Thread: Electricals - phew

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Originally Posted by IC2

Just a dumb mistake - but consider the "electrician" . It did fix a couple of potential problems so not all was in vain

Poughkeepsie - don't know much about it by Schenectady - that's the "beautiful" burg that I know all too well. I grew up there and worked at GE there for almost all of my work life. Currently, I live about 11 miles from what is left of a fun and lively down town that has become the home of every derelict and hapless minority group that can't find a home anywhere else.

Mike - that back of yours - once you do the chiro trip, you have to give it a couple of days rest in your recliner (which is exactly what I never find time for). I hope he give you some relief. My wife went Thursday and she seems to be better today, so there is hope.

Later

Glad to hear that you figured out your "problem"... at least the electrical one! I guess the next trip to Schenectedy I'll have to give you a heads up. Maybe we could get together? Also glad to hear your wife is feeling better as am I. Not perfect yet but better! I went to the shop sunday and was playin with the car and discovered my radiator fan control stopped working! Car was overheating and no fans! I couldn't crawl under the dash to verify a problem but maybe this coming weekend.

Maybe it'll be as easy as firebirds fix...??? I doubt it!

Don Shilady, let's see if this diagram will show up here for you.

IC2, Thanks for the diagram. I made some progress on the fuel line and set it up several times (accumulating my own pile of mis-bent tubing) but I am not satisfied with the nearness of the line to the trans heat exchanger. Then I got a pretty serious head cold and have been trying to get rid of it for a week. It looks like I need to move the heat exchanger from the side of the frame so that is work under the car and I am thinking it over.

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder

Don That wasn't me - that was 34_40 We have to watch out for your health when we suggest that you crawl under your car

Mike - glad to hear you have some relief. My wife went to the bone cracker again yesterday, but, and I can tell, she is feeling much better.

As far as crawling on my back and searching under a dash for some sort of wiring 'error' is not my idea of fun any day. I put that one step above crawling under a car that isn't quite high enough - plus my body isn't quite as slim and supple as my youth

The next time you come this way, of course, give me a call. I'll either meet you there or give you directions on how to find my house. I do have to tell you that there are people that have been lost for years and never seen again on Schenectady streets . Do you still have my phone number??

Originally Posted by IC2

Don That wasn't me - that was 34_40

As far as crawling on my back and searching under a dash for some sort of wiring 'error' is not my idea of fun any day. I put that one step above crawling under a car that isn't quite high enough - plus my body isn't quite as slim and supple as my youth

The next time you come this way, of course, give me a call. I'll either meet you there or give you directions on how to find my house. I do have to tell you that there are people that have been lost for years and never seen again on Schenectady streets . Do you still have my phone number??

Don, sorry for being late with that. Hope it helps.
IC2 - 10-4 on working under dash and low cars! I'm from south boston. no fear of schenectady streets! LOL... I don't think I have your # ?? When I next make arrangements to be in your neck of the woods I'll give you a hollar and we'll set something up!

35-40,IC2,

I think I can work around some of the changeover to the radiator trans cooler up on top. I really need a lift because the dropped axle makes it reall difficult to work under the front, although I do have a good jack and jackstands.

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder

Originally Posted by Don Shillady

35-40,IC2,

I think I can work around some of the changeover to the radiator trans cooler up on top. I really need a lift because the dropped axle makes it reall difficult to work under the front, although I do have a good jack and jackstands.

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder

Isn't it funny how a new task or project leads you into buying a new tool or piece of equipment?

I'm starting to "clean" up my wiring runs now

Originally Posted by IC2

I'm starting to "clean" up my wiring runs now

I JUST KNEW I should've invested more in wire ties!

Originally Posted by 34_40

I JUST KNEW I should've invested more in wire ties!

That doesn't count the several hundred replacements for those seen and the several hundred BEHIND the dash - I just got 500 more

(I did do a trash dump about 10 minutes after I took the photo )

Originally Posted by DennyW

Iuse this stuff. If there is a wire problem, you can locate, and pull the wires out easily for repair, and it looks nice also.

http://cableorganizer.com/wire-loom/

My golly - it looks like the real DennyW has resurfaced!!!

Denny - I have probably a hundred feet of the convoluted wire loom - but it really doesn't work well under the carpet. I'm going to use some flat raceway if I can find it locally and at a reasonable cost - if not ........

IC2, Yes indeed it is great to see a message from DennyW! I have some of that loom stuff for the line to the windshield wiper to hide the wires on the roadster windshield frame. Maybe I can use it more for other things too. My real question here is for IC2. I am grunting down under the frame to fit in the tubing from the transmission to the cooler in the radiator after deciding it was not a good idea to have both the fuel line and the trans cooler under the running board apron. Soooo, I want to ask you where you put the wires to the front lights and turn signals and how? Now on the outside of the frame I have fuel line and inside the frame I have trans cooler tubing and hot headers. Maybe DennyW has the best idea to bundle that stuff under the frame but still away from the wheels. I will have to bring the wires up under the frame near the fuel pump (SBC) along the edge of the radiator shell about half way up until it gets to the grommet hole but it will be at least four wires on each side: high, low, turn and ground so it would be great if you have a picture of how you threaded the wires from the dash to the headlight bucket. Any related picture will be appreciated very much! I am sorry to be so trivial but I am between frustration and determination to not give up and finish this bigger-than-I-expected project. Holly Cow, every time I turn around it is time to make another bracket! I am thinking of putting mis-bent tubing fragments on the Christmas tree, what else! Hey, if I get going on the wiring soon I will have some multicolor wire too!

