Flash to pass dimmer switch

[oldsmobile joe]

I love using the feature. Like when I'm blitzkrieging down the road, doing about 150., i come upon someone in the left lane so i give a gentle flash of the lights and they politely move out of the way. Lol
Oh, then i wake from my dream and realize I'm in Minnesota, land of 10,0000 passive aggressive drivers who just slow down and keep pace with the slow pokes in the right lane.

 

[69hurstolds]

Oh, that's what it is. Yeah I am familiar where most other newer stuff has it. I just never/rarely use the feature. I just pull the stalk back so the high beams activate but not latch when I want to flash the high beams.

But with the factory G-body stuff, you have to have the headlights on.

With FTP, you can be in the daylight with the headlights off and it still works with just moving the stalk.

 

[pagrunt]

Got the needed stud so I did the conversion on the column. I ended up using the dimmer switch from the one Chevette I pulled the stud. Funny how the two '78's had FTP but the '79 & '83 didn't. Now looking at the '78 wire diagrams I have shows a 12 ga wire going from the switch to the #10 terminal on the Chevettes' headlight switch which looks to be a '76-'78 Chevette only switch. Unless I find it'll better to find a headlight switch with a #10 terminal, I still plan to run a 12 ga orange wire to the circuit 40 so I'll have FTP even with the key off. If it'll be better wiring to the headlight switch I'll use a 12 ga red/white stripe to match how GM did it. Also it looks like the new dimmer switch it a replacement for the Chevette too.

 

[pagrunt]

I decided to get pics of the swap on a spare column on how to go about swapping it & want to share on how to do. It's really simple but figure if there pics of everything it'll give a good idea on the how to. Pardon some of the pics, tried to get them before the storms rolled in tonight.

I'll start with pics of the OE from our cars, the OE FTP from a '78 Chevette, a aftermarket replacement. Here it can be seen the difference in lenth of the metal base used to mount them as our originals are longer. The fourth terminal is for the FTP power.

Now here's the OE installed on a A/G column. Under the plastic body of the dimmer switch itsellf there's a screw partially visible. It may be a phillips head or 1/8 hex head screw. This is the location where a needed 10-24 stud goes to secure the ignition switch & mount the dimmer.

While holding the dimmer rod securely in place, remove the 5/16 head bolts. Note one near the column mounting bracket is in 10-24 pitch as the other one is a coarse thread like a sheet metal screw. Pressing the dimmer switch button slightly in to allow it to release the secured rod. Reinstall the 10-24 bolt to help keep the ignition switch in place as the screw is removed & replaced by the stud.
Here's pic of the dimmer removed, the needed stud & it installed, the dimmer itself installed.

For the power for the FTP to work, the OE plug has a cavity for the needed wire. The Chevette I pulled everything out of used a 12ga red/white stripe wire which went to the headlight switch but it had a terminal that is battery hot for it as ours do not. Best power source will be the curcuit 40, orange wire, which is battery hot. Here's a plug with the yellow power from the headlight switch, tan low beam, light green hi beam/indicator, the red/white stripe FTP.

 

[oldsmobile joe]

Not trying to steel the show, just trying to add info. But was out at the yard after work. Ran across two vehicles with ftp dimmer switches. First one is a green switch from a 96 seville and a brown one from a 96 fleetwood. Both are 4 prong switches and cross reference to each other according to rock auto. The green one had two wires in the 4 cavity connector. The brown one came with 4 wires in the 4 cavity connector. My plan is to transfer the factory gbody wiring into the 4 cavity connector and add a power wire.
For power, my cars have a factory axillary sub panel located above the fuse box. It is powered by a black and orange wire that comes from the fuse block. I will use a purple lead taken from a rear window defogger wiring and plug it into the sub panel. Then add the correct female terminal to the other end of the purple wire and attach it into the 4 cavity connector. No need to change out or rewire a head light switch.

 

[pagrunt]

Not trying to steel the show, just trying to add info. But was out at the yard after work. Ran across two vehicles with ftp dimmer switches. First one is a green switch from a 96 seville and a brown one from a 96 fleetwood. Both are 4 prong switches and cross reference to each other according to rock auto. The green one had two wires in the 4 cavity connector. The brown one came with 4 wires in the 4 cavity connector. My plan is to transfer the factory gbody wiring into the 4 cavity connector and add a power wire.
For power, my cars have a factory axillary sub panel located above the fuse box. It is powered by a black and orange wire that comes from the fuse block. I will use a purple lead taken from a rear window defogger wiring and plug it into the sub panel. Then add the correct female terminal to the other end of the purple wire and attach it into the 4 cavity connector. No need to change out or rewire a head light switch.

All additional info is welcome & adding options on how to get things set up to meet your needs will help. For me it's a learn as I go add on. The four cavity connector is the same as what our cars used, the Chevettes I raided & the '96 Deville I tried to get a switch out of a few months ago. From my understanding, most late '70's to mid '90's GM's used that same black connector for dimmer switches. My plans is to hard wire it into the fuse box off a unused crimp terminal for curcuit 40 as if it was GM's original plan. As for the headlight switch it was just a reference to how the Chevettes had it set up. Which if the switch failed or tripped the internal breaker then the FTP would be useless in an emergency use of lights.

 

[Gwarren79]

Cool info and writeup.

 

[pagrunt]

Looks like it's a done add on. Found a section 12 ga orange/black stripe wire with the right terminal for the switch end. Worked it into the dash harness so I could crimp it into the circuit 40 terminal bar so it can share the 20 amp fuse like the factory plug in accessories. Could of/should of used a 14 ga wire that would of fit in the terminal better but I wanted a wire that wasn't just orange & it was ready to go. Now only if the car was assembled & back on the road.

 

[pagrunt]

Had some OCD kick in on how I'm doing the wiring. I ended up ordering 12 ga red/white stripe to match what GM did in the Chevette. Actually they used double white stripe which no one in the free world has. None the salvage wire isn't long enough to run from the light switch to the hi/low/FTP switch. Didn't want to splice in multiple sections to make one lead either. When the wire gets in next week I'll swap out the terminal housing plug, add in the new wire & pull out the orange wire I already ran.

 

[pagrunt]

After a interesting trip to a local show I found a nice package at the house, my wire which turned out to be the actual red with double white stripes. Was ordered from M&H Electric Fabricators (who seems to make most GM & Mopar repop wiring) on Thursday. Suprised me on how fast they got it out from Cali. Now I'll try to get the wires & pigtail housings swapped out before the weekend is over so my OCD is taken care of.