[8LUG]

Any help with rewiring the licence plate light. My black wire is scraped up, want to change it.

[64-3Deuces]

8 Lug

I did a complete rewire of my 64 license plate light. To do it right you need the proper tools and parts.

Is the harness connector end a Packard 56 or the pin type in a rubber cup?

Let me know your specific plan ( I would guess you're looking at a complete rewire) and I will detail what I did.

[8LUG]

Originally Posted by 64-3Deuces

8 Lug

I did a complete rewire of my 64 license plate light. To do it right you need the proper tools and parts.

Is the harness connector end a Packard 56 or the pin type in a rubber cup?

Let me know your specific plan ( I would guess you're looking at a complete rewire) and I will detail what I did.

all 1964 pontiacs used the Packard 56 connector/plastic cover, I have those. New # 16 wire with insulation is .088 thick and the old #16 wire/insulation is .119. Also need the button that make contact with the bulb (in picture). can the grommet be taken off the old wire without destroying it

[64-3Deuces]

“all 1964 pontiacs used the Packard 56 connector/plastic cover, I have those”.----That’s what I thought, however I obtained a NOS housing/lens for a 64 Bonneville. Identical in every respect to my 64 GTO housing/lens with the exception of the connector and a shorter wire. That’s why I rewired it.

How are you going to attach the terminal? An open barrel crimper is best, though I was able to do a decent crimp with pliers before I bought the barrel crimper.

“New # 16 wire with insulation is .088 thick and the old #16 wire/insulation is .119.” ----I initially had the same problem. The thinner insulation is loose in the grommet and in the housing rubber sleeve. My plan was to use some black liquid tape to tighten up the grommet and low heat from a heat gun to slightly tighten the sleeve but still allow for wire movement. Fortunately I had a trashed engine harness that had a black wire with the thicker insulation. That may be the way to go; sure you can find one from the recyclers or maybe you have one. I think all the new insulation will be thinner. NOTE 1- 18 gauge wire is all that is needed for a single bulb. NOTE 2: If the wire is stuck to the housing sleeve soak it with PB Blast or equivalent to break it free. Coat the inside of the sleeve and the wire portion with a light coat of silicone grease/dielectric grease. This will ensure that the wire will move with the spring when the bulb is inserted and not bond itself to the sleeve.

“Also need the button that make contact with the bulb (in picture).” ---- I got them from E-Bay. Reportedly NAPA has a good selection of this kind of stuff, worth a try. Some online places sell the crimp type contact though I’m not sure if that will clear the sleeve when the bulb is inserted.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Qty-10-Panel...pYeQYA&vxp=mtr

http://www.autolumination.com/connectors.htm


“can the grommet be taken off the old wire without destroying it”---- What is your definition of “destroying it”? My grommet was really stuck to the wire, and in my case soaking it with PB didn’t help. I took a razor blade to make a straight cut lengthwise to remove it. It will still seal up when pressed in the hole. I have a complete NOS 64 backup light accessory kit which uses the same type grommets. They are factory cut lengthwise as that is the only they can be installed since both ends of the wire are terminated, so I don’t really feel I destroyed the license grommet when I cut it.

[8LUG]

Spent about an hour getting the grommet off the wire with a good outcome. Using a soapy solution and a blunt metal pick, slowly getting the pick between the wire and the grommet, The grommet is one piece with a slight mold line which may look like 2 pcs.. My take on the wire is : the grommet was slipped on the wire and glued in position before the connectors on each end. Thanks for the input.. The button connector will have to be small to fit inside the spring. The grommet was cleaned then painted with grey vinyl paint to look new again

[64-3Deuces]

Good work on the grommet, looks like new, wish I had thought of that.

The E-Bay button contact easily fits into the spring as original.

[8LUG]

Found black insulated wire that's ,120 and the grommet fits snug. also got some brass buttons from a old hardware store. The spring goes over the button just like the original, Waiting for the housing to come back from the platers You need 14-1/4 in, of wire. 8-1/2 in from the button to the end of the grommet(grommet is 3/4 in. long) 5in. from the other end of the grommet to the packard 56 connector..So far it looks darn good.. In the 2nd picture button was placed on the wire but not crimped.yet.

[8LUG]

Button crimped on after installing it in the housing. turned out nice.

[War eagle]

You always do great work 8lug!!

[8LUG]

Cant thank SONIC 4 U( Kev) enough for the thread about BURTON Metal Finishing in Columbus Oh. outstanding

[John V.]

8LUG, this thread is very helpful to me. I am restoring my own license plate light. Bummer that license is misspelled in the Title, will make future searches for this thread a bit more difficult.

Luckily for me I am working on mine now and knew that you had recently posted about your work. It has already been very helpful.

But I have several questions.

1. My wire is in worse shape than what you started with, it looks like the original connector probably broke off and a short length of wire was crudely spliced on with a translucent connector. Yours looks solid ivory, is that correct?

2. My wire is about 6-5/8" from where it enters the connector to the near end of the grommet. You say yours is 5". To the splice mine is about 4" from the grommet, so I figure the wire lost about an inch when the original connector was cut off. From the housing to the "top" of the grommet measures a shade over 8-1/2" so that seems to match yours.

