[wrea3_98]

Have a 69 GTO convertible. Power top harness has a Grey/Purple plug that goes to the switch on the dash and has an extra lead that plugs into a 12 volt accessory terminal on the fuse box. The fuse box has a 30A circuit breaker for the pwr top (upper left corner) and right next to it is the acc plug I have to use due to the special plug end. It is never hot, key on or off. I traced the orange wire coming off the back of this terminal and it leads to an open plug connector under the dash thats not connected to anything. This orange lead needs 12v to juice up the fuse box where the circuit breaker is so I can power the top switch. Where do connect this orange lead to?? Also is it 12V switched or always hot?

["QUICK-SILVER"]

Curious about what you've got going on.
Regular wiring diagram shows aways hot where you've got the circuit breaker, BUT regular diagram shows a fuse in it, powered from under the hood with the other side going to the clock. For some reason it does not show power supply on the battery accessory terminal. I suppose the diagram is too generic.

I looked and saw where you've changed wiring harnesses. Need to look at the old one and see if it didn't have a seperate power lead coming inside from under the hood for power to the top. Coming from an extra junction block or straight off the horn relay.

Would like to hear what you find.

[wrea3_98]

The old harness looked exactly the same as the new harness from behind. The larger orange wire coming from that circuit was snipped short. Someone else removed the fuse box and harness so I never saw the original set up. I did find a circuit breaker/junction block in the pile of wire that I belive was used as the hot source. I believe they did the same thing in the mid 60s. They only way I can see to get the fuse circuit to be hot is thru the extra large orange wire I see coming out of the back of the box. They loomed it up near the ignition switch and left about 3 inches untaped at a 3 way plug connector. There are no orange wires that I can see going into the engine bay to the horn relay. I am not at the shop so I cant verify whats there.

["QUICK-SILVER"]

I've seen various heavy duty circuit breakers used over the years on cars that had optionable high amp accessories. Some bolted to the firewall and others at horn relay or junction block depending on car. Most if not all of theses had threaded stud and nut type terminals for the wires. Seems like most of the time the heavy wire by-passed the bulkhead connector. Usually had it's on grommet where it went through the firewall to whatever it was powering.
The way you describe your harness it sounds like the manufacturer intended for the battery terminal in the fuse box to have switched power, which doesn't really make sense to me. I'd have to give them a call and at least get their take on it before doing a whole lot.
About the circuit breaker that's in the box now, does it have anything attached to the back of it? Like component wires of some kind that would need circuit breaker protection. The way you describe it sounds like battery terminals going to be hot directly from the orange wire. Just wondering if it's got a bar over to end of the fuse holder where the circuit breaker is.
This all sounds strange and has got my curiosity up.
Ready to learn something new.
I know what I would do, would just like to know what their plan was.
Please keep us updated.

[wrea3_98]

I was told in another thread that the upper LH fuse terminals (convertible top fuse and acc plug) are juiced from the horn relay via an ORN/BLK wire. At least thats what it sounds like. It is suppose to have a multiple plug connector that goes directly to the relay and then the other wire to the relay piggy backs onto this connector. I have no ORN/BLK wire at the horn relay. In my opinion all of the fuse box terminals should be hot with the main lead connected to battery power thru the harness. The same wire that heats up the entire fuse box. All other fuses and plug-ins are hot, either switched or always on. Just not the upper left hand 30A fuse/circuit breaker slot and the acc plug right next to it. Here is what I was told in the other thread...... I copied and pasted it below.


The top accessory plug should have battery power (always hot - this is why it is marked "batt") and this is the correct supply of power to the power top and the power windows.

The lower plug runs only hot with the key in run or acc. this is where you plug the pink power window wire that activates the relay.

that wire I think you are talking about (male plug) is not to feed power to the relay, it is the opposite, it was there to supply protected power on cars with too many options for the fuse block, it is called the instrument panel acc feed wire.

The power to that circuit should come from a heavy orange wire that plugs into the horn buzzer relay in the engine bay, it should have a male-female plug that plugs into the relay then allowing you to plug the red striped wire into it at the relay.

Wierd deal but thats how they did it, very common oversight during a resto, not self evident.
__________________

["QUICK-SILVER"]

I looked at that last night along with the pic that was posted trying to figure something out before posting here. Looking at the diagram I have it shows power to that top left fuse coming from the horn relay/key buzzer, like the other poster was saying.
The rest of the fuse box was powered by the switch or the common battery power junction under the dash.

The pic in that other thread has a connector/plug-in hanging in front of the fuse box. Something like that is what I was thinking your power top would be plugged into.
IDK on this one so keep us updated. It'll be just plain good to know.
Factory wiring diagram along with the suppliment for convertible option would be nice.

Good Luck

[wrea3_98]

I found a guy who is selling a 69-70 GTO "convertible jumper harness". It plugs in between the switch (GRN/RED) harness and the rear (PPL/GRY) harness. It carries more connection and includes a large orange wire with a black stripe along with a pink wire, mabey for power windows? Not sure. He says its an original GM part. Here is a picture.

["QUICK-SILVER"]

Interesting and sort of kind of makes sense. It'll probably give you the extra plug-in you need to get the batt terminal in your fuse box working.
Tieing your batt terminal orange wire in at the plug with red & green would probably accomplish the same thing. Then you could plug the top lead in at the fuse box.
BUT that still leaves power for and through the circuit breaker kind of up in the air.

Back of that fuse box has still got me curious. Even with the factory top wires that are pictured I don't see how that circuit breaker is going to come into play. As far as that goes, was that circuit breaker in the fuse box suppose to have anything to do with the top to begin with.

What about the circuit breaker you found in the scrap/take-off pile. Maybe I'm over thinking this, just dont want to hear about you smoking a bunch of wires.

My thoughts on this:A fuselink protected high amp relay, powered staight from battery, would modernize and give you a stronger safer power supply for the top. It would eliminate several extra plug-ins at the same time.
What's your thoughts on that even if it's telling me to shut up.

[wrea3_98]

It sounds like the circuit breaker would be bypassed with this plug. I will either have to solder a ORN/BLK wire onto the back of the fuse paneland run ti to the harn relay or run a separate screw on type circuit breaker between the top switch lead and another 12V source. This is a rare 69 Judge Convetible so correctness is what I prefer. Another guy thinks this little harness if from a big car. I have a call into Lectric Limited who made the harness. I will talk to him Monday and will see if I am missing a wire. All of my diagrams only show schematics without the top switch. Funny thing is that I have the big green GM manual for all 69 models, I have a diagram I copied from a thread in this site and I have the restoration book that most of us have. All are a little different. I am looking at the one now I cpoied form the forums. It shows that the upper left fuse is also suppose to work the lighter, the glove box light and the clock. All of these accessories work on my car. They must be powered from somewhere else. Gotta Love it....

[johnta1]

The wiring circuit depends on what other power options the car has.

See if this helps:

["QUICK-SILVER"]

Originally Posted by wrea3_98

I have a call into Lectric Limited who made the harness. I will talk to him Monday and will see if I am missing a wire....

Just wondering if you found out anything, and/or hopefully what it took to get it working.

[wrea3_98]

I called Lectric Limited and they told me the orange wire I mentioned earlier (coming out of the box that goes up behind the dash and ends at a plug end) , plugs into another wire that leads to the horn relay. I made the harness end and plugged it in. The orange and black wire was just orange in my harness. All works fine.