dash lights not working on my 1960

[Louie R.]

Dash lights not coming on, fuse was blown, replaced it and blew the new fuse. Noticed when i turn the knob for the heater blower it doesn't come on but it turns on the light for the clock ,even with the light switch off. Also found a loose wire hanging under the dash, ran power to it and the brake light cam on, don't see any place to plug it in ? any help would be appreciated , Thank you !!!!!

[Terry D.]

Re: dash lights not working on my 1960

Do you have a schematic of your wiring system? If not purchase one, then it's just a matter of tracing down wires to see where they go and if any are making contact where they shouldn't be. Brake light wire should go to brake light switch above brake pedal. Blown fuses are usually caused by a bare wire shorting out, crawl under dash and look for that, wiring is very seldom an easy fix.

[Mark E.]

Re: dash lights not working on my 1960

Good advice from Terry. Given the myriad of strange problems, be prepared to see a butchered dash harness when you look underneath. Gas station mechanics back in the day were not familiar with the unique ground requirements of Corvette and came up with some creative quick fixes.

When I rescued my first Corvette, a '73, the dome lights illuminated when the clutch was depressed. The good news is I noticed this upon inspection and this gave me a good bargaining point with the sales price. When I brought it home, the dash harness was barely recognizable- splices, wire nuts, extra leads to the fuse box, cut wires, balls of solder, you name it. A new harness made it like new again.

[Louie R.]

Re: dash lights not working on my 1960

Thank you foe all the good advise , appreciate the help !!!!!

[Richard M.]

Re: dash lights not working on my 1960

Louie what color was that loose wire? Orange or White? Yes it could be power feed for the brake lamp switch or the output to the brake lamps(via directional switch).

Attached below is a 1960 wiring diagram.

Sounds like the dash lamp issue may be a short somewhere on the Gray wire circuit from the headlamp switch, or from the fuse panel to the switch. Carefully check the wiper transmission cables and any loose wires near them. The cables will saw through anything. It could also be one of the cluster lamp sockets if the gray wire insulation exposed the copper and touches the metal socket.

You may have several problems, one of which may also be a bad ground as. The ground for the cluster attaches to a stud mount for the small gauges.

Also note there is another ground wire that attaches to the back side stud of the heater switch plate.

When you're looking around under the dash and if moving wires around, disconnect the battery.

Edit....Also, the Dash Lamps and Brake Lamps are fed from the same circuit(orange).
Which fuse is blowing, TAIL LPS(top)=Brake, or INSTR LPS(bottom)?

The Top fuse(orange wire) feeds the Brake Lamp switch and also the Headlamp switch, which then feeds the INSTR lamp bottom fuse(gray wire).
Orange also feeds the Courtesy lamp, if equipped. That wire is near the heater switch. Take a close look back there.

Rich
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[Harry S.]

Re: dash lights not working on my 1960

Louie, GM gave a life expectancy of a harness of 15 years. If the harness has been radically modified/fixed, it may be time for a new harness. If it were me, for safety, I'd change out every wire in a 62 year old car.