I picked up an engine harness on Ebay from a Canadian seller (Prince Edward Island). It's in bettter shape than any that I have and is definitely repairable but it has some quizzical quirks. First off, the wires to the ballast resister are Blue and Violet on each end where the FSM says they should be 2 blues on one end and a blue and brown on the other if I read the diagrams right. In addition to that it has a funky 3-way female connector for the horn relay. It's kind of a triangular shaped rubber coated box about 1/2" wide and 1" long with 3 female connectors protruding from it. It appears to be an original connector as the 2 undamaged waires go deep into the harness with no sign that it has been unwrapped at any times since original assembley. What gives? Is this something unique to Canadian built cars, a transplant from a different model or something entirely different?

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David Kight
'62 Valiant Signet, White
'98 Dodge Dakota
'06 Jeep Liberty

Growing older is unavoidable but growing up is strictly optional.

There were some electrical differences on pre-'67 Canadian-built cars, yes.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

Upon closer inspection, the ballast has a blue/violet pair at one end and a blue/brown pair at the other. The brown had faded and appeared very close to the color of the faded violet but when I unwrapped the harness the wire in question was brown. The green horn wire has been very hot and the insulation was fused to the wrapping for its entire length but no other wires seem to be damaged. Finally, the main Alternator wire which is 10 g black in my other harness (and in the FSM ) is instead 10 g red. The wire to the ignition coil is the correct color but it has a push-on spade connector rather than the usual ring connector.

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David Kight
'62 Valiant Signet, White
'98 Dodge Dakota
'06 Jeep Liberty

Growing older is unavoidable but growing up is strictly optional.

H'mmm. Some of those differences (e.g. the spade connector for the coil) are almost certainly not original. I know all about overheated horn wires on '62s! Hope you are adding some effective main circuit protection.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

I intend to but I haven't decided exactly what to do just yet. Since I have to replace that wire anyway I'll probably make it a little fatter to start with then maybe add a circuit breaker or a fuse. I wondered about that spade connector but it doesn't look like an add on; it has a molded on rubber jacket and the harness appears to be unmolested except in the area of the horn relay where they have spliced in a fuse holder - probably after the wire fried. This is the last major piece of the electrical system. I just have to get some connectors for my fuse block and get it spliced in. I will modify the main engine harnes for electronic ignition and add a wire for AC so that everything is nice and clean and looks factory even though it really isn't. Finally I want to run an 8g or 10g wire back to the rear of the car for positive grounding. I have a pair of Lancer backup lights and I'm thinking of using those for turn indicators. Also, I have to add backup lights which are not installed on this car for some odd reason.

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David Kight
'62 Valiant Signet, White
'98 Dodge Dakota
'06 Jeep Liberty

Growing older is unavoidable but growing up is strictly optional.

I was actually suggesting adding main circuit protection, which is absent in the '62s.
I'll skip the British car "positive ground" jokes and instead say "Good idea!"
That's exactly how it was done (and with that very lamp unit) on the Australian '62s. You can get amber lenses for these units brand new out of Australia.
'cause they were optional equipment until they were made standard for '66! You could either add a pair of stock '62 Valiant reversing lamps under the bumper on either side of the license plate, or operate the new amber units as combination reverse/rear turn units as was done in Australia. Think we've discussed this before, but if not, ping me.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

I think I'll put a maxi fuse of approprite rating on the main feed. I'm not sure what the appropriate rating is but I'm thinking about 50 amps.

I suppose I should have said "reliable" ground - that would positively eliminate any reference to British cars.

I've followed the various threads where the backup light mod was detailed so that's a possibility for sure. I might even do it on my Dakota.

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David Kight
'62 Valiant Signet, White
'98 Dodge Dakota
'06 Jeep Liberty

Growing older is unavoidable but growing up is strictly optional.

Hmmmm... I've just spent a couple of hours tracing down and labeling wires on this thing and it ain't matching the FSM. Would it be possible to find a wiring diagram for an early Canadian Valiant? This thing isn't making any sense.

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David Kight
'62 Valiant Signet, White
'98 Dodge Dakota
'06 Jeep Liberty

Growing older is unavoidable but growing up is strictly optional.