There wasnt really any problem with the gage, until yers truly went testing lamp circuits and noticed it wayyy over full. Just wanted to test it to be sure before putting that bassturd back in! I sure do wish there were multiple taps on the fuse panel. Ya know, switched on or live all the time? I think thats for the lights on the under dash gages. Theres a few spade connectors in the center but they are already being used. Now Ill hafta remedy the situation and make a generouse pig-tail befor going any further with the AC plenum cross over pipe. Dang Judges LOL... Something else to make now hahaha... ws
I see, it's good to know it's working. I hate going into the dash on these cars more than any other car I've ever owned. It's a lot of work just to get in there, and then you put it all back together and it always seems like something doesn't work that worked before. Last time for me it was a directional light socket that must have got bumped loose or something. It was all new bulbs, all tested before assembly. Then it's all back together and BOOM...one is out. You are an older guy like me, you should know there are fuse taps around, you can still buy them. Before if I was adding a tach or fm converter a million years ago you would go and buy a package of them. I think NAPA might still have them. The ones I used to buy like clipped over the end of the fuse, you could kick them off if you were drunk or whatever! These are different and kind of neat. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Wirthco-30...ash=item1e9944be55:g:vtEAAOSwPhdU0U5m&vxp=mtr
Thanks for that link Frank! Those are a bit pricey but now I have a parameter for my quest. MOTOR PARTS tomorrow! Ive already got several "Y" connectors that I made for the stereo stuff, and gage lights, and I still want to make a new console lid (wood) with 2 LED illuminated drink holders. My signal bulb sockets came loose last time as well! Now I tightened them as much as I dared and checked just after placing the bezel in the hole to make sure they worked! Its too bad that the mfgr's never put any forethought into add on electronics. The newer style mini-fuse boxes (like my truck has 3 with 20 fuses in a bank!) would sure look nice and sanitary in place of the antique AGC fuses. They even suck to test and replace! The newer mini jobs come with a handy dandy puller. Anyone consider fenderwell mounting a newer OEM weatherproof unit ? Sometimes its beyond restoration; ya need to upgrade. My old 2000 silverado pulled a 10K lb trailer with electric brakes. The dash brake pod was absolutely plug-n-play. I couldnt believe one wire to a spare ABS port. I pulled it out when I sold it and it literally took 5 minutes. Got the radio installed and operational today and am experimenting with the center AC vent. That turned into a major project by 1/16"s; unbelievable! ws
They are pricey, but you can maybe find them for less someplace. Then again, $10.00 for a lifetime's worth (unless you use them on your boat) isn't much. Ilike to tweak the little tabs on the sockets to make them tighter if they are loose at all. Doesn't hurt to rub the contact copper on the circuit boards with a pencil eraser. I don't know...the pencil erasers aren't much good for erasing lead anymore anyways! What's up with that?
