Yes, that is how mine work.

That's correct!

I did notice that the connections on the base of the LED bulb do not protrude from the base to the same extent that the 1157 ones do, thought that might be the issue (the bulb can't be pressed in as far) but I can't get the LED bulb back in there either - frustrating!

Incandescent lamps (1157, etc) generally have solder blobs for contacts. The LED might have harder metal, that deformed the mating bump/contact in the socket. 

I think AMC did a heat seal pinch on the wires coming out of the plastic tube on back. If not, you can pull on the wires (nicely, slowly) to cause the phenolic disc in the socket to compress the springs inside, insert the bulb, let go the wires. That works when the wires aren't captive. YMMV, etc.

I think the park vs headlight behavior is partially or completely mandated by law, which varied with year, as did marker color. I'm pretty sure all of my AMCs have front markers mutually exclusive with headlamps; one is on, not both, or both are off.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tci97uxfptA

I think we're steering you in the right direction, but let us know. The first switch detent should surely turn on the parking lights, tail lights, side markers. The full 'pull' on the switch should add the headlights (and in '68, shut off the parking lights. In '69 and up, the parking lights stay on with the headlights on.)

Good luck!

A quick check to determine if this is your problem would be to disconnect the flasher unit, then try the park lights. If they are now working normally, that video explains your problem.

OK. you have already removed the LED bulbs. Try putting them back in and doing the test before switching to incandescent bulbs. If the whole car has been switched to LED, you might introduce new problems by running a hybrid LED/incandescent system.

"old fashioned" flashers, non-electronic types, like AMC used, are very much like the old Rambler dash regulators. They are electro-mechanical devices, a heater and a bimetallic switch, essentially a thermostat, wired like this:

BATTERY -------> turn switch -------> flasher -------> lamp -------> GROUND

When the switch is off, the lamp is off, and the flasher mechanism is cold inside. When switch turns ON, current flows. A coil of wire, a tiny heater, wrapped around the bimetallic switch, heats up. For about 1/3rd of a second current flows, lamp lights, the heater in the flasher warms up, causing  the bi-metal to move, opens the circuit, the lamp goes off. It's metal, has mass, about 300 mS later, it cools enough to bend back, contact! light, repeat. That's the sound you hear, a physical switch going click click.

An 1157 lamp draws about 2 amps -- that's a lot of current! So there's plenty of power for the above to happen.

LEDs draw maybe 0.1 or 0.3 amps. NOT ENOUGH CURRENT. FLasher doesn't flash! Or it "microflashes", rapidly etc.

ELECTRONIC flashers, later model cars moved to three-wire flashers, 12V in, flasher out, and ground. These use an electronic circuit, with explicit timing elements, to get the 2 to 3 times per second flashing, instead of side effects of current draw. The circuit requires ground for reasons of electronic design.

That's why if you parallel LED lamps with a resistor (that gets hot, etc) the old flashers work. The resistor wastes the power the old lamp did, while the LED makes the light.

You can buy two-wire flashers that work with LEDs. Thats what I did, to run red LED 2357 tail lamps on my 68 AMerican, which I did because the lenses are getting clear, somehow, and the sockets old and corroded, and bad connections due to the high currents and heat of lamps. The red LEDs make more light for less current, but needs the modern flasher to flash.

were on when only parking lights were on, AND were on when headlights were on.

I did not know it was different on 1968 Models...

So, I am back to where I started, turns signals are OK, 4 way flashers are OK, and the side markers and parking lights come on when I activate the headlights. I think this is fine, I don't plan on using the parking lights anyway but I need the car to pass a provincial inspection before I can register the car and buy insurance. I'm a little concerned that the car might fail the inspection. Running lights are not required on a car older than 15 years here in Canada so the car should not really fail over front parking lights not working, but you never know, I hear the inspectors can be quite fussy. They might insist that all lights function as they would have from the factory. I doubt they would think the front parking lights should be on or off when the headlights are activated but they will likely notice that the rear taillights come on when the headlight switch is at the first (parking) position but there is nothing happening at the front. 

Thanks for all the feedback on this issue.

~ Mark

I did spray a little WD-40 into one of the sockets thinking that things might need a little lubrication underneath the phenolic plate to work properly. I was leery of putting too much in there as I wasn't sure if it would affect the electrical connection. The plates do depress on each socket but likely not far enough to allow the 1157 pins to rotate at the correct location (for some reason I can get the LED in there).

How are the housings removed from the bumper? Do I simply pull back on the housing from behind the bumper or do the housings need to be rotated in some fashion? Once the housings are removed can you access the area below the phenolic plate?

Regarding the headlight switch modification, that's a great idea. Looking at the TSM it doesn't appear too difficult to remove the switch however with these old cars you never know - didn't think I'd have issues changing a bulb :) According to the TSM you depress the shaft release button to release the switch shaft and knob assembly. Do you know if this release button is easily accessible?

I noticed on your signature that you've owned all your AMCs (except the Javelin) from new - very cool!

OK I will look into removing the gauge cluster, I was thinking of doing that anyway since the tach is not working. There is no light in that pod either. Not sure if just the bulb is out or if there is no power to the tach. The fuses look OK. Any idea if the tach requires power to work? I remember hooking up aftermarket tachs years ago, 3 wires, one to ground, one to the battery and one to the coil. Perhaps the lead to the battery was only necessary for the tach light, not sure. It's an HEI distributor on this car, I checked the 'Tach' connection on the distributor, there are wires are plugged in there.

Speaking of the speedo cable, while I was poking around underneath the car I noticed the cable actually sitting on the exhaust, the insulation was melted through (hopefully it still works). I wrapped electrical  tape around it and pulled it away from the exhaust with a zip tie. It's still pretty close to the exhaust though, a couple of inches away.

I've come across quite a few loose connections on this car, I didn't have any backup lights but found that the connection to the switch at the trans was loose. One of the headlights was super dim, again a loose connection. The horns didn't work either, a connector was off at each horn. All pretty easy fixes so far, except the parking lights of course.

I do think all the wiring is new and I see a Ron Francis fuse block under the dash but I would have thought that the colors on the wires would agree with the TSM.

At this point I am thinking I will likely have to pull the headlight switch and solder a wire between the two terminals as George suggested so that when the taillights are on the parking lights will be on. I'm wondering if I am going to find that there isn't even a wire going to the headlight switch for the front parking lights. Time will tell.

I emailed Ron Francis to find out if I could get any information on their fuse block. I don't see a reference to an AMC fuse block on their site, only GM, Ford, and Mopar.

I don't actually see a white wire anywhere in the real world.

The aftermarket wiring job explains why several things are not working as we would expect! Like George, I have no experience with non-factory wiring, so just will wish you good luck with exploring what you have, and sorting out what needs sorting!

I received the Ron Francis wiring diagram today so have a better idea as to what is connected to what but at this point still no parking or side marker lights (except when the headlights are on). I can see the appropriate wires are running to the parking lights and the side marker lights. Not sure at this point if they are  attached to the correct terminal on the light switch. I've been hoping that I will not have to remove the switch but I probably will have to. The switch itself is actually supplied by Ron Francis.

I'm assuming the led lights being used as parking bulbs are not causing any issues.

Thanks.

68, 69 AMX doesn't have replaceable bulbs in the front markers.

If it blows out, just go to the dealer and pick up another lamp

Only the side indicator light not working properly. There is a light but very dim. The other one is fine.

I will check on the things you mentioned.