Hi Guys i really want help for this issue !

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ValerianMagnum

ValerianMagnum

the little car that could
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Mar 17, 2008
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montreal , canada
Ok...so lets start this , long story short, i bought my old 76 duster back, my 'friend" who had it was nice enough to sell it to me but...yes theres a but...he never did anything on the car and beat the crapout of it and really filled the purpose of this car , hes a cop and drove this thing 120-130 mph a couple of times a week and all ( Above the law !! ) Gas tank is leaking..tranny doesnt shift good but oil and color is nice , brakes are due all little nic nacs ...last but not least ****worst thing ****: already the wiring harness was a mess on this car and my old school mecanic back in the day did an ok job , i mean a real temporary job and 15 years later nothing works anymore , no headlights , 1 rear brake light works, and it needs to be completly changed , i didnt have the funds 15 years ago , but i managed to find a complete 1975 318 duster wiring harness from A to Z....people told me that a 76 wasnt the same , can i try the 75 one or hell even buy a 70-71complete and brand new wiring set from year one etc...i cant even drive it like that and it pisses me off and i dont know anything about wiring harnesses and eletrical stuff.
 
Weekend pics , out of storage

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Compare your '75 harness with the '76 wiring diagram and see if there are differences.
Usually, the wires are the same, but sometimes not in the same order in the bulkhead connector.
Often, just have to invert them...

I see that you're from Quebec. Do you speak french?

Francois
 
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The 75’ harness should be the same if not close enough that it may require only minor changes. Use it. Get a service manual and wiring diagram for the 76’ and get to work. Take your time, understand what goes where and why, then install it.

Mid year 74 was some changes. Often you’ll see listing for pre and post mid year 74.

Good luck
 
I guess if you could post pictures of what you’ve got it might be helpful. Things like the firewall plug, the fuse box, under dash, and under hood harness, and what you’ve got to the tail lights and headlights right now. I would also go to my Mopar and I tint off the harnesses from ‘75 & ‘76. I like to use colored pencils to mark the leads on them to make it easier to identify what goes where when comparing two different sets of diagrams. I’m wondering if your duster is a Canadian model if it would have the same changes in the later US designated model. May be worth looking into.
 
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YOU need to get factory schematics and compare. Baffles me why people dont get factory material for their 50+ year old relics....:BangHead:
 
Really glad you got your car back. Trying to read your run on paragraph makes my head hurt, though.
 
FIRST thing you need to do is to take a look at the ammeter. Particularly the WIRES. If this is the "older" "full current" ammeter using large gauge (no 10 or so) wires, you may be able to modify a 73/4 harness. If it is the "external shunt" ammeter using SMALL gauge wires--perhaps no 18? That is the "later" ammeter, and you will want 75/76 harness "to modify"

There are no free downloads for the 75/ 76 factory manuals. I may be able to scan parts of a 75? I have. The aftermarket manuals over at MyMopar may be "some help" but they are far from complete.

Frankly I would go out and find a paper or digital 75 manual and buy one.

I WOULD NOT ATTEMPT to adapt an earlier harness such as 72 / earlier

Another thing you might "figure on" is to stretch out the old harness section by section, "nail" it down to a board, and carefully lay out all branches. Unwrap the "tape" but tie off the branches. Repair or replace as needed. You can obtain some/ most of the electrical terminals, if the plastic connector shells are not damaged.
 
Ok , hold up for a second!

I'm seeing all aftermarket guages in the instrument cluster. If so, you need to start from scratch. Disconnect the battery, drop the steering column from underneath, remove the steering wheel and remove the guage cluster.

Now you have a starting point. Is the original fuse box in place? Should be to lower left in the dash frame. As 67 dart273 suggested, find the red and black ammeter leads. These are crucial and its necessary to find out what the previous owner did with them and how they are connected. I'm guessing that circuits have been by passed, juryrigged to run aftermarket guages, missing grounds just to name a few things.
We can help you much better if we can see whats going on behind the cluster.

BTW if that is a real sunroof car that's a rare beast! Body looks to be in great shape.

Cheers!
 
AAndrews said:
Ok , hold up for a second!

I'm seeing all aftermarket guages in the instrument cluster. If so, you need to start from scratch. Disconnect the battery, drop the steering column from underneath, remove the steering wheel and remove the guage cluster.

Now you have a starting point. Is the original fuse box in place? Should be to lower left in the dash frame. As 67 dart273 suggested, find the red and black ammeter leads. These are crucial and its necessary to find out what the previous owner did with them and how they are connected. I'm guessing that circuits have been by passed, juryrigged to run aftermarket guages, missing grounds just to name a few things.
We can help you much better if we can see whats going on behind the cluster.

BTW if that is a real sunroof car that's a rare beast! Body looks to be in great shape.

Cheers!
Click to expand...
Yes indeed....i need to check this out and start from stratch with a real pro , i appreciate the nice comments , and btw lots of people dont believe me but its a real late 1976 duster e58 360 4bbl , big guns said that around 301-304 duster 360 made the final year..extremely rare option , it has all the heavy-duty suspension like the a38 valiant ( police ) had and its a real sunroof car ( 1 of 50 with the 360 & deleted cats ) , rumors are that it was an undercover pursuit car / surveillance car for the RCMP as some people told me that they saw a handful of darts / valiants / dusters specialy equipped for the 75-76 Ottawa/Ontario Rcmp units...seing how well equipped and how rare it is i wouldnt be surprised that somebody knew where to make some calls to have a special model like that, its not a 71 cuda but i am very very proud of it and in the last 16 years ive never seen another one like that , found maybe 4 or 5 real 76' 360 dusters in almost 2 decades of research and internet !
 
In my experience, most electrical problems will be;
1) in the bulkhead connector, or
2) at the ammeter, or
3) in the signal switch, or
4) grounds, and wrong or burned out bulbs.

Very seldom is the harness itself an issue...... until you try to take it out of the car.
 
I would just buy a few spools of wire and start patching with solder, shrink wrap, electrical tape.

I'd inspect the bulbs, flashers for power/function, switches for power/function, bulkhead if necessary.
Cut out any rippled overheated wires and replace as well check down the line and for continuity making sure it's not shorted/still shorted if the case.
Get a test lamp, multimeter, pad to lay on and probably take out the front seat for room...also check them damn jamb switches for the dome... they've shorted and drained the battery on me before.
 
to Valerian, 67 dart 273, & Mannix. The 1976 A bodies ran a shunt system for charging. The alternator would charge the battery using a #10 wire that was located under the hood. Along this wire they ran a shunt to the ammeter in the dash. The shunt wires are #20 black and # 20 red. The interior [bulkhead] wires are #12 black [defogger], #12 black, and #12 red.

If the car was equipped with a rear window defogger it would likely have a 65 amp alternator. And the charging wires would be #8, red and black.
 
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