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Convert Hardtop defroster question

raaizin

Member
Joined
Sep 15, 2004
Messages
23
Location
manalapan NJ
Corvette
1971 LS 5 Vert & 96 CE Vert
I am trying to figure out how the wires for the rear window defroster for a convertable with the optional hardtop hook up to make the defroster functional. On both sides there appears to be 3 wires but the plugs dont seem to fit together.

I dont have the owners manual, would that info be in there.

Any pics of the connectors would be great. Both apart and plugged together.

It would be nice to get the defroster working.
 
Did your car come with the hardtop (RPO CC2) or did you just buy a top??

The hardtop will have a single black wire with a connector at each side. These wires are solder-connected to the defogger grid. There is a power lead in a plastic wire loom under the carpeting that is between the passenger side shoulder belt mount and the forward top frame swivel. This wire should be about 6" long in orange/black and it will also have a connector.

If the car came with the CC2 option from the factory, there will be a ground wire on the driver's side in the same relative location. Both of these wires are about 14 gauge thickness and there is only a single wire per side. If your car did not have the hardtop as a factory option, there will be no ground wire on the driver's side.

Cars that had the CC2 Hardtop option got a slightly different A/C control panel as there is a separate button to operate the hardtop defogger and heated mirrors. If your car has a button for heated mirrors (an outline of the curved mirror housing with wavy lines, that means that the hardtop defogger wire will not energize.

I don't know if simply switching the A/C control panel to the correct type will allow use of the hardtop defogger grid. The wire harness that attaches to the control panel may have a wire and pin in the connector for the hardtop but the only way to check would be to remove the control panel and verify that a wire is present. You would still have to have the proper control panel to get the defogger to operate.
 
Yes my car is a Factory Hardtop. It is a 96 CE if that means anything. It looks I am missing part of the connectors. You wouldnt have pics of the connectors.


Ray
 
My hardtop is on the car and I don't have any pics of the connectors. Do you have the wires ends where you can get to them? Any male/female connector set that will attach to the wire size should work.

I went looking thru an AC Delco electical components book at some point a few years ago to see if I could find connectors when I tried to get my defogger working. There was nothing in the book that was close to the connectors on the hardtop.
 
I guess I will try the chevy dealer parts section. I hope they still have the parts. I think they have to have parts for 10 years by law.Thanks for the help.

Ray
 
When I bought my hardtop for my 1990 convertible, I went to the dealer to get the male/female connectors. Of course they won't sell you just one, you have to buy the whole box.
 

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