You hit the nail on the head with that one. Nobody makes mistakes any more! Actually, its all done with a "stylus" whatever that is! Theres no compromising electrical connections ESPECIALLY on a boat! Some of my stuff is crimped with triple redundancy... The ebay link shows 3 fuse connectors and 6 - 16 ga. lugs. I wouldnt mind having 25-50 in the connector bin! ws
Here's another type that's cheaper. You can see they are not as good, you get what you pay for. They are still better than stuffing a wire in the box. https://www.ebay.com/itm/PER-785-10...ash=item35cd129c43:g:V~sAAOxyTyBSXDcT&vxp=mtr
YO Frank! Hot off the press from Pi Napa Krappa. The 4 pack was $3.99 (this was my 3rd motor parts store today!) and they told me those havent been ordered since 2011. One box left in stock and we both searched for it. I checked it at home and at least its brass but I thought I was gonna bust a fuse pushing it in; man was it tight, and of course kneeling on the floor working single-backhanded made it a cork smoker! I was gonna use one more for the radio "memory" which goes on a hot post. All the extra posts on the box are Ignition On only. Betwen the wires for the radio, Amp, and under dash gages I spent 3 hours trying to determine which was the memory wire. I gave up and put it back as it was. Stoopid CD player radios!!!! Back in the day there was an ON-Off-Volume and a tuner knob. This damn thing has become aware! I did manage to get the AC cross over plenum in and fired it up for a test. Blew all kinds of dust and krud right in my face. Serves me right LOL. Just some penance for using bad words hahaha, especially after finding pulling on all them wires popped the plug off the quartz clock. PMO!!! I did discover that the signal flasher was out of its mount and the small capacitor (noise filter) mounted on the E brake pedal mount went to a double add on plug for the lighted mirror. So that makes the lighted mirror keyed on as well (gray wire). Finishing up on the reverse engineered center AC vent. The OEM only directs up and down; the modified job will sweep left to right for more AC in the front if youre in the sun. Anuuder masta fungu! Tomorrow the dash pad and AC hose to the starboard side. ws
Hey, Bill, all aftermarket stereos are universal color coded. Yellow is your "memory", Red is key on power (Bassackward, I know, but been that way since the 90s when all the manufacturers got together and standardized it.)
Oh...Napa...every auto store use to have those things. You got to admit it looks better, huh? I still don't see any of the older more common ones I used to use.
Yer absolutely correct Luke! The PO did me a great diservice by cutting the yellow memory wire about an inch off the inline fuse block (2.5A) and and soldered a black wire inside of heat shrink tubing to some where down the line where it exits as RED. The power to the radio inline fuse holder is 7.5A and RED, and the AMP is fused off the panel with a 20A circuit in RED. Then the hot wire to the gages and lights are both RED. I almost got fed up and pulled it all out to start from scratch, but theres bigger fish to fry. Thats why I returned it to its former configgeration LOL. The clock dont bother me, and the radio default goes to OFF when keyed off so I hafta search for a channel, or plop in a CD. As of late, Im having issues with black wires in a dark room and black radio/TV equipment with that special chinaman dark gray micro-printing or even worser, ICONS that make absolutely no sense! Today I had to put the drop light in the radio face with the 50 page instruction book to set the clock. I wont even go into changing tones and balances. On the issue of fuse tap lugs, next time Im gonna make a bunch outa copper tubing and silver solder a lug on. ws
Looking good baby. With this break in the weather I am getting an itch to go for a ride. But will be patient. We have the 409 if we decide to take off for the day. Love ya...ppat
Flowers, chocolate, and a birthday card (standing joke around here; everyday is our birthday!). Only regret is she gets the receipt for tracking our spending. Just trying to get back on track. But hey, its the thought that counts! Shes one in a million. A 1970 Stage III with air and a 5 speed. ws
Spent yesterday fiting the new glove box insert and that was a real pain. Absolutely as hard as an OEM unit getting it in the hole and lined up. Next thing was the passenger side AC vent hose. After about 3 hours of struggling with that dang hose and getting the dash pad positioned, I realized I forgot that the box goes in last, to access the two dash pad studs/nuts just above the box in the steel frame; A$$$$$HOLE that I am! So out she comes and can now screw on the AC hose like its supposed to be. New hose is $$$ so I am still using the 50 year old stuff thats pretty brittle with a helical wound spring steel wire. By this time the ends are deteriorated and coming unraveled. The hose was pretty short to begin with and this complicated the issue even more. So I had an AH HA moment, and was gonna take another POS short length and just duct tape them together. After looking at doing a sanitary looking re-engineer, I decided to make a joint sleeve from a piece of aluminum pipe Ive been scrounging for 20 years. Hey, a nail clipper got Clint outa Alcatraz right? Today the first job on the agenda is to make the sleeve on my lathe (finally some "fun" work!) and bore it out (its Sch 80 pipe) and have me a nice billet joiner that will make installing (or un-installing for that matter) that lousy GD hose a breeze if the need ever arises again. Got the center vent mod made up and glued together, sitting in a nice warm spot curing for the final install after the dash is done. At least one operation should be simple. I hope I didnt curse myself by saying that. With as much over engineering that went into the GM cars back then, and especially the Buicks and Caddy's, why the heck did GM resort to such an abomination of an AC install? I'm sure that a new KIA has a complete manifold in re-cycled slimy black plastic thats held in place for a perfect fit with 3 screws. The moral to this story is dont wear a long sleeve thermal shirt! I think I found every sharp edge and corner on the dash steel stamping. Dealership first aid kits mustve had a tetanus hypo as part of the kit. My arms and hands are cut to ribbons. This being a fun hobby LOL, I cant wait to get back on the 1963 boat and work outside where its 40F and windy, 15 feet in the air. Keeps ya young I guess! Dont know how many more fountains of yoot I can handle wading in! ws
One of my pet peeves is people who don't follow the color codes. The electrical standard if you don't have a wire of the proper color, is to put a piece of tape of the correct color at each end of the wire.
