LED front turn signals

[ShinyC10]

Maybe someone has done it before…1986 c10
After paint, I started putting the front end together and realized the aftermarket grille didn’t have the brackets for the factory turn signals. I had already paid for it to get painted so can’t really get rid of it at this point. I’ve installed some aftermarket LED turn signals for a motorcycle. They only have a red and black wire coming from them and the factory plug has 3 (park, turn, ground). I don’t mind losing the park light feature up front but not sure if it will affect the front fender signals if I only use the turn and ground wires since the park wire jumps in between the two. Hope this makes sense. I’ll attach some photos of the leds I installed…

[rick1956]

What if you stack two on each side on the same fastener--one for each (parking and turn)? You could have your cake and Edith too..

[ShinyC10]

Originally Posted by rick1956

What if you stack two on each side on the same fastener--one for each (parking and turn)? You could have your cake and Edith too..

Well I’m not worried about losing the park lights function on the grille lights but I don’t want to lose it on the side markers if possible. In the original harness for the front lights, the side markers and front blinkers connect to each other and have a ground wire on the grille turn signals. Just curious if that is the ground wire for both the front and side markers.

[Richard]

I am pretty sure the front side markers on those trucks are wired like the 71-72 trucks. The side marker is grounded through the front turn bulb/element. This allows the side marker light to alternate flashing with the front turn signal. As electricity only flows one way through an led, the ground is lost for the side markers when leds are installed in the front turn location. This renders the side markers inoperable.

[ShinyC10]

Originally Posted by Richard

I am pretty sure the front side markers on those trucks are wired like the 71-72 trucks. The side marker is grounded through the front turn bulb/element. This allows the side marker light to alternate flashing with the front turn signal. As electricity only flows one way through an led, the ground is lost for the side markers when leds are installed in the front turn location. This renders the side markers inoperable.

I was thinking about on the side markers, just cutting the parking light wire and using it as a ground wire OR maybe ordering a 3 wire configuration of the same led and wiring it in its place. No sure if that would change anything.

I just figured someone has gotten rid of the factory front signals and put in some sort of led strip/bar type signal.

[hatzie]

You'll loose one of the neat things that GM did with the side marker lamps when you change the front 1157A and the front side marker 168 T10 base peanut bulbs to an LED bulb.

Rather than wrap the parking/turnsignal lamp housing around onto the fender GM electrical engineers did something fairly clever.

The side marker lamps don't have a ground. They're tied to the Parking lamp and Turnsignal hot wires. LED bulbs will not work in the front sidemarker T10 peanut bulb sockets.
-At night properly working side markers will go dark when the turnsignal lamp lights and light up when the turnsignal goes dark.
-During the day the side marker lamp will light up synced with the turnsignal on each side.

You can get away with decent LED bulbs in the tails but you'll want to find bulbs that are designed to use the reflector dish in the taillamp.
1156, 1157, and 168 Sylvania ZEVO bulbs are designed to work properly with the filament bulb reflectors and you can get em at O'Riley.

[ShinyC10]

Originally Posted by hatzie

You'll loose one of the neat things that GM did with the side marker lamps when you change the front 1157A and the front side marker 168 T10 base peanut bulbs to an LED bulb.

Rather than wrap the parking/turnsignal lamp housing around onto the fender GM electrical engineers did something fairly clever.

The side marker lamps don't have a ground. They're tied to the Parking lamp and Turnsignal hot wires. LED bulbs will not work in the front sidemarker T10 peanut bulb sockets.
-At night properly working side markers will go dark when the turnsignal lamp lights and light up when the turnsignal goes dark.
-During the day the side marker lamp will light up synced with the turnsignal on each side.

You can get away with decent LED bulbs in the tails but you'll want to find bulbs that are designed to use the reflector dish in the taillamp.
1156, 1157, and 168 Sylvania ZEVO bulbs are designed to work properly with the filament bulb reflectors and you can get em at O'Riley.

Okay. So what I have now is park and signal wires going to the side markers. Ground and turn wires (park wire is not wired in at the moment) going to the new front led light (got rid of the factory peanut shaped bulb). I didn't replace the factory bulbs with led, I replaced the factory socket and put in a hot/ground wired led “bar”. Will this have any negative effect on the front end lights when I hit the turn signal lever?

Here is the link to the light…

QUASCO Universal Motorcycle Turn... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09959SXDL...p_mob_ap_share

[Richard]

Originally Posted by ShinyC10

Okay. So what I have now is park and signal wires going to the side markers. Ground and turn wires (park wire is not wired in at the moment) going to the new front led light (got rid of the factory peanut shaped bulb). I didn't replace the factory bulbs with led, I replaced the factory socket and put in a hot/ground wired led “bar”. Will this have any negative effect on the front end lights when I hit the turn signal lever?

Here is the link to the light…

QUASCO Universal Motorcycle Turn... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09959SXDL...p_mob_ap_share

The side markers will not light up at all. You have a +12v park wire and a +12v turn signal wire that goes on and off with the flasher. + to + is not a short but a circuit needs a path to ground.
This is provided though the element in the turn signal bulb (again led in this location blocks flow of current to ground). When the 12v goes away from flasher sidemarker lights up. When front turn lights the ground goes away as you have +12v at both wires on the side marker. Hope that makes sense.
A normally closed relay on the sidemarker light with coil tied to front turn light can maintain this function. Just install relay and directly ground the sidemarker light. May be a way to use diodes as well. I do not think I have the knowledge to figure that out. Maybe, if I sit down and get the cells moving?

[ShinyC10]

Originally Posted by Richard

The side markers will not light up at all. You have a +12v park wire and a +12v turn signal wire that goes on and off with the flasher. + to + is not a short but a circuit needs a path to ground.
This is provided though the element in the turn signal bulb (again led in this location blocks flow of current to ground). When the 12v goes away from flasher sidemarker lights up. When front turn lights the ground goes away as you have +12v at both wires on the side marker. Hope that makes sense.
A normally closed relay on the sidemarker light with coil tied to front turn light can maintain this function. Just install relay and directly ground the sidemarker light. May be a way to use diodes as well. I do not think I have the knowledge to figure that out. Maybe, if I sit down and get the cells moving?

I ended up purchasing a 3-wire version of these lights (sequential turn signal, ground and white running light). I talked to an LED company and they advised me to put diodes in line on the wiring. Will post when I finish up👍🏻