Installing aftermarket headlights in a 1988 Mustang sometimes require that you wire them to the headlight wiring harness. Although this is a tedious job, the results are worthwhile. The headlights that come standard in the 1988 Mustang have internal reflectors that disburse the light onto the road. Projector headlights, on the other hand, have a ring around the headlight bulb that projects the light into a beam. Though upgrading your 1988 Mustang headlights means wiring them yourself, you can expect brighter lights and a more sophisticated front end.
Tools Used: Male and female crimp connectors, Quick connectors, Electrical tape, Pliers, Voltmeter, Wire cutter, Wire stripper
Wire Up Headlights
Gather up the wires on the back of the aftermarket headlights into two separate groups: one pair of white wires and one pair of black wires.
Strip the insulation off the end of each wire. Expose 1 inch of bare metal lead. Braid the leads of the white wires together. Braid the leads of the black wires together.
Insert the braided leads over a female crimp connector. Clamp the crimp connector over the lead with your pliers. Wrap the connection in electrical tape. Do this for both the white pair and black pair of wires.
Strip the insulation off the end of the spare red and spare black wire. Expose 1 inch of bare metal lead. Insert the lead through a male crimp connector. Clamp the connector on with your pliers. Wrap the connection in electrical tape. Do this for both the red and black wire.
Connect the negative lead of the voltmeter to the negative battery terminal. Connect the positive lead of the voltmeter to the positive wire on the headlight wiring harness in the 1988 Mustang. The positive wire has power coming through it. Determine which of the wires in the wiring harness is the positive wire. Most likely it is the red wire.
Connect the positive wire from the wiring harness to the red wire with the male crimp connector on it using a quick connector. Clamp the quick connector down with your pliers. Repeat this process for the neutral wire from the wiring harness and the black wire with the male crimp connector.
Insert the male crimp connector of the red wire through the female crimp connector of the pair of white wires. Insert the male crimp connector of the black wire through the female crimp connector of the pair of black wires. Seal the connection with electrical tape.
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