Thread: 1956 Chevy 210 Handyman Wagon

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Park lights and license plate, 1 wire. Left stop/turn and right stop/turn, 2 wires. Back-up will come from either the shifter or transmission.

Great choice on the wheels and tires, a classic look for the classic vehicle! Isn't it amazing how some folks can just butcher up a simple thing like a wire and connector?!?!?

Good Job on the fix!

I had to replace the headlight switch on my 57 to get everything working. It had sat to long and got green

Yes, be very afraid.

I didn't think I would have the car drivable this weekend but we just got back from a short trial run... We have park and tail lights, License lights, the head lights work, turn signals work and there are dash lights!
The parking lights. Just a test with no lenses.

The tail and license lights.

Once I got all of the wiring straightened out I checked under the dash and found this in the fuse block.

I replaced it with this...

Now I have these!

Sure was a good feeling when those lights popped on with the switch! The wiring under the dash is a bit messy but not to bad. I'll spend a bit of time cleaning it up and getting it routed better but it works so I'm not going to complain.

New lenses in the front. I went with amber.

Mark

I also got the new shoes put on... The fronts fit great (235/45-17's)

The rears are pretty tite but they went on and there is about a 1/2" of clearance to the front of the wheel opening. Had no issues during the drive.

A pic of the clearance (closeness?).

I'll have to do a bit of work but it's not an issue right now. The car is drivable and it can go out at night now.

Those 265/50-18's sure do fill up a fender well...

Don't look to shabby from the rear either.


Thanks for following.
Mark

I wish my nomad looked that good.

Love the vanity plate!

The car came out great! It's just "says" classic now..

Thanks a lot guys! That plate came off the '02 Collector Edition T/A I traded for the wagon! I wasn't going to use it but the better half said why not? It fits. They don't make wagons like that any more.... So, plate transfer was 15 bucks... Cheaper then a new one.

Right now I am chasing down switches to get the neutral safety and back up lamps working correctly. There is no back up switch on the shifter and the neutral safety switch (which doesn't work correctly) is down on the trans. I will put both switches on the shifter where they belong.
Just ordered a couple of micro switches and some replacement parts for the B&M Star Shifter that came in the car. Jegs has been getting a lot of my business in the last few weeks...
I pulled the cover off the shifter tonight to check for switches, there were non of course. As I'm taking it apart I see the boot is installed on the outside of the cover plate, the "shift indicator" is a red vacuum cap (the original indicator is gone) and most of the cover screws are stripped out and the console is broken.
I'll start cleaning everything up tomorrow and get the wiring ready so I can just plug in the switches when they get in.
Mark

While I was waiting for the new switches from Jegs last week I crawled under the wagon to check the switches on the trans. I noticed one of the N/S wires was pretty loose in it's connector. I moved it a bit and it feel right out. I thought I had found the problem. I put it back in the terminal and re-crimped it so it is solid and tried the ignition. The car fired right up! I thought that's what the problem was, loose connection! The car started every time I tried it from then on out. I fired it up this morning, didn't let it warm up enough, went to back out of the shop and the engine died. Hit the key to restart and nothing!!! Dead, right back to it's old tricks.
Anyway, I pushed it outside so I could work on another project. I pushed it back in this afternoon with the intentions to replace the switches. Tried to start it and it's dead. I crawled under the dash and started moving wires so I can get to the N/S switch wires. After I had those isolated I hit the starter again just for grins and the damn thing fired right up... So, now I am chasing another loose connection up in the dash. Wish me luck. I find it tomorrow night or the whole switch gets re-wired...
Mark

Aren't those occasional open circuits the biggest pain? Hope you find the gremlin lurking under your dash.

Those intermittent connections are the worst! Hope it stays "broke" so you can find the real culprit!

Getting under the dash this afternoon found this... This is the engine start connector. The red wire is 12V from the solenoid...

Of course I had to cut it apart... Notice the "quality" crimp job on the left side terminal. The male side looked pretty good but the left side was not up to the task. Lots of heat here. Can I stress to you guys enough to make sure your crimps are solid and tight?

I just ordered a selection of Packard 56 connectors from DelCity. I hope to have this fixed by Friday. Big cruise in Grand Blanc to kick off the Sloan show this weekend.

Anything that takes that kind of draw I solder, and shrink tube

That is one of the reasons I solder most everything and especially 14 gauge and higher.