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'67 Tail Light Harness - Concourse Correct

Discussion in '1965-1970 Shelby Mustang GT350 & GT500' started by Jimmy, Jun 17, 2013.

  1. Jimmy

    Jimmy Active Member

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    Hello All,

    Does anyone have a source for the correct fabric covering for the tail light harness, what color(s) it should be and any pics of what the complete harness is originally supposed to look like installed ? I have seen several versions that include partial fabric, part tape or cloth tape, etc.

    I'm also interested in seeing pics of the complete tail light section (view from inside the trunk) to see items such as riveted tail light back panels, and foam material between the housings and back panels, how the wire loom should look (ei: inside the back panels or on the outside of them, dropped down from the top of the wire loom or run across starting at one end, etc)

    Any help would be greatly appreciated.

    Thanks,
    Jim
     
  2. Bob Gaines

    Bob Gaines Well-Known Member

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    Jim the taillight harness is from the front to the back was regular Mustang . It can be sourced by various larger vendors. The added short Shelby light harness was spliced into the Mustang harness on each side at the point where the wires branch off to the Mustang taillights.SA used blue butt connectors and wrapped it with electrical tape typically. There were 3 styles of the Shelby harness used during 67 production and their usage depended on when the car was made. A Shelby VIN would be helpful to determine which is the most appropriate one for your car.
     
  3. Bob Gaines

    Bob Gaines Well-Known Member

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    Jim the taillight harness is from the front to the back was regular Mustang . that would be eaier and most cost efficient then trying to have the mustang harness covering re weaved. It can be sourced by various larger vendors. The added short Shelby light harness was spliced into the Mustang harness on each side at the point where the wires branch off to the Mustang taillights.SA used blue butt connectors and wrapped it with electrical tape typically. There were 3 styles of the Shelby harness used during 67 production and their usage depended on when the car was made. A Shelby VIN would be helpful to determine which is the most appropriate one for your car.
     
  4. Jimmy

    Jimmy Active Member

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    Thanks for responding Bob. I have cars #725 & #360. Would you happen to have any pics of what it should look like finished (concourse correct) ? Your answer has given me some relief as I was starting to think my cars were hacked up with butt connectors and tape. Did all of them have the brass looking light sockets much like the cougar with the black boot plug that has the wires coming out the side or did some have bulb sockets that were hard wired and have a plastic molded boot on the end that stuck straight out of the back ? Lastly, have you ever had the tail light wire harness re-threaded ?

    Thanks,

    Jim
     
  5. Coralsnake

    Coralsnake Well-Known Member

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    Rhode Island wiring used to rebraid the string coverings. I would start there.
     
  6. Jimmy

    Jimmy Active Member

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    Thanks Coralsnake, I have spoken to Travis at Rhode Island Wire but what I really need is a good couple of pics showing what the loom should look like at the splice and how the wires were routed. A couple of pics from a concourse correct car should do the trick. I'm interested to know if the tape was cloth or regular elec tape, what type butt connectors where used, etc. I'm trying to verify if my vehicles are correct and if not what I need to do to fix them.

    Thanks,

    Jim
     
  7. Bob Gaines

    Bob Gaines Well-Known Member

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    Do the cars currently have electrical tape or sections of black plastic tube covering the wires on the harness going to the taillight bulbs?
     
  8. Jimmy

    Jimmy Active Member

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    Bob,

    Since pics tell the real story here are some of both my cars currently. Hopefully the pics come through. The pics with the backng plates removed are from #360 and the other are from #725. Please give me your assessment. Could you also comment on the foam material between the housing and backing plate ? Thanks, Jim
     

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  9. Bob Gaines

    Bob Gaines Well-Known Member

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    The black tubes are what should most likely be on both cars. The black cap with the green wire and bk wire are what was used the other wiring looks to be sourced from a cougar. The bulb receptical is sourced from a cougatr and is brass not silver like the replacement ones in one of the cars. The Shelby harnees was connected to the typical mustang taillight harness by two blue coded butt connectors and then wraped over with bk electrical tape. The added ground wires help but are not nessasary if you make sure you have a metal to metal connection between the tail light panel and the backside of the metal taillight protector. That keeps it original looking. The extra ground wire is easier but dosn't look correct. Bob
     
