2 side-marker socket assemblies (purchased at FLAPS).
Fits GM 1969-1993 (629835, 6294015, 8901283).
Two 12-volt (Type 194) Instrument Indicator bulbs.
Rated at around 4 watts each.
Adhesive Caulk.
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When working with anything electrical in your car, it's recommended that
you disconnect your battery.
Start by removing the turn signal buckets from your
car. First remove the lenses
by removing the two screws. Next,
go to the inside of the fender by the wheel and look upwards and forwards.
You will see the metal u-bracket that is clamping the turn signal
bucket to the inner fender. This
is kept in place via a small nut and washer.
Using a X mm socket remove the nut and washer.
Now push the bucket from underneath and the entire assembly should
separate from the body.
You’ll notice that the turn signal bucket is connected to the
wiring harness and has a rubber boot covering the terminal connections to
the light socket. Carefully
pry the rubber boot off to expose the three wire connectors.
Note: pay attention the
configuration of the wires. The
brown wire is ground. The
remaining two wires are positive connections. One
controls the parking lights, and the other the turn signal.
It’s best to make a diagram or take a digital photo so you
don’t have difficulties remembering the configuration later on.
Wiggle the connectors loose and the bucket should come free.
At this point I carefully washed the outside of the
bucket that was exposed to the inner fender.
I used some citrus cleaner held it upside down over a sink
(reflector side down) and scrubbed with a toothbrush.
Carefully rinse the grime off, being carefully to keep the
electrical connectors dry and preventing water from contaminating the
reflective surface inside the bucket.
Let dry.
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| If you look at the inside of the bucket, you’ll notice
that all buckets were made to be able to be converted to the European-type
turn signal. You’ll notice a
ridge on both sides (about ¾ of the way down) and you’ll notice two
sets of nubs sticking up along the centerline of the bucket.
These nubs are used to hold the wiring in place. |
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| If you look at the electrical connector side of the bucket,
you’ll notice two extra holes. These
two holes are for the additional wires to come through that currently
power the side marker light. |
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| Now it’s time to create the divider to separate the inside
of the turn signal bucket into a top and bottom portion.
I used aluminum sheet metal purchased at my local Home Depot.
It’s about 26 gauge and cuts easily with tin snips.
I made a template out of a 3x5 card.
Measurements for the divider are a trapezoid 2 3/16” along the
top width, 2 inches long, and was two inches along the bottom width.
The top width being the side closest to the lens and the bottom
width being the side at the bottom of the bucket.
I also added a 1 5/8” tab along the bottom side that was ¾”
wide.
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| Trace the template onto the aluminum sheet metal and cut it
out with tin snips. Next,
you’ll have to drill a ¾” hole in the center of the main part of the
metal for the light socket to go through.
Clamp the metal divider onto a work surface and carefully drill
through the aluminum. Grind
down any sharp edges with a file or Dremel tool.
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| Next you need to bend the metal tab over.
You can place it in a vise and smack it with a hammer for a nice 90
degree bend. I clamped mine to
a piece of angle-iron and bent it around the edge.
After removing the divider, I bent it about 5 to 10 degrees more. |
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| Test fit the divider into the turn signal bucket.
It should fit nice and cozy, but not too loose. |
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| Next, take the light socket and mount it in the hole you
drilled in the divider. Be
sure to mount it through the correct side of the divider as it will point into
the lower part of the bucket. |
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| The next part is a bit tricky, but anyone should be able to
accomplish this task in just a few minutes.
If you look from the inside of the bucket around the main bulb
socket, you’ll notice towards the bottom of the socket, that you can see
out through the two additional holes on the outside of the electrical
connector. You’ll have to
feed the two wires from the new light socket, below the main bulb socket
out through the two tiny holes. I
accomplished this easily by getting some of the copper wires to come
through and then pulling the wire and insulation through completely with a
pair of needle nose pliers. One
of the holes is larger than the other and is easier to feed the wire
through. The other is more
challenging. Don’t pull all
the wire out; leave some slack for the time being. |
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The next step is to adhere the new divider to the
inside of the bucket. I chose
to use adhesive caulk, but you can use epoxy or any time of strong
adhesive. Run a bead along
both ridges on the sides of the bucket and goop some on the bottom of the
bucket where the tab rests against the bottom.
Slide the divider in place, check for a snug fit and let it dry
overnight.
Okay, you’re almost done.
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| The next step is to reduce some of the extra
slack in the wires and tuck the wires down along the middle of the bucket.
You can use the little nubs to hold the wires in place.
Use a screw driver or putty knife to press them in good and tight.
Trim the wires that are now coming from the main connector leaving
about ½” to 1” of wire and insulation.
Trim the insulation off and expose about 3/16” of the copper
wiring. Crimp or solder a male
spade connector onto the each of the two wires.
And finally I suggest using some heat shrink tubing to insulate the
connector from the other connector wires.
An alternative is to use a male spade connector with an insulator
already attached.
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| The next step involves removing the existing
side market lights on the car. This
is accomplished by first removing the cover lense via the two mounting
screws. The side maker
assembly is attached to the car via two white plastic clips.
I removed the assembly by carefully placing a putting knife between
the fender and the assembly and prying the clips out of their mounting
holes. The clips may be
brittle and they may shear off. But
it doesn’t matter, you won’t be needing them anyways.
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| The side marker assembly also has a rubber boot
behind it to protect the electrical connectors.
Carefully pry this boot away to reveal the two wire leads. You’ll
notice that one of the connectors is brown (ground) and the other is gray.
You really don’t need to pay attention to the wiring order here
as you will be connecting these two wires to the new male spade connectors
now coming out of the turn signal bucket main connector.
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| Next, you’ll have to trim off the rubber boot
for the side marker assembly. Don't cut the entire boot back, just
the larger part of the boot. leave the black sheathing on.
Make a slit in the large part of the main connector boot and feet the two
side marker wires into the main part of the boot. Seal the joint up
with some black weatherstripping adhesive. (Be sure to clean the
surfaces first).
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Now it’s time for reassembly.
Reconnect all the wires to the turn signal bucket
main connector and connect the two new wires to the old side marker wires.
Since the new bulb you installed has only a single filament either
connector can go to either of the two new wires.
But to make things tidy, connect brown to brown.
Place the rubber boot back over the turn signal electrical
connectors.
Reinstall the rubber gasket if you removed yours from
the turn signal bucket and place the entire assembly back in the fender.
Go inside the wheel well and place the u-clamp back over the
threaded part of the turn signal bucket.
Install the washer and nut and tighten town.
Replace your amber lens with a new European lens and
you’re in business.
Cover that unsightly side marker hole with some duct
tape until you’re ready to weld it up and repaint the car.
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