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder

Originally Posted by Don Shillady

IC2, Yes indeed it is great to see a message from DennyW! I have some of that loom stuff for the line to the windshield wiper to hide the wires on the roadster windshield frame. Maybe I can use it more for other things too. My real question here is for IC2. I am grunting down under the frame to fit in the tubing from the transmission to the cooler in the radiator after deciding it was not a good idea to have both the fuel line and the trans cooler under the running board apron. Soooo, I want to ask you where you put the wires to the front lights and turn signals and how? Now on the outside of the frame I have fuel line and inside the frame I have trans cooler tubing and hot headers. Maybe DennyW has the best idea to bundle that stuff under the frame but still away from the wheels. I will have to bring the wires up under the frame near the fuel pump (SBC) along the edge of the radiator shell about half way up until it gets to the grommet hole but it will be at least four wires on each side: high, low, turn and ground so it would be great if you have a picture of how you threaded the wires from the dash to the headlight bucket. Any related picture will be appreciated very much! I am sorry to be so trivial but I am between frustration and determination to not give up and finish this bigger-than-I-expected project. Holly Cow, every time I turn around it is time to make another bracket! I am thinking of putting mis-bent tubing fragments on the Christmas tree, what else! Hey, if I get going on the wiring soon I will have some multicolor wire too!

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder

Don,
I'm not completely satisfied with my wiring, but since everything works, probably wont do too much.

As far as my headlights and other forwrd wires, and on a Ford motor, there are more then a few, I purchased a wire port from Watson's Street Works, part number B-16, mounted it in the center of the firewall and fairly low and ran my wires through that - I believe that there are 9 or 10 wires. I wrapped them in protective tubing and ran them down the back of the engine, bracketing in various places. I then ran these wires, again, in protective tubing along the left pan flange, held in place by some good clamps to the front of the engine and under the fuel pump. I separated the wires and ran some to, again brackets and clamps to the grille shell for my lights and fan, up to the oil pressure and water temp senders and the horn. Some are yet to be "cleaned up" and wrapped in protective tubing. The alternator (single wire at this time, but might change later) wire is run down to the right pan flange to a battery terminal, in this case, the always hot starter terminal.

Photos - I don't have enough but will be catching up shortly. I'll attach some - the first of the wire port, the second will give you an idea of where it was mounted on the fire wall. I can't do firewall photos now as the MSD box is hanging waiting for some vibration mounts.

Brackets - how well I know these damnable time eaters!!!!

All of my fuel line is within the frame - and with the Ford motor, a pain as it has to be mounted on the left - and the power master cylinder and steering make for a lot of interference. Again - more brackets.

The 24" double pass transmission cooler is mounted under the right splash shield. I hope it does a good enough job - I do have a temp sender in the trans pan, so will know.

IC2, Thanks for the pictures, the headlight cable is interesting too. More pictures are welcome when you get a chance. I realize the wires along the pan are an option but it is really getting tight under there in a narrow frame relative to heat protection.

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder

Originally Posted by Don Shillady

IC2, Thanks for the pictures, the headlight cable is interesting too. More pictures are welcome when you get a chance. I realize the wires along the pan are an option but it is really getting tight under there in a narrow frame relative to heat protection.

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder

Don, the cables are Lokar. As far as running the wires along the pan rail, the engine at that point will probably never exceed 160F and the wire insulation is rated for 600F. Most exhaust heat, unless you have really tight hugger headers should be dissipated and/or cooled by normal air flow. Had I been smart, I would have wired the car before paint and made the runs in the frame rails (along with my gas line), then disassembled everything for the final finish.

IC2, I have to just DO IT! Today I got out my ITS-A-SNAP kit and mounted the fuse box on the inside of the firewall and uncoiled the set of wires that go to the rear tailights etc. I messed with the other coils and studied the nice labels on each wire and found that I have many extra unecessary wires since I bought the 24 circuit kit (power windows??). I used up a few ties keeping the wires together on the way back and there is a convenient deep groove under the door sill to hide the wires. I studied the other coils from the names on the wires and there is one group with headlights, coil and tach which goes forward, another for under the dash and a fourth for the dimmer switch. The dimmer switch looks easy because it has a female plug just like my foot switch but there are some other things which do not match up. Taking a hint from Ken Thurman's masterpiece I need to add a cigar lighter on the dash so my wife can charge her cell phone. Anyway, MAYBE (?) I can do it after all if I take my time and read the labels on the wires. The alternative is to get some professional help at about $70/hr so that spurs me on to do as much as I can myself. The other factor was that the weather was very good today while it had been down in the 40s F earlier in the week but today was about 60 F in the garage. The next big thing I need to do is study your wires to the headlights along the frame away from the header pipe heat so I will study your pictures. With my block hugger headers there is very little room between the pan and the header pipe so I may have to just run the wires along the bottom of the frame? If you have any other pictures from underneath your engine that would be helpful. Last week I did finally get a combination of fittings together to run 5/16" lines from the 700R4 outlets to the trans cooler in the bottom of the radiator after I bent tubing about four times but it finally does look OK and I do have a rubber hose connection under the firewall where the hardline goes into the trans to provide some flex between the driveline and the frame. However you don't want to know or see the fittings needed to adapt pipe threads to 5/16" line. After four tries I am leaving it alone unless it leaks! It does look to me that my setup can be simpler than the stuff you have under the top of your cowl so again all I have to do is DO IT!

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder