1968 seat belt warning light

[Robert M.]

I'm wiring up the small gage cluster and using a new wiring harness from lectric, the seat belt warning black wire and bulb will not fit into the socket hole in the back of the cluster, the hole is quite a bit smaller, I checked my original harness and there isn't a seat belt warning wire or any evidence of it ever having one. My car is a November 67 build and would like to know if the early 68's were produced without a functioning warning light. Thanks, Bob

[William H.]

Re: 1968 seat belt warning light

I have an early Jan car and the warning light functions properly.

[Jim T.]

Re: 1968 seat belt warning light

My original owner 1968 built in early FEB 1968 has the operating light. Just used it three times SUN driving the 68.

[Terry M.]

Re: 1968 seat belt warning light

There is something different about the warning lights in the early 1968s. On some there is a "wiper o'ride" light. Without consulting the 1968-69 TIM&JG I can not tell you what position that light is in, and what other light it displaces. Some early 1968s are reported to have a lens that displays "low fuel," but again I don't know which light that displaces, and I have never heard of a car with that system functioning. I suggest one of you with a 1968 look up the answers about what light is where int he TIM&JG. I can not guarantee you the answer is there, but if it is it will be a better source than I am.

[John C.]

Re: 1968 seat belt warning light

Bob

According to the latest JG there should be a seat belt warning light on the left hand side of the gauge cluster for all 1968 cars. The arrangement of the other warning lights on the passenger side of the cluster did changed during the course of the model year.

Does your car have a button for turning the warning light off directly below the light? If it does I would think it was originally equipped with a light, otherwise there would be no purpose for it.

Also if it had a warning light, I think there should be some noticeable wear in the cluster paint around the shut off button from the constant pushing to turn it off at start up.

John

[Anthony S.]

Re: 1968 seat belt warning light

My June built 68 has the seatbelt warning light on the left with the button below it to turn it off and a "door ajar" light on the right.

[Robert M.]

Re: 1968 seat belt warning light

In response to John's question my car does have the seat belt button and the circuit in the back of the cluster but as stated the hole is in the cluster is too small for the 1895 bulb or the socket on the lectric harness. I checked my original harness and the black wire is not in the harness, I even unwrapped the harness tape all the way back to the firewall connection to see if there was any evidence of the seat belt light wire.
Bob

[Gene M.]

Re: 1968 seat belt warning light

Bob,
My '68 is also November build and those lights should function. Push the button and it goes out.

[Howard T.]

Re: 1968 seat belt warning light

I will try and answer the question, the bulb that goes into the seatbelt warning light socket is not in the wiring harness. There is a holder that holds the bulb that plugs in with a twist. It gets its power from the brass strip around the hole. I will have to check the wiring harness to make sure how it gets it power but offhand I believe it come off a spade terminal.

[Howard T.]

Re: 1968 seat belt warning light

Going one step farther I believe the black wire with the bulb holder is for the wiper override. Some '68's did not come with the wiper override warning light, if not used according to Lectric limited you leave the bulb out and tape the terminal so that it wont short out.

[Jim T.]

Re: 1968 seat belt warning light

Howard you are on the right track. Just a few minutes ago I looked at my original owner 1968's center gauge panel. I have removed my radio, loosened the two bolts at the bottom of the gauge panel to move the gauge panel out of the slots to tilt it towards me. I did this to make an easy clock removal, first time in 45 years the clock has been out. I reread all the posts here before I went to the garage to again pull the gauge panel to me to gather information on the seat belt light. Your post was here when I returned.
I will confirm what you say about the light, it does not have any wires connected to the bulb holder. The bulb holder only twists and locks in position. The bulb gets it power from the strip of metal that kind of surrounds the area. It appears to be a copper paper thin strip of metal.

The power comes from a two wires in a plastic holder that is a push on connection to two spades located to the right of the bulb holder. On both sides of the plastic holder/connector attached are two studs that have nuts on them. Between these two studs is something that I do not know what it is. I only view these long enough to see that from the lower stud there is a small gauge size black wire secured with a nut that goes to a stud terminal that is capped with a nut to retain the wire. This wire supplies power for the seat belt light to the metal strip connected to the stud terminal I mentioned. The copper strip is under the bulb holder.

Robert Moon I believe you need to find the twist in bulb holder and bulb without any wire connected to it and install it in the hole to make your seat belt light work.

[Jim T.]

Re: 1968 seat belt warning light

Forgot to mention the color of the wires in the plastic connector that attaches to the two spades. One is pink and the other appears tan.