Help please- new to me 1935 pickup

[PapaToeps]

Hi folks-
I own two 31 Model A’s that I lovingly and carefully brought back to life. Recently I acquired a 35 pickup in need of some love. I got it running, got the lights and horn working, got the windows to go up an down, all of gauges to work, changed the fluids, ……….
It would always start and idle nicely in the garage. So yesterday I took a deep breathe and started a test drive in the neighborhood. Everything went fine for a few miles and then turning a corner, it died. Starter is strong, horn works, but no lights, gauges or ignition.

Coil?
Cut out?
It has a later model circuit breaker unit that has continuity between the poles.

My Model A’s did not prepare me for this.

Any help would be appreciated.


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[highbeams]

I had a very original '36 - a dealer-demo shipped from Ford directly to the dealer with its demo options; dual spares, dual windshield wipers, car dash gauges, chrome windshield surround, chrome back bumper. It is still being enjoyed by the person that now has it.

Patrick (Pat) Malone.

[cas3]

There is a resistor under the dash, and a fuse there too IIRC. check those first, gotta have power to the coil.

[Terry,OH]

Do you have full battery - on both sides of the circuit breaker? Full Battery - on one terminal of the ignition switch? With the ignition switch turned on then Full battery - on both sides of the ignition switch?
Suggest you check all with a voltmeter
Depending upon the position of the distributor contact points (if open) full battery volts on both sides of the ignition resistor and full battery - on the ignition coil. (if closed) full battery - on one side of ignition resistor and about half volts on the second side of the resistor and half volts at the coil?
You can leave the ignition switch on for a short time but try to limit extended time.
You may have loose wires on the foot starter switch.

[Pat/Ohio]

Where are you located? Help may be closer than you think!

Stay Safe!
Pat

[PapaToeps]

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Hi-
I live about 50 miles North of Detroit.

I have a full charged battery. The starter spins normally, and the starter switch works. The horn is very strong, but no lights, gauges or ignition.

I am a real nube when it comes to V-8’s.


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[TJ]

Look for an inline fuse. Also try bypassing the circuit breaker to see what happens.

[joe 1950]

The handiest tool in your toolbox is a test light if you don’t have one get one you’ll be glad you did turn the ignition on Make Sure the truck is in neutral start back probing from the negative cable to it’s connecting points you’ll figure it out and don’t be afraid of that V-8 it’s a 6-cylinder with 2 more added keep us informed

[PapaToeps]

I should have known-

In repairing and replacing all the wiring up to this point, I “un-did” virtually every connection by unraveling yards of electrical tape. I soldered or made good mechanical connections. Photo attached (I hope)

I stood on my head and got behind the dash.

AH HAH! The mad taper was at it again.
Problem discovered and problem solved.
Picture attached (I hope).

Thanks everyone for the advice and support.

TNT



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[Bob C]

Looks like it's time to invest in a new wiring harness.

[Flathead Fever]

No lights, gauges or ignition.? Were the headlights on when the vehicle quit? It's hard to say what the problem could be because we do not know if it is wired originally, or someone has changed things around. Is these two completely separate problems or one? Does it have original wiring? If not, what does the aftermarket wiring look like, nice and neat or a bird's nest. I'm not familiar with what components were fused originally on Early Fords, but it would be unusual on any vehicle for the lights to be on the same fused circuit as the gauges and ignition. It is not a good idea to add any other circuits to the fuse to your ignition system. Example, sometimes when a bulb burns-out the filament will arc to a ground and blow the fuse. That happened at work quite often , especially with the 1157 taillight bulbs' long filaments. You can drive home without the lights but not if it takes out your ignition system too you'll be walking.

Like "Joe 1950" said, you are going to need a test light or a voltmeter. It's nice to have both. The test light will tell you that you have voltage to the circuit but it cannot tell you how much voltage is available.

The first thing is to find the fuse box, if it has one. Hook your test light to ground and run the light down the left-side of each fuse (normally it's the left-side that supplies the voltage). This will tell you that you have power to each fuse. Next run the test light down the right-side. If you have power on the left but not on the right, the fuse is blown. Why it blew the fuse is where the diagnosis can get a little complicated, especially with intermittent problems. Just replacing the fuse might temporarily solve the problem but there is a good chance it will blow the fuse again and it will pick the worse possible time to do it. I would not trust it until I figured out why the fuse blew. Were too many devices drawing more amperage than the fuse was rated for or did a wire or part short to ground and blow the fuse? You were going around a corner when it quit. That could be a clue, maybe the wiring moved and short to ground. That just means the wires insulation wore through and the wire was able to touch a metal ground, instantly blowing the fuse. Most original cloth covered wiring on these Early Fords have seen better days. And people are terrible at wiring their own cars, never put a wire through a metal hole without an insulating grommet. Support the wires so they are not flopping around, keep them away from moving parts. run the wires inside a piece of protective conduit.

Crimped on connectors is another place to look. When I see those aftermarkets blue and red crimped on connectors, I assume they were poorly crimped and are likely the problem. They make good crimping plyers and cheap ones. There is also a top and bottom to the crimping plyers and there is a top and bottom to the connector. The crimping part of the plyers needs to be perfectly aligned with the top of the connector. Look at how a factory connector is crimped; it is not just a wire smashed inside a connector. The connectors' open ends fold wound the wire and then down into it. Factory crimps rarely fail. It takes practice with good crimping plyers to make a nice crimp. It doesn't hurt to solder the crimp too. Take your time when wiring and do job you can be proud of.

What if you do not have power to the left-side of the fuse? That could mean something like an ignition switch controls the power to the fuse. That is a common way to wire an ignition system but not the headlights. They are usually wired to work off of their own switch. If there is no switch to the fuse you have bad wire or connection. There are some factory brake lights o vehicles that the fuse will not get power until you step on the brake pedal. If you don't have power to a fuse try turning the switch on to the switch in the circuit.

I took College DC and AC voltage classes 42years ago. I finished those classes, then quit college and became a phone company mechanic, what a horrible decision that was! The first day of class the instructor said, "the first thing you need to know about electrical devices is they all run on smoke, because when you let the smoke out, they no longer run".

[Mart]

That wire needs to be replaced.
It is the main wire that carries all the current the vehicle requires. It can chafe through where it passes through the ammeter and the insulation looks compromised already.

Make a note of which end goes to where and which direction it passes through the loop on the ammeter body. The ammeter will read backwards if you replace it the wrong way round.

Mart.

[TJ]

That wiring is a recipe for a fire. As others have stated it's time for a new harness.