- question: 1948 ford coupe - original dash harness( well was... and is now a Bob Drake repop) ...so... what is different now than before I dolled up the engine with perdy crap - ***note - car was already 12v when I got it - generator*** Running a pertronix elect ignition conversion now instead of points also using their resisted 12v coil stock starter 12v solenoid ran the little voltage resistor doohickeys to each gauge that req'd it ( oil/fuel/temp) all sending units are 1948 variety - oil/temp replaced the big generator w a Powergen 1 wire... What I do know when I took out the old wiring - lotsa house wire - like a LOT! ( big ol wire nuts etc - if I had found a residential light switch I wouldn't have been surprised.) - this girl had 65 plus yrs of several folks splicing in God knows what... it also had a 12v gauge set below the dash ( That had to go hence setting up the resistors on the orig stuff) So...hooked up all the wires to the dash/gauges etc... ran thru the firewall... now I have way to many pigtails on the new harness than I have places to hook em too... I was either told or assumed that w the one wire alt, no need for the voltage reg. on the firewall - soooo... it's gone... ceramic ballast resistor - same story, gone. I am not running a stereo or anything that wasn't there in '48 other than an electric fuel pump. Just improving/sanitizing the nightmare that I inherited when I got the car. although as screwed up as it was - it ran and all the lights worked...I've added some pics of what I saw when I was tearing the car down and where I am today - it isn't pretty and very well may have been the "Bad example" in some auto wiring book...all I know is I did not do that shit! ( although I am probably capable of it) Ha! ( then again - it worked! and the thrill of driving but not knowing if you were gonna go up in a large explosion was kinda exciting!) Anyhow - I'm great with wrenches, welders, sheet metal etc... but electrical is not my area of operations - at all! I stand here with my hat in my hand asking for some guidance PLEASE! lol Thank you in advance!
I don't know anything, but , that is a good lookin flathead Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I'm not sure what the question is here. Removing the ugly bits, house wire, wire nuts, etc. should be no big deal, but if it went to something, that something is probably no longer working. Removing the 12V gauges, no big deal there either. With the one wire alternator, you don't need the voltage regulator. It is internally regulated. Not sure if you need the ballast resistor or not. Somebody who knows this setup better may chime in here. If not, wiring around where it used to be will need to be modified to remove it. Going by the Pertronix instructions, you remove the ballast, and connect the wires together to bypass it. What else is hanging? Where does it come from? Where did it go, or what was it connected to? It might help to draw out a simple schematic of what you have, showing how it's connected. I don't see one on Bob Drakes web site, but maybe the harness came with a printed one? A search for Ford schematics turned up this simplified one that may help as a starting point. Remove the generator and voltage regulator from it. Connect the alternator output to the circuit breaker. Remove the ballast and bypass it. Draw in whatever else needs to be connected. Sent from my iPad using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I'm not sure what the question was either. But, if it was how to hook up your 1 wire alternator using a stock wiring harness here's the answer. Abandon the Field, and Gen wires that used to go to the voltage regulator. You can snip them off at both ends. Hook up the heavy gauge Batt wire that used to go to the generator to the alternators termination point. Done.
Yeah...sorry about that...new "orig" harness came with the same schematic that's in the Green Bible...no other instructions... Hot wire on new alt. Runs from alternator to pos on batt...got that. Coil gets the pos. and neg. from distributor...got that... ballast resistor now incorporated inside coil..yup...i guess my question was... the 6 or seven wires that went to the voltage regulator and that other dealie whopper (4 on one and 3 on the other) just get clipped and taped up outta the way?? ( See pics- I'm electrically challenged so everything's a dealie whopper to me) -thanks for your patience and not totally kickin the crap outta me!
One minor omission: the car has no circuit breaker/fuse panel...and again...thanks for tolerating my igorance- it's curable with yalls help lol
If I am not mistaken, the 3 wire "thingy" or "dealie whopper" is the original horn relay, is it not? Dave
For the voltage regulator, the four wires there can be taped off, or removed entirely if you want to follow them through the harness. There should be corresponding wire ends where the generator was, for three of them. The corresponding end for the fourth one is probably under the dash. I don't know what the other dealie whopper is. If dwollam is right, that's your horn relay. You need that. Strongly consider adding a fuse, circuit breaker, or fusible link. Wiring harness fires suck. The ride you save could be your own. Sent from my iPad using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Yeah - I'd better put that horn relay back into play since the brakes suck... ( Kiddin) Thanks - See there - ya'll cured me! I appreciate it gentlemen!
