Living here in southern Oregon, I find it a little tough to find car guys near me. I am trying to get my 1931 Dodge Brothers business coupe back on the road and need some wiring help. I have MOSTLY installed a new wiring harness, but there are a few ends to tie up. Is there anyone who lives near Phoenix, Oregon who may want to come and direct me on what to do? I can pay or trade parts or? Thanks in advance. Here is the car....John
Sorry, I'm on the Canadian east coast but just wanted to say........that's a nice coupe. Good luck with the wiring. Shouldn't be too much of a problem. Not a whole lotta wires in these old cars!
I'm about 2,701 mile away on the right coast so I can't be of any help but I can offer you a wiring diagram for a 1931 Dodge. HRP
It’s much simpler than a modern wiring harness. Like ignition and lights and grounds. And note that it most likely positive ground. Get a good battery like a 6 volt optima and good fat 00 battery cables.
you can take pictures of the stuff you have questions about, and we can see if we can help you figure it out.
yes, what are your specific issues? I’m in northern Oregon but I was in your area a few weeks ago. So sorry for all the fire damage.
One thing to be aware of is if it's still 6 volt it needs heavier wiring since the current is higher, 12 volt wiring kits aren't a good idea on it.
John, what problems are you having? With your eye for detail you can do it. Maybe a few words of encouragement will do?
Mostly having trouble standing on my head on the floor boards and trying to figure out which wires go to which of three posts on the back of the amp gauge.
Thanks. We were VERY lucky to have a Klamath Falls fireman living directly across the street and he is the hero who saved our little block. All around us is mostly gone.
The thing about an ammeter, is that all the wires are basically connected to each other, no matter how you connect them. If you wire it up wrong, just move the wires until it indicates correctly. The small wire connects to the same side as the black wire. The red wire connects to the other side. If you have it wired correctly, it will show discharge (needle moves left) when you turn on the lights, with the engine not running. And it will show charge, when you start the engine, and rev it up. If it reads backwards, switch all the wires to the opposite side. Someone with their brain in gear could tell you if red or black goes on the left or right side, but that's not me, right now.
An important follow-up on this is the why. An important equation is: Volts X Amps = Watts. You can rearrange that equation way you want, via simple math. Given an electrical load of say 5W, like a light bulb: 5 Watts ÷ 6 Volts = 0.833 Amps 5 Watts ÷ 12 Volts = 0.417 Amps, or half the power draw of the same wattage of the 6 Volt light bulb. 12 Volt harnesses are built with this in mind, and have smaller wires, as they support lower amperage. 6 Volt harnesses have larger wires, as they support higher amperages. That is the why of why a harness intended for 12 volts is not recommended for 6 volts, but the other way is usually fine (as long as the 6V harness is in good shape).