"NOT ANOTHER TAILLIGHT SWAP THREAD?!" Sorry, but yes. I did this to my newly acquired '89 base bird 'vert. I thought it should've been simple, but... As it turned out, it actually was simple, just not like I first attempted to do it. So, long-story-short, my initial attempt at this, and my reason for titling it like I did, was all wrong, so... nevermind, lol! However, a few guys did post some useful information.

So I thought it should be a simple matter of splicing the existing wires together... and it sort of was. But to do this, I ended up using a 'taillight converter,' similar to what's used to connect cars with yellow turn signals to trailers with combined turn signal/brake light set-ups. This joins the turn signals and brake lights together, yet 'switches' them for separate operation. That sounds like a complicated thing, but it's very simple and inexpensive. And with it, everything works!

 

I think the taillights look slightly out of place with the bumprettes. It just doesn't seem to flow right to me.

Otherwise, the car looks beautiful!

 

Thanks. I agree and don't like the '85-'90 front and rear bumper covers. My Formula(in the garage in pic two) is still, and will always remain, original despite those bumper covers. But this 'vert is a 'project.'

It's been through 6 previous owners. I'm lucky number 7, and its final owner. It looks nice, but it's seen better days. When I'm through with it, it will be brand new again, rebuilt with my favorite Firebird parts of the generation, including '91/'92 front and rear bumper covers. So yes, that will change.

 

what is the difference from stock to T.A lights?

 

A base bird/Formula taillight(one side) uses a six-bulb/socket set-up: one small individual turn signal(not a combination bulb), two small individual tail(only)lights(again, not combination bulbs), two large combination tail/brake lights(two-way combo), and a back-up light.

Whereas, a TA taillight(one side) uses a 4-bulb/socket set-up: one large individual tail(only)light(though it's a combination bulb), two large combination tail/brake/turn signal lights(three-way combo), and a back-up light.

So a Firebird has one more wire than a TA, a brake only wire, and it's not in combination with the turn signals like a TA needs. So the wires have to be 'combined,' and that's what the converter does.

Bird sockets don't interchange with TA sockets because of the combinations and lack of combinations of bulbs.

 

so a T.As rear blinkers are red?
coz in one of my tail lights there are 1 blinker (made orange), 2 brake/tail lights (red), 1 Reverse light (white).
In that order, coz red blinkers are illigal over here.

 

I hadn't noticed you were out of the US. I see why your car would've come with a yellow-orange blinker.

Yes. Over here, a TA's blinker was red through the 1990 model year. '91/'92 TA's got a newly-styled taillight that functioned similarly to(prolly just like) yours. It still used a 4 bulb/socket set-up like '90 and earlier, but instead of the three main lamps all being red, one was a yellow-orange blinker, like you have.

 

I did the quick and easy shortcut to put the TA lights on my Formula.
Changed the turn light sockets to ones that were from a TA, drilled a hole in each outerermost lens to run the running lights so that the entire panel lit up with the running/parking lights on.
Just took about 10 minutes and I was up and running

 

Ok, rather than take a pic of the wiring, I brokeout the trusty crayola pencils and drew-up a diagram with the actual wire colors.

I thought this would work as drawn-up, lol. Actually though, this is exactly what the taillight converter does. But it does it while also directing the signal to one side or the other.

 

...

 

Maybe a stupid question but do the lights actually work? Because from the diagram and explanation you posted, ALL FOUR turn signals would light up if you hit the brake and all four turn signals would flash if you turn on either turn signal. Then of course the problem when you turn a turn signal on and hit the brake ...

Did you use any rectifiers or just plain splices?

Lou

 

!
his bird is right hand drive even, wow, crazy stuff

damn.

overseas is odd, they had to have amber lenses on the tails, even other models like this 83 caprice:

http://www.desoto58.com/lietuva/ltcaprice83.html

i wonder about vehicles that only had one rear lense, like the trucks and such

were they yellow too ?


really weird stuff

 

...

 

I'm going to give this a whirl. I've asked this question since I have 1990 wiring in my 82 and would like to put it's original style tail lights back in it. Now I just have to find a set or original 82-84 tail light LOL .........

thanks for the write up. will this apply to swapping to 82-84 tail lights as well?

 

...

 

I'm not positive because I've never looked at the '82-'84 TA wiring, but I'd think it's exactly the same as the '85-'90 TA wiring. Both use three reds across, right? I think the only thing Pontiac changed was the exterior appearance of the taillights' design. So yeah, should be the same already, and you shouldn't even have to make any changes to the wiring at all. Just plug-n-play.

But if you're saying someone spliced some 1990 base bird lights into your '82 TA, then I'd think all you'd have to do is remove the changes made to it to restore it back to normal. Then just splice in color-to-color, and you'll be good-to-go.

 

...

 

If you look at your picture, you connected the yellow, the blue and the dark green wires together. So you connected left turn signal, brakes and right turn signal. If you activate for example a left turn signal, it will send current down the yellow wire and then will get distributed to the dark green wire as well. Which means that both turn signals would light up. Does that make sense what I'm saying? I haven't seen how you hooked it up for real but based on the crayon drawing, this just can't work.

Lou

 

No, the way I did it involved no splicing, just changing out the socket for the turn signal. The stock turn signal socket is too long (and I think didn't screw into the lense either) so I just cut off those sockets and replaced them. Only 2 wires went to each turn signal.
Then I drilled a hole into the portion of the housing where the turn signals are so that that would be lit up with the parking lights. and that is all I did.
this is how my lenses were setup up
Drivers Side lense:
P|P|P (P= parking lights)
T|B|B (T= Turn , B= Brakes)

Pass Side lense:
P|P|P (P= parking lights)
B|B|T (T= Turn , B= Brakes)

the below image was taken before I put the parking light sockets into the outermost portion. this shows the left turn signal on along with the parking lights. the turn signals are much brighter than the parking lights, but in the image they appear to be the same brightness.


unfortunately, I never took a picture with the lights complete done as I went with the 91/92 TA lights shortly after.

 

...

 

You could achieve some improvement by using rectifiers in the splices. That would separate the brakes from the blinkers. However, the brake would still override a blinker so if you're stopped at a light with your foot on the brake and a blinker on, your rear turn signals will be lit up, not flashing.

What you could do is probably open your steering column and install a multifunction switch from a TA. That will give you the exact same functionality as the TAs have.

Hope this helps.
Lou

 

Thanks Lou.

 

The proper way to do this has been suggested already, change the turn signal switch in the steering column, as this controls the function of the brake/turn signals as well.

Will probably also require adding a wire from the brake switch to the turn signal harness.

The way it works is this:
The brake wire is sent to the turn sugnal switch where when the switch is at rest, it will allow this current to pass through the switch, once you swith the switch to indicate your turn, it will flip that particular side to the flasher input and cause that brake/turn signal to flash.