QuestionI am re wiring my bel air and I have it all done, but the tail lights dont come on with the headlights. There are no custom options on the car, Im just trying to make it legal. I have brake lights, head lights, all blinkers and front running lights. When I attach the orange wire to the headlight switch it frys the fuse between the red and orange wires in the fuse block. When it frys the brake lights dont work, but the turn signals still work. It may be a simple thing but Im new at this and any info will help. Thank you for your time.
On a side note, I didnt run the orange to the heater, dome light or door jam switches, none are in use. I have a wiring diagram but it doesnt give me a picture of the fuse panel, it just shows what wires need a fuse and then it shows a gray and a red dead ending there. I also dont have dash lights, but that I can live with.
AnswerI'm sure you know that the fact that a fuse blows means that a wire that is supposed to bring 12 volts to something in the car is touching ground somewhere. Since it seems to involve the wiring that is associated with the headlight switch (dash lights, tail lights both come from terminals on the headlight switch), I think I'd start looking around there for a wire that is pinched under a part so that the insulation has failed and is letting the copper wire touch something metal. This could also be the wire that runs back through the car to the rear of the car. The fact that you mention front running lights is a red flag, since the 1957 didn't come with front running lights. If you mean the parking lights come on when you turn on the headlights, there is a wiring error, and since that is also associated with the wiring at the headlight switch, I think you should take the headlight switch down where you can see what you are doing and double check all the connections to it - making sure none of the wires are damaged and that everything is connected where it is supposed to be.
I don't have a wiring diagram for your car, so I can't advise on which wire color goes where - you may need a shop manual to get that information, unless your new wiring harness came with a complete wiring diagram which gives colors.
This sort of problem requires patience and a detective's mindset - just start disconnecting wires from the tail light circuit until the short clears, then investigate the last wire that you disconnected.
To avoid blowing multiple fuses, if you have a volt-Ohm-meter, you can work without hooking up the battery, and use the ohmmeter to see which wire is shorted. The Ohmmeter must be sensitive enough to know the difference between the normal resistance to ground of a bulb (a few ohms) and a dead short (less than a few tenths of an ohm), only a good ohmmeter will be able to do this.
If you do not have access to an ohmmeter, you may have to take the car to an auto-electric repair shop and pay their hourly rate while they track down the problem. This will be expensive, so go back and double and triple check your work before you give up!
Sorry I can't be more help to you - this is a hands on type of problem - advice isn't what you need - you need persistence, good eyesight, and luck!
Dick