I couldnt agree more with you John... After 30 years of working in the power generation field, wiring was almost always marked. 3,000 volt motors with 8 wires that were usually all BLACK were numbered upon removal with wrap around sticky number tags. That was good for the feed side, but after equipment went out for R&R, rotation checks always had to be made to verify proper rotation and even then, before couplings were made up, a run to mark magnetic center was performed to make thrust adjustments on pumps or speed control "transmissions" (usually fluid couplings AKA torque converters). A fat old guy squeezed in under the dash of a 50 year old car is the exception to that rule. PO's handicraft is another adendum. Even that dang radio has about 20 wires out the back for an amp, 4 speakers, faders etc etc. I always try to clean up a mess of black sticky tape and twisted connections when I can. The last few days I really shouldve unbolted the seats (all 8 nuts) and layed down on the floor with the blanky and pillow. LOL... So yesterday was the 3rd time in as many days that I had the dash pad on and off to get that stupid AC duct hose into the perfect spot. That wasnt for my benefit, believe me, it was for the other stuff to fit where it belongs too. I made up my aluminum coupling for the hose which turned out well. A single bend on the 50 YO flex hose cause a split. Out she comes for a clean solid duct tape repair. After all, it IS duct tape aint it? Finishing up I found that the hose to vent connection was fitted well but hat friggin' hose had a split there as well. That canvas hose with a spiral spring steel wire is an ABORTION! If I ever do this again, itll be with aluminum flex hose (drier vent). Alas, a test run proved plenty of air at all three vents so I guess that its good. This time, to get the glove box liner in, the door came off! Two measley little screws. I envisioned a PITA but it was simple enough and now I could get my big fat head in there to actually see what was going on! That damn door weighs about 5 lbs. I was really surprised! So thats in, and the door is in and I went as far as getting the wheel and horn re-installed and everything works! Even the electric trunk switch. Dash lights are white and bright again and the new re-engineered center vent is a winner. For now I am DUNN! Last job for this round is new trans lines in AN 6 with blue hose through the frame rails. I hafta go back to the crossmember with 120* back bend fittings and over to avoid cooking by the header collectors. The OEM lines are a mess(PO strikes again!) around the headers and starter and look questionable with vibration and rust. The "BRIZ" pipe is alive and well. The overhead pic is from no flash with 12 100 watt curly Q bulbs! After a 2 minute test run the brake pedal feels like it should. Good call on that rear hose Frank! WELL worth the hassle! Thats all for now guys; Im sitting the big game out ON THE BENCH today LOL. I pushed the OA and RA and fat cramps to the limit the last 3 days and I need a break! ws
Thanks Geoff, but yer killin' me! Any plans for Black Beauty when ya get home after the BIG THAW?? New motor going in? Thought you were building that monster motor? Hows that coming along? ws
