Projects 54 Ford Customline daily driver

So the headlight and tail light terminals that dont work on the switch are directly across from one another, not sure how these switches work but it seems odd to me

As far as the headlights go im totally stumped. I have 12v at the headlight socket (this is with the dimmer wire to the power terminal on the headlight switch because i know it has power) but i dont have any lights. Pulled the bulbs and they tested fine on a spare battery. Why am i getting no light when i have 12v at the socket ?

Threw some oil, coolant and power steering fluid in to try and fire it, the water pump is leaking somewhere. Having a hell of a time seeing where from. Trying to fire it, no luck yet. Hopefully some positive things start happening soon


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Sorry for the lack of pics lately, heres my headlight switch.... the three terminals that arent hooked up now are brakelight (furthest from the knob), and the two across from each other are the heads and tails, neither one of those seems to work



Got the dash lights wired as well, the car didnt have the ign light, air control light or fuel cluster light working when i bought it. Everything now works . Rheostat is rather sketchy tho. Another reason i should buy a new switch



Does anyone have a part number for led dash bulbs? These were always pretty dim. My dad tried some led dash bulbs in his 66 f100 but the bulbs were very poor quality and wouldnt lock in. Not sure if someone has a good source for bulbs?

Tried briefly to fire the car up to no avail. I have 12v to the coil when in the on position but didnt have anyone to lend a hand and test voltage while it was cranking. If that checks out ill check for spark at the plugs

 

Rebel sent me two diagrams this morning and they are posted here so scroll down to them. https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/faq-sticky.897329/page-5 In addition I asked for some info on the color codes going to the switch,I'll be adding that also in the "Sticky FAQ"

 

Ford used several different design light switches in the '50s that all look similar but were laid out different internally and connected differently. Check yours with a ohmmeter or test light to determine how it's wired. From the top as pictured, with the switch 'off' you shouldn't have continuity between any of the terminals (except the two connected with the visible link) OR you may find the three terminals with wires attached may read to each other but 'open' to all the others. With the switch pulled out to the first detent, all the terminals should read to each other EXCEPT for the bottom two that aren't connected. Pull it all the way out, now the top left terminal with the wire connected should now read open to all terminals, with the 'P' terminal reading to the two remaining connected wires. The bottom two should now read to each other, but not to any of the other wires/terminals. If that's what you find, the 'P' terminal is tail/park/dash light power from the fuse box (fused), the left-side terminal directly below it is the park lights, the one across from it is the taillights, the 'H' terminal is headlights, and the 'B' terminal is headlight power. In the original install, the 'B' terminal gets direct 12V power (no fuse) as there's an internal circuit breaker for just the headlights. The brakes lights should not connect to the switch.

 

Jeff according to the diagram and your breakdown i had the switch wired properly. Im assuming the switch is bad ? It worked prior to tearing the car apart. But i have nothing to the tail light and headlight terminal


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Looks like i may have the ground and hi beam wires on the wrong posts at the back of the headlights tho. Ill switch those and see what happens


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When you are testing the switch it should be grounded which it is bolted in the dash,with it hanging out get a piece of wire with a clamp on each end to attach one end to the switch and one end to metal ground and retest it,if you get the same dead readings might as well get the GM style switch in the link.

 

Ill give that a try as well, thanks man. Also thanks for the rebel info. Im sure alot of people can use that. I planned on calling today but pulled a 12 hr shift at work, glad that info finally made it to the faq sticky


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Should be able to add a little more tomorrow,I sent them a Pic of your switch and a wiring diagram so stay tuned.

 

Are you sure the switch needs to be grounded? All the other terminals work with it just hanging? I tried briefly to ground it with a wire while it was hanging after work tonight, same results as before

Also i still have no headlights. I think its relay related. I can hear the relay triggering, the dimmer is working but i have no lights


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So with the switch knob all the way out you should have juice to your test light at the "H" terminal which is headlights,so next step is checking the dimmer switch it has one wire from that "H" terminal to it and two going out, one is Hi beam and one is Low beam do you have juice at both when you press it in and out do you? Did you change out the dimmer switch ? When I did my rewire my old switch had a dead terminal, the Autozone part # is UDS 411 $12.95 you will have to stop by and order it should be overnight from the warehouse. If it checks out on both Hi & Low then move on to the plugs that go into the headlight bulbs since you hear the relays power up a test light should show power at the Hi & Low you should have bare metal under both those ground wires just to be safe too. Good luck!

 

From Rebel Wire 4/25/2018 The 9+3 kit only has one yellow headlight wire that goes to the "B" BAT terminal on the Ford switch. The larger kits with more circuits have two wires like later Ford and GM's have,if you need an additional wire if you may have converted to a later style switch just add a jumper off the BAT terminal.

