talk to me

Groucho

Quote from: harvey b on February 23, 2010, 10:58:04 AM
Hi Groucho,misunderstood your request,the harness comes through the firewall by the regulator and goes down toward the frame rail and attaches to the inner fender,the wires head for the headlights,and a couple go toward the generator?,there should be a wiring block with 3 or 4 terminals that the headlight wires join to the harness,up under the dash there are some u shaped hoders that attach with the bolts that hold the insulation pad to the firewallit goes across the top area and the wires point out toward the dash?,then it goes down the firewall and out a hole down by your feet on the pass side,these are the wires for the starter and right side headlights,again a wiring terminal block mounts on the inner fender,headlight wires join there.on the drivers side,the brake light wires follow with the headlight and generator harness,up under the dash the bulk of the wires are attached to the firewall area,it may take a couple of tries but it all will fall together.it helps if you have the clovebox out and the 2 big guages out so you can see?if your harness is marked for each wire it is pretty easy to install,HTH Harvey B
Harvey, can you tell me where the right tailite wires cross over from the left frame rail to the right tailite area? Over the gas tank....... behind the rear most frame tie/crossmember....Thank you, it's getting done ;)
If you don't drive it, don't talk to me