66 bonneville turn signal cable?

[jgrimmy]

Hi all. New here and new to my 66 bonneville I'm getting back on the road.

The turn signal cable on the tilt column is broken. Ive searched and searched for info or a replacement with no luck.

Couple questions, what is the length from end to end and I have found impala and GTO cables, will they work or can they be modified to work?

Thank you in advance, I'm pulling my hair out here!!!

John

[Larry]

Those turn signal parts are getting to be a real problem on the '60s cars.

Anything can be adapted, but the question is just how much. If the terminal ends are a mismatch, that would be a big problem.

Question...? If you are going to go through all the work of replacing the harness, is it possible, once you have it out, to repair it?

For questions, and perhaps parts, try contacting Lectric Limited at http://www.pontiacwiring.com They make a lot of Pontiac wiring items and give our members a 10% discount. If they don't have the parts, perhaps they can guide you to someone who does. Also, Ames is making a lot of stuff now for the Big Pontiacs.

If you are thinking about a used harness, I would recommend Frank's Pontiac Parts. See the ad to the left.

Let us know how this works out for you.

[jgrimmy1]

Thanks for the reply Larry. I can't seem to log in but I wanted to reply.

I should have been more clear as to what I was asking about.

I'm not trying to repair or replace any electrical wiring or harness. It's the actuating cable that runs from a small bell crank that is moved by the turn signal lever in the upper portion of the column and runs down to the turn signal switch mounted on the lower mast under the dash.

Thanks
John

[Larry]

That's gonna be a tough one. I doubt that anyone would take apart a column for just that part, if looking for a used one.

Try Kurt Kelsey (see listed in our "AFFILIATES" "Member Discounts." He is probably the biggest dealer in NOS Pontiac stuff.

[jgrimmy]

I have found them for impalas and GTO's through thepartsplace. I just don't know what the difference(s) if any would be to the column in the Bonneville.

I was hoping someone else had some experience in this area.

John

[kevin1964]

I have a 64 bonneville with tilt and repaired the turn signal cable 1 1/2 yrs ago. in the old days ,one could buy a replacement at the pontiac dealer but that`s gone now. I removed the broken cable and found the cable housing or sheath to be ok. the cable itself was broken, so after finding the broken end and measuring both pcs. it was about 14 7/16 ". the housing measures about 12" long not counting the metal anchoring tab for bolting into the column under the steering wheel. the bottom end of my housing is plain and uses a metal strap to hold it in place. the original wire was .031 dia. high tensile wire. I used .035 stainless mig welding wire. probably could use piano wire too. to make the wire loop on each end, I used an old round shank screw driver with the end cut off and a slot cut in it to hold the wire.turn the screw driver to make the loops, mine used 4 turns. practice makes perfect here.inside dia. of the loops is .200 . good luck with this. most of the internal parts and the switches are obscure with little to no aftermarket replacement. and remember, my car is 1964, not 1966

[jgrimmy]

Thanks Kevin!

Your measurements are very close to what I have been able to figure out.

Unfortunately the sheath on mine is mostly gone so that is one measurement I'm going to have to play with a bit.

I'm going to attempt to make one myself as it seems the only option.

Thanks again for the info!

John

[jgrimmy]

Just in case someone else runs into this I'll share my measurements that worked for my 66 Bonneville.

The metal actuating cable 15.5" From tip to tip

The sheath was 13" not including the metal mounting clips.

Works like new now!

John

[Larry]

Sounds like you fixed it. Great!

Can you possibly give us some details on what you did with a sketch so we can document for others to access? Don't worry about making it perfect, we can fix it up to look good.

This is a growing problem with these cars and this sort of fix-it info is very valuable.

Thanks.

[jgrimmy]

Larry I will get some pictures and try to describe what I did. Hopefully it will help someone in the future. I was unable to find any info at all on the subject other than what Kevin posted.

John

[Larry]

I'm sure glad Kevin was able to help you. We need to start saving all these fixes as the "newer" cars that aren't getting a lot of repo stuff made age more. I hate to think what is going to happen when the computer era cars begin to be restored (and they will one day). Can you imagine trying to fix a "heads-up" display?!