 

Quick overview of everything to recap. The headlight switch has been hanging below the dash while ive tested everything. All the terminals work except heads and tails (switch all the way out). Ive been testing the headlights off of the brake terminal since that terminal isworking, the dimmer switch is working and switches power between the hi and low wires and i can hear the relays triggering for each. I have 12 volts to the headlight socket but i have no lights.

For the 3 prong plug in the headlight relay kit that goes to the original harness, i have it wired just like the plug at the headlight. Middle terminal is low beam, one outer terminal is hi beam other outer terminal is a ground. Its oriented just like the plugs at the headlights. This is the proper way to wire this correct ?

All my dash lights work as well and the rheostat is working, though its pretty eratic. Im assuming the switch is bad since i have the two dead terminals but everything else works fine


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Best Deal on a stock switch https://www.lebaronbonney.com/cart/itemdesc.php?ic=4757 They are closing out so discounted. C&G Ford is asking $100

 

I just ordered a switch, hopefully rhat fixes my issues

Jeff can you verify the relay plug to the main harness is correct?


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Take a picture of it close for me to look at.

 

So I guess it’s not looking good for you to be taking it to sled fest ?


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Na man not gonna be making it, i had to pull the water pump back off and cut a new gasket, i think the felpro one was torn or something. Still need to get the exhaust done after its fired too


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Can you please explain why the switch needs to be grounded? I can't think of a single plausible reason....

Shane, did you ever check the switch as per my directions? Unless I'm dead-nuts positive the diagram I have is correct, I will always check a switch for proper operation and to verify the actual terminals.

 

That sucks , I had my power steering pump go out last weekend on my way home from painting the car. Just put the new one on tonight rushing around to button the car up and my buddy tells me he’s backing out on going so looks like I’m not making it either , super bummed !


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Knightcadi Your buddy with the caddy hit me up on instagram yesterday. I really wanted to go but i have to get this thing buttoned up. I have a bike project waiting after this is buttoned up too haha

 

Crazy steve i missed your post before. I got the terminals all figured out on the light switch, two are dead so i ordered a new switch. I noticed you commented on the relay plug that goes to the original harness. I have the hi beam wire to one terminal, lo beam wire to another and a ground wire off the 3rd. Its oriented just like the plug at the back of the headlight


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Heres the headlight relay wiring



The plug closest to the camera are the wires from the main harness. Top middle terminal is low beam, right terminal is high beam and left terminal is ground

Heres a pic of the turn signal wire cover as it was



It was two seperate pieces and didnt work with the signal switch i just got



You can see how the pieces overlapped...

So i decided to cut it to length, weld it up as one piece, radius the top end to cover the wires at the switch and weld in small filler panels on those radius






Little bit of filler and ill spray it to match the column




I welded a small tab on the lower end, and the top has a small nib that rests in a hole i drilled in the back of the switch

 

Water pump is back on and sealed. Fan and belts back on as well. Tried to fire it again to no avail. Checked spark, good there. Compression is good, fuel seems to be an issue. Ive been dumping fuel in the carb to try and get it fired up, but when i pulled the plugs there was almost no smell of gas. Carb is also leaking in multiple spots so im assuming that may be the issue. Need to figure it out more. I rebuilt the 94 on it, but it just seems to be leaking everywhere

 

Some older cars were wired that way, guys that were doing wiring on home builds that had plastic or fibreglass dash boards had to find a ground to metal it was mentioned in an old book on wiring I had. I thought at the point he was in maybe it was worth a shot,a lot of guys forget to add a couple of good grounds during an engine swap.

 

This is a really nice looking build. I have a 53' that I'm working on, and after seeing your build I should really just light my garage on fire for the insurance money. I really need a bigger garage. And proper tools. And some sort of welder.

 

Thanks steve ! Dont light the garage on fire though! The shop im working in is essentially a 25x20 storage unit with 220 electric in it that i rent. The roof leaks, no insulation, kinda cramped with tools and benches. I have another smaller unit that i store shit in haha. Trying to buy a house this year and build a decent shop. Ive built a few cars in here, tight space but it works. If your looking for a good welder to start my miller 211 mig has been a beast. Worth every penny


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I am currently keeping my 53 in a rented 8x16 garage nearby. My actual garage at my house is full of woodworking tools, which is my main gig. Thinking about a sub panel this summer for some 220... All in all, I do what I can with my car (rewired, cleaned up, seatbelts added, disc brakes, all new lines, lowered etc.) but would love to get my own welding rig. I really like your detail work, like the wiring cover for the turn signal wires.

 

Been a busy few weeks. Got my new headlight switch in, same thing with that one. Headlight and tail light terminal arent working. Its gotta be a wiring issue, does it need a jumper wire or something? Also the rheostat on the new headlight switch broke in about 3 minutes. Pretty pissed

On a positive note i did get the headlights and dimmer switch working right. Turned out to be a grounding issue at the back of one headlight that killed both of them. So now they work, and the dimmer works perfect too, now if i can only get the switch to work properly.

 

Wonder if they will make that switch good ? I'd give them a call and hope you kept the receipt.