3. Mine has a yellowish tan formed gasket under the lens, I cleaned it up as best I could and it looks pretty good, not sure if it is as "rubbery" as it was when new. You didn't show a gasket, is an O.E. type formed gasket available or do I just use the original which isn't visible with the lens on anyway?

4. My lens is painted silver, I remember a thread about that. The screw ears on mine are painted silver then just the top area is painted silver, stops at the first "break" line which is right above the upper edge of the screw ears. I seem to recall that others had more of the lens painted but no matter. I will duplicate the break line on my original. The lens question I have, the plastic is yellowed, not really "foggy" just a uniform yellow color. I assume it should be clear. Is there a good way to remove the yellowing? I'm afraid any aggressive abrasive will wear away the GUIDE and p/n info. Are repros available and do they have the correct embossed info molded in?

5. I will use your procedure to remove the grommet. Is the replacement "thick" wire you found easy to source? I have some old wiring harnesses but not sure there is a long enough section of Black wire that I can use. If I can find a new wire, it should be easier.

6. The smaller lens attaching screws and the larger housing attaching screws have a black head. I am missing one of the larger screws. I'm wondering what you believe is correct for the finish on these screws and whether yours were also black? I can't really tell if the threaded portion was black, I could only detect a probable silver finish on the threads after soap and water washing, but the exposed heads definitely are black, I don't think painted black. So if they are original, it looks like they must have had some sort of black plating. Does that seem right?

7. I thought just maybe the bulb could have been original but it is marked with a W (perhaps Westinghouse?) and 1155 under that. The MPC shows the bulb should be 67. From what I can tell, both are available, same ratings, same candlepower, same average life, same base and dimensions. Only the filament style is different. Any idea which is best and/or correct to use?

8. I was surprised to see you replated your housing in "gold" as my exposed housing showed no evidence of gold until I pulled the lens off. Then it was obviously gold. Did you do it in yellow zinc or something else?

9. Does the bulb "holder" (the piece the bulb goes into) come off the housing before replating or do I leave it in place?

10. Once I get the grommet off, I don't think I will have trouble disassembling the button end but it didn't look like the bulb holder comes off at least not easily. And I assume it is brass, not originally plated so I'm uncertain about that. Also, where can I find a new spring? I'm not sure I will need to replace the original but it doesn't feel real "springy" when I push on the bulb so I figure it is not in great shape. Just not sure if a replacement spring is easily sourced.

Sheesh, 10 questions for a small component! There must be a mental disorder to describe my need for detail. Just want to do it as nice as possible.

All help appreciated.

[64-3Deuces]

John V.

8 Lug did a great job on that license plate light. I had to sort of rebuild mine and I thought I would pass along some things I noted. Hopefully 8 Lug will reply.

First, attached are some pics of my original pitted housing/lens and the NOS 64 Bonneville housing/lens. As I stated in my other post the NOS wire was shorter and had a different connector otherwise identical my GTO. BTW, my “original” stuff is from my 64 GTO that I had since 1969.


1. …spliced on with a translucent connector. Yours looks solid ivory, is that correct?—My original has the solid ivory terminal housing.

2. My wire is about 6-5/8"… —I measured the original before rewiring and close to 8 Lug +/- ¼”. I’m pretty sure some measurement tolerance was built in to allow for adjustment on the assembly line.


4. My lens is painted silver, I remember a thread about that. The screw ears on mine are painted silver then just the top area is painted silver, stops at the first "break" line which is right above the upper edge of the screw ears… Are repros available and do they have the correct embossed info molded in?—The masking process was quick and so the paint lines never seem to be uniform-see pics. The repops I have seen are universal and do not have the SAE L64.

5. Is the replacement "thick" wire you found easy to source? I have some old wiring harnesses… –The black wire for the blower motor has the thick insulation and is long enough.

6. The smaller lens attaching screws and the larger housing attaching screws have a black head... — Can’t speak to the housing screws but all my lens screws are silver.

7. I thought just maybe the bulb could have been original but it is marked with a W (perhaps Westinghouse?) and 1155 under that. The MPC shows the bulb should be 67. From what I can tell, both are available, same ratings, same candlepower…any idea which is best and/or correct to use?—They have the same specs/interchangeable so use either one. FYI the NOS housing had the W67 and my original had a TS (Tung-Sol) 1155 which I know is a bulb that I replaced. I’ve never seen a car show judge check light bulb numbers.

8. I was surprised to see you replated your housing in "gold" as my exposed housing showed no evidence of gold until I pulled the lens off. Then it was obviously gold. Did you do it in yellow zinc or something else?—The NOS is a dull gold cadmium like the parking light housings.


10. … I don't think I will have trouble disassembling the button end… Also, where can I find a new spring?... – The button end is not complicated but take care if the wire is stuck to the rubber sleeve as not to damage it. A new button contact needs to be crimped on. As for the spring any good hardware store will have a good selection of springs, just match one close to the original. If the current spring is pushing the bulb tightly against the bayonet slots it should be good.