  10. Jimmy

    Jimmy Active Member

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    Thanks for your assistance Bob. What about the foam stuff in between the tail light panel and protector ? Is that original or an addition from the previous owner ? Would you happen to have any pics of a restored or survivor car showing what it should look like finished and the correct routing ? Lastly, on the pass side, would the wires route in (or splice in) from the end of the tail light panel and wire loom run or from where the trunk latch support is near the middle of the car ? Thanks, Jim
     
  11. Bob Gaines

    Bob Gaines Well-Known Member

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    The foam ring is used on cougars too. The Shelby harness attached on the right and the left . the ends were snipped off going to the Mustang lights and attached the Shelby harness there on each side.
     
  12. Jimmy

    Jimmy Active Member

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    Thanks for the clarification Bob. Just to be clear, are you stating that the foam I showed in the pics is what it would have originally looked like on the Shelby when it left the factory ? or did they not use it ? I guess the early cars received the plastic tubing like the one I showed in the pics ?

    Thanks, Jim
     
  13. Bob Gaines

    Bob Gaines Well-Known Member

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    Typically the foam was used . A couple of the foam rings in the picture look a little strange and may be owner substitutes. There were three different type of Shelby tailight harness appearance used .The plastic tube as in one of the picture was second style in the evolution line of Shelby tail light harness. I hate to confuse you with the other type explaination here.
     
  14. Jimmy

    Jimmy Active Member

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    Would you happen to have or know where I might get some photos of what an original or concourse restored example of what the whole taillight wiring and housings should look like ? I also need to get shots of other various areas as well and I don't want to just pick a picture or two from some random restored Shelby and assume that its correct. Any resources that you now of that would help ? I plan to go to SAAC 38 Friday and Saturday and hopefully get some pics of concourse cars but considering I've never been to one of these judged events, I'm not certain how receptive the owners would be to taking detailed pics of their cars. Besides asking permission, can you give any guidance ? Thanks.
     
  15. roddster

    roddster Well-Known Member

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    Since you are going to a SAAC convention, take your camera. I think you will find most 67 owners quite willing to share details about thier cars. You will want to find cars within the build time frame as yours. This usually goes by the vin number, but, watch out. A few cars got built way out of order.
    So, if you are lucky, this years convention will have some other cars within a hundered or so numbers of you two. Best to check out a cars details if it was built need the time yours were.

    A question about the maroon car: the paint is not likely original, could you post a photo of the car. One 67 Shelby got factory painted that color. I kind of recall the vin deep in the 2000's and ended in 69. Second question: where is the tail light boxes on that car?
     
  16. Jimmy

    Jimmy Active Member

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    Roddster, Thanks for the response, I'll plan on checking VIN data to make sure I'm close. Really wish there was more a resource fro the '67 Shelbys with respect to the correct details on marking, etc. I hate to just copy oher cars not knowing if they are correct but I guess if I can find out ahead of time what kind of scores they obtain, it should tell the story if they are correct.

    The maroon car is an early car and originally Dark Moss Green. I removed the the tail light boxes do conduct some work on the rear panel of the car and haven't installed it back on as I intend to re-paint that car soon. Thanks for our help, Jim
     
  17. Bob Gaines

    Bob Gaines Well-Known Member

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    You can contact the concours head judge Randy Bailey when get there and see if you can come along while we judge the 67's .
     
  18. Jimmy

    Jimmy Active Member

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    That would be awesome Bob. I know they start judging at 8:30am on Saturday but do you know what time they'll get started with the '67's ?? Thanks, Jim
     
  19. Bob Gaines

    Bob Gaines Well-Known Member

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    At 8;30 on SAT. check in with Randy to get the OK.
     
  20. roddster

    roddster Well-Known Member

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    Bob G is being modest. He is one of better Concours judges and does not mind sharing what he knows.

    A couple of additional resources:
    www.SAACforum.com
    www.Concoursmustang.com

    And, if you own a Shelby, you ought to be a member of SAAC.
     

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