If you recall, in last month's article covering American Autowire's Highway 15 Nostalgia wiring kit, the issue regarding turn signals was brought up a number of times. In short, the situation revolved around the harness' steering column integrated turn signals and the fact that the vehicle was not equipped with a GM-style column for which the harness was designed. For some, this wouldn't have been an issue whatsoever, at least not after the brake light wiring bypass was figured out (which was, as it's very easy to do); they'd simply bypass the turn signals altogether.
For those who don't consider bypassing a viable option, American Autowire has the solution. Although in reality, it too is a bypass-of the '70s-era GM (or aftermarket) steering column, that is. To avoid cutting up a perfectly good wiring harness just to accommodate signals, they can provide an alternative setup that still relies on the Highway 15's column connector plug by means of a pre-wired male disconnect. In some cases, this eliminates the column's role in the wiring "scheme" altogether, unless you use a turn signal switch that mounts to the column. With the early steering columns not affording much real estate to attach clunky accessories to in the first place (not to mention the wiring), you can keep things uncluttered by going with a toggle switch to activate the blinkers-mounted under the dash, most wouldn't even know it was there to begin with.
There is one more vital component however-the actual turn signals that will be activated by the modified switch. For the rears, no additional components are required other than a taillight equipped with the appropriate bulb and subsequently wired correctly. For the front, unless you're running headlights with built-in "running" lights (which can be modified to act as signals) or the newer headlight conversions that include them, you'll need to provide a destination for the flasher to, well, flash. In this case, that was accomplished by installing a set of Juliano's new teardrop external-mount lights, which are complete with running light/turn signal wiring pigtail and LED bulbs. All that's left from here is integrate the wiring into the existing harness and connect all the ends to their respective destinations.
After just tackling the whole vehicle harness install, the turn signal bypass couldn't have been easier, especially thanks to American Autowire's ability to facilitate it! And the "options" don't stop there, either-they can accommodate many special requests, from harness issues to even renting specialty tools.
