41 Ford instrument rayostat bypass OK?
 

Hi fellas
Last night my 41 Fords original instrument dimmer/rayostat finally gave up !

Since I do not dim the instrument lights, is it safe to just connect both wires, effectively bypassing the rayostat all together ?

Or instead of connecting the 2 wires directly / should each wire be connected to an inline fuse for safety??

Or find another rayostat and wire per factory ??

Thxs
John

Re: 41 Ford instrument rayostat bypass OK?
 

Yes, Just hook the two wires together, it won't hurt anything. Can't imagine why Ford thought you would need to dim the instrument panel lights anyway.

Re: 41 Ford instrument rayostat bypass OK?
 

I bypassed the rheostat in my '40 years ago to make the gauges more visible at night.

Re: 41 Ford instrument rayostat bypass OK?
 

So no fuse is necessary ??

Re: 41 Ford instrument rayostat bypass OK?
 

Like your fender skirts, where do you park it a night. My switch still works. LOL Al

Re: 41 Ford instrument rayostat bypass OK?
 

No.Didnt have one before.

Re: 41 Ford instrument rayostat bypass OK?
 

I believe the entire lighting circuit is protected by the circuit breaker located under the dash, which would include the instrument bulbs. There would be a fuse for a clock if equipped and probably one for a heater blower motor if equipped.

Re: 41 Ford instrument rayostat bypass OK?
 

Like Mac stated, all the lighting on the earlier vehicles is protected by the fuse on the fuse panel and later by a circuit breaker. The 41 uses two circuit breakers for the lighting and a fuse for the clock.

Re: 41 Ford instrument rayostat bypass OK?
 

Thank you fellas for advise!

Re: 41 Ford instrument rayostat bypass OK?
 

I just connected directly on my '41. No problem with being too bright at night.

Just wish there was some way to get more light on the gauges during the day. With my eyes adapted to daylight, the deeply shaded gauges can be hard to read.

Re: 41 Ford instrument rayostat bypass OK?
 

The "circuit breaker" under the dash is for the headlights. It buzzes if the headlight circuit has a ground to allow the lights to function enough to get home. Given that the old Ford wiring is usually falling apart as the cloth covered rubber insulation ages, it is a very good idea to provide better protection. Using the circuit diagram, identify the various branches for the lights. I used a small panel on the firewall to mount modern pushbutton breakers. Do not fuse the charging circuit, or the generator can be damage if the load is lost.

Re: 41 Ford instrument rayostat bypass OK?
 

There are two circuit breakers under the dash, one is more or less dedicated to the headlights and the other one to the remainder of the lighting. One is 15 amp and the other 30 amp I believe. From here it depends on how original you want to keep the vehicle. The original Ford setup works, but there is always room for improvement if one is so incline.