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I’m rewiring my 48 Station Sedan. It seems the tail lights, dome light, and gas gauge wires all go up through the headliner. I want to keep the headliner intact as it’s all original and in good shape. Any suggestions on how to replace the wires?

I cannot speak specifically to the station sedan but since it started life as a regular car body I suspect the loom path for most of the run will be very similar to the cars until it reaches the tail gate. I do not know if there is any differences because of that or exactly where the dome light is mounted so those could be different from the cars.

I can speak for a 21st series sedan and since they share most inner body panels would bet money the 22-23 series is similar. In the regular cars the body loom for the most part runs in a narrow channel formed where the inner panels and outer panels meet. Most of the wires connect to the body loom with inline connectors near the firewall but the fuel and body feed wires are longer and go directly to the dash. Actual loom starts at an opening below the L windshield glass, and on 47 goes up a very narrow space in the A pillar then runs back thru the channel above the door openings to just behind the rear door where it drops out and gets into the trunk via an opening on the side of the package shelf. There it follows the trunk lid opening to just behind the L tail light. Because the station sedan has no package shelf behind the doors there might be a different path formed by the wood to get to the tail light area. When loom reaches the area of the L tail light a few inline connectors then complete the path to wires from the L lights and via a short loom across the trunk rear to the right. Fuel and license light wires drop out thru a grommeted hole in the floor

If the car has the optional rear door switches to operate the courtesy light a couple of splices in the ground wire to the courtesy lights is above the Left B pillar and go to the rear door switches. The L switch wire drops straight down to the door switch and drivers side pillar switch. The Right door switch gets a very long wire which doubles back and goes over the windshield and thru a similar channel on the right side to the Right B pillar and drops down to rear door switch. If there is a cigar lighter in the front seat back another spliced wire on the body feed wire drops to the bottom of the L B pillar where it connects under the carpet to a wire from the seatback.

Point with the detailed wire run desciption is there is no way in a car to completely replace all the wiring without disturbing the headliner. Again, not being entirely familiar with the station sedan headliner I cannot say for sure the situation is the same but suspect it will be. The headliner, if vinyl, will probably be hard and brittle and if fabric, probably weak or rotten. It is held at the sides by a combination of tacks and several sharp barbed retaining strips. I seriously doubt there will be any way to release the sides even for limited access without in a worst case scenario, serious damage or at the least, not being able to get it back in exactly the same position so a strip of unfaded material will not show.

One option for a partial loom replacement is use the existing body loom opening in the firewall to run a few wires that could be encased in period looking asphalt fiber loom covering. When you are in the engine compt then drop down and go under the car with the partial loom wiring for the fuel sender, tail and license lights. You would need 3 wires minimum - tail, brake, fuel - and 2 more if it has optional 22nd series style turn signals. Follow the route in the frame rail next to the brake line as the factory suggested dealers do when running the wire for the optional reverse light. At the rear provide another grommeted hole to come up near the L tail light. That would get almost all functions covered but would not help the body power feed to cigar lighter and courtesy lights or the ground side of courtesy lights to switches. I do not believe those can be reached in any decent way without messing with the headliner.

EDIT: Dell has corrected me that on the station sedan the wires are on the right side. I would bet all the inline connections and courtesy light splices etc will be in the same relative positions except maybe located on the right side.

kapn; Also working on Station Sedan. The wires run over the RT. side doors, you can only replace the stop, tail and gas gauge without removing the headliner. If dome lights works with switch and doors on both sides you are lucky, leave them and run new wires for stop, tail and gauge as they did for convertibles beside the drive shaft tunnel.

Thank you, this confirmed my findings last night.
They exit the dashboard and go up the A pillar on the drivers side. I think I'll leave the headliner and dome light wiring alone. I'll run new wiring for the tail lights and fuel tank sender either under the rubber floor pad or under the car in conduit.

Just FYI. If you decide to go below here is how the factory suggested running the reverse light wire under the car. The extra loom could be done the same way. The factory had the mechanic drill and grommet a new 1/2" hole near the L tail light for the the new reverse wire. You could do that or the wires might fit thru the existing hole nearer the center of car where the license light wire comes thru. However you do it be sure to protect the wires from the sheet metal in some fashion.

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My rewiring job is complete. I wound up ordering a period similar (note I did not say period correct) conduit and ran the tail lights and gas gauge wire under the car along the chassis. I needed to extend them by about two feet and later realized this was about a foot too much but that made reinstalling the dash easier. I added a hidden fuse panel up under the dash and put the reading lights on a fuse since the original wiring was left in place. If the headliner ever comes out of the car then I’ll replace the reading light wires as well.