Ok, so I'm putting my speedo and dash back in.
No lights, headlights or lights anywhere.
Fuses all ok.
I think I maybe don't have something back on the back of the gauge cluster right.
Two white round connections and two green ones on the far right.
Anything else I ain't seeing to hook up?
the red lights for charge/and something else come on.
But no dash lights, head lights, turn signals.
I'm sure it's user error.

 

Have done anything with the wiring in the engine bay? When I put my GM alt on I unhooked this white wire from the battery that I thought only went to the alternator. Turns out that wire feeds power to a lot of the lights your saying don't work. I would check all those green fusable links coming off the battery.

 

Hey Memphis that was it!! well partially.
That fuseable link on the terminal was loose. I wiggled it and heard this tick tock tick tock. lol. The blinker had started.
So, now headlights and blinkers work.
But, no dash gauge lights.
I'm still wondering if there isn't something besides those two round connectors, and the two green connectors that I don't have hooked back up.
Thanks Memphis.

 

I will check my FSM tomorrow. I believe there is a red wire in one of the terminal blocks that plugs on the back of the dash that powers gauge lights.

Ok just thought about this too and it might be a stupid question but I'm gonna ask anyways. My truck has a dimmer switch on the left side that you can actually turn the dash lights complety off with. Did you make sure its not turned down? If not check and see if you have voltage on either side of the dimmer switch when the headlights are on.

 

Yea I checked that dimmer switch last night to see if it was turned down and it wasn't.
I have to wonder if I didn't botch something up with it on taking the dash off and to be repainted.
That FSM link I had on rapidshare.com says it's down. Hmm.
I'll try again later.
I can't remember and don't see any wires to connect back except those two white round ones and the two green ones.

 

Is it just the back lightning of the dash or do any of the seat belt lights or charge lights work when the key is turned to the on position?

Also this is the link to downlaod the FSM.

https://rapidshare.com/#!download|10...D6050A96327A0E

 

Actually, it's only the back lighting that I can tell.
The charge and belt lights come on.

 

That FSM works now.
But it's a different setup for the dash. That one shows 3 flat connectors on an 83. Mine has two round ones.
I still think it's something I ain't putting back right. lol.
OR..I messed up the dimmer switch.

 

I have no idea about the round plugs. I have never seen those.

Here is a screenshot of the wiring for the dash back lights. looks to be controlled off of a "tail light relay".



Maybe you could look for that relay and see if the relay works and if its is getting power to it.

 

Ok, so after getting home and doing some more digging into this, I'm sure it has to do with 32 years of my life.
I had disconnected some wires from the fusebox when I took the dash out. ANd some are dangling loose.
But before the dash came out, they all worked fine, except one tail light that was out when I pulled the camper top off in mid 90's. It had a brake light wired into the left rear brake wiring at a shop.
Basically now, my headlights work, and the red lights on the dash.
The rear tails/brakes are out, the dome light and any light basically except the headlights.
But now, I'm not sure what goes back where.
They were just pushed into a fuseholder and made to work. And, I think one was screwed to a frame bolt as a ground. Sounds simple to just duplicate, but it's not.
Here's why:
I've had 1 rollbar with two KC lites and a back light suspended.
I've had a camper top with inside lights wired into it.
And the camper top also had a brake light in the rear window that was wired into it.
And I've had two sets of fog lights on the front bumper at different times.
In addition to the jumble of wires that I had ran to the radio and equalizer and additional Jensens behind the seats.
Some of those wires, I, in my stupid youth..ran.
Some, not, they were ran by a professional. They're coming out of the crevices and cracks on the bed and ran under the carpet and around the steering column and everywhere, lol. Duct tape.
And, once when a drunk ran into me and I had the whole thing repainted, the wires running between the truck and bed both got painted blue.

I'm not sure what's ground, what's hot, what a speaker, whats a brake, what's a backup.

So....it's a hot wirey mess right now and to be on the safe side and clean that up, I'm going to get someone else to figure that out when it's trailered to Billy's garage next week for the carb and brakes.
I just want em all out and ones ran for me to put a rollbar back with lights on it. I can do that myself, I did before. LOL. But..you see where that got me 32 years later.