I have to add a little more info. The horn relay needs a 12v-6v drop resistor or you will eventually burn it out. 6v starter will work for a while and spin at 90 mph, but will also eventually burn out running on 12v.
Didn't have anything to add until I saw this. David is absolutely right; electricity is mean spirited and you are putting it near gasoline and oil. At very least, install a fusible link. Better, bite the bullet and invest in a wiring kit that has a fuse box. I used an American Autowire Highwayman "generic". Took me two leisurely days to fully wire the car. Everything is labeled (even on the wires, themselves) and the instructions took me through each system one at a time. Not only do I understand my car's wiring, I have the confidence to fix it if something ever goes wrong. There are a number of these kits available, and unless you are trying to do a period correct restoration, the advantages of a modern wiring system far outweigh the cost savings of a first time DIY wiring job.
38 chevy makes a good point. I just converted my 6V 1949-53 Ford starter to 12V. Eventually your Bendix starter spring will break. You can also convert your 1948 Ford starter to 12V but you need to use the 1949-53 thinner end plate. Read about it here. Here's how. http://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=211141&highlight=convert+6v+starter+12v
Thanks HAMB'ers - You guys are great! I will put this info to good use and hope one day to be answerin instead of askin...
Something funny - if you saw the old pic of the mess of wires... well..add in a firewall mounted, 30 yr old holley fuel pump and filter setup right off the drivers side cyl head - that's how she was 3 yrs ago when I bought her - and like a moron I drove it for 2 1/2 yrs like that... the happy blinded me to the risk I guess...
"Anyhow - I'm great with wrenches, welders, sheet metal etc... but electrical is not my area of operations - at all! I stand here with my hat in my hand asking for some guidance PLEASE!" Following this advise will add will make a large difference to your car and your own self-satisfaction. Before you go near that car again until, over the course of a week or two you practice basic professional technicians wiring skills: Stripping insulation, Crimping, Soldering, and adding Heat Shrink tubing. Invest in a few lifetime quality tools, costing $100 max (and don't use HF.) and don't deviate. 5" diagonal wire cutters - 6" if you have large hands. Klein preferred 60 watt soldering iron (a stand is a desirable option). Weller preferred A roll of 60/40 rosin core solder .031" dia. Kester preferred An electricians combination crimping tool and a variety of crimp connectors 1000 watt heat gun and a tubing kit. Wire pieces from 12 to 16 gauge stranded. Before ever going near your car, practice at least 30 times, cutting & stripping a 6" length of wire (never use the crimp tool for this). Crimp the ends onto a connector and solder the wire into the connector. Then put a 1" piece of shrink tube onto it. Minimum 30 times now no cheating. Once you can do this in your sleep, you can clean up your car's wiring and be proud of what you have accomplished and you will never again be afraid of an electrical task. Plus the next owner of your car will be pleased with your work.
I have a 6 volt flathead starter that has been running on 12 volts for 45 years, in that time it has done 1/2 million miles , replaced the brushes and bushes/bearings several times, machined the commutator , and one pinion as far as I remember, but it has never burned out. On the other hand I once tried the same on a early 50s Chevy starter and it only lasted a few years before the smoke got out. The trick is to keep the tune up good so it's easy to start and always have the battery right up on charge, check the brushes and bearings once a year and replace before they are too far gone, and if it ever stumbles check again....earlier rather than later.
I'm not entirely electrically handicapped just took me almost 50 years to learn to swallow my pride and ask for help...it seems to save a lot of time! They do sell a 12v horn relay ... gettin one today from classic in okc... On the "doing" ... i am fortunate to have an FAA repair station and since the holidays slows down for us, I've had my electromechanical shop bird dogging the wiring (they have waaaay more skills an equipment than I do for that..) but a drawback is the "going back in time" and doing the job per 1950s vs outfitting a corporate jet today...they get analysis paralysis and can overthink a little since old cars vs new aircraft are eons apart in complexity and these folks are techno geeks! ... hopefully now with all these great answers she will be good to go in an expeditious manner!
I have an unmodified original starter as well. Yes, it runs fast. But as long as you don't have to hold down the start button for too long you may be just fine. For that matter, I have unmodified 6 volt horns; they sound like a freight train! The notion that a 12 volt system uses more electricity is a misconception. A 6 volt system actually uses more current than 12 volts to do the same job. High current is what will fry components. Think of a 9v battery or a 6v lantern battery; you can touch both poles without any noticeable effect. Don't do that with a car battery (6 or 12v). The difference is current.
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