97+ frontend wiring

Doing the 97+ fronend conversion, sheetmetal is going on fairly easy, but am wondering the best way to wire the headlights, turn signals and side markers. Can I use the old harness and splice the extra wires needed? Any help will be appreciated.

Doing the 97+ fronend conversion, sheetmetal is going on fairly easy, but am wondering the best way to wire the headlights, turn signals and side markers. Can I use the old harness and splice the extra wires needed? Any help will be appreciated.

The wiring is the easiest part. Hopefully, you have the bulb sockets for the new header panel. Just splice the newer sockets into the old harness. I used butt connectors and heat shrink.

The newer turn signals do have two bulbs instead of the original one. I'm just using the outermost bulb on each side. The other holes are capped off with the unused sockets to prevent moisture from entering.

One of these days, I'll splice the other sockets into place and get them opearational. But for now, it works just fine.

I took the opposite sides of each harness and made a jumper harness which allows you to unplug the original harness if needed. I never like splicing into my original harness if I don't have to. You can see it here. viewtopic.php?f=9&t=11270

:cheers:

I like the idea of using a jumper to connect the old to new, however when I bought my doghouse I did not get the harness end that attachest to the jeep side. Does anyone have an extra end tht would work for me and if so how much shipped to 47119

I may have an extra harness with several inches of the Jeep side of the plug. It came out of a 98. I will double check on it tomorrow when I get back home.

are the color coded wires the same functions on a early or late model comanche and cherokee

The easiest way I see to handle the wiring is to get a new front end wiring harness, and the connector that it connects to. Then, take apart the old connector and plug all the wires into the new connector.

You know you can just swap your existing (pre 97) headlight buckets from side to side and they bolt up and fit with the newer style headlight bezels. You than don't have to splice anything as far as headlights go. All you'll need to do is worry about the turns.

The easiest way I see to handle the wiring is to get a new front end wiring harness, and the connector that it connects to. Then, take apart the old connector and plug all the wires into the new connector.

Would be nice but the connectors are different so the pins from the older will not go into the newer. Also if you ever decide to go back to the original, your doing the wiring again.

are the color coded wires the same functions on a early or late model comanche and cherokee

Fraid not. That would be too simple. The Thing about the 97+ is that they used a wire for each sides functions verse the earlier combined what wires they could, ie grounds. here's a bigger pic from my thread above that may help you out. You'll notice that some wires from the old connector have two wires from the new connector attached to it.

I basically set them side by side and figured what did what. If the son comes home soon, I'll go get the wiring pin out for you and post it. Then all you have to do is figure out if you just want to splice them or get the connectors as I did.

:cheers:

Here's the pin out from my 86 with the 97+ header.

Colors may vary a little between years and due to my eye sight. :D But this should get you done.

:cheers:

thanks everyone will let you know how things turn out