WHYDTYTT: What Have You Done To Your Truck Today?

[FuzzFace2]

Gotta keep the wife happy. Maybe she needs a project done?

As for the alternator, surely it is a 1G - right? External regulator and fan?

Yep happy wife happy life!

If I had water in my garage the dash parts would not have been in the house.

We don't have any projects that don't take a lot of $$ we don't have at this time.

She does volunteer work 1 day during the week (plant a row for the hungry) and Saturdays (pet adoption). It is when she is out is when I sneak things in to wash. This time I did not sneak the parts in.

Wait till I set up a table in the living room, no furniture for 2 years now (we don't use the room), to do the dash parts restore......J/K 1 of the 3 cats would knock the parts to the floor lol.

Yes it is a 1G. Down the road (far down) I will do a 3G swap but the 1G will have to do for now.

If this was the 2G fire starter I would have to rethink the "down the road" part.

Dave ----

[Gary Lewis]

Gotta keep the wife happy. Maybe she needs a project done?

As for the alternator, surely it is a 1G - right? External regulator and fan?

Yep happy wife happy life!

If I had water in my garage the dash parts would not have been in the house.

We don't have any projects that don't take a lot of $$ we don't have at this time.

She does volunteer work 1 day during the week (plant a row for the hungry) and Saturdays (pet adoption). It is when she is out is when I sneak things in to wash. This time I did not sneak the parts in.

Wait till I set up a table in the living room, no furniture for 2 years now (we don't use the room), to do the dash parts restore......J/K 1 of the 3 cats would knock the parts to the floor lol.

Yes it is a 1G. Down the road (far down) I will do a 3G swap but the 1G will have to do for now.

If this was the 2G fire starter I would have to rethink the "down the road" part.

Dave ----

Yes, were it the 2G there'd be lots of help planning a quick change. I know I bought a "new" 2G for $15 years ago and the guys were quick to say "Don't install it!!!"

Hmmm, anyone need a 2G? Seriously though, I took it to my swap meet/truck show last fall and no one was interested. It'll keep going back until someone takes it off my hands - cheaply.

As for doing projects in the house, my mother allowed carbs to be rebuilt on the kitchen or even dining room table. So when Janey and I got married it wasn't unusual for me to bring a project inside. The first of those was the engine for our VW van. (Hippy van. ) Put the case halves in the bathtub to clean them, and built the engine on a roll-around TV stand. I if that had anything to do with us buying a house with a garage soon thereafter?

[FuzzFace2]

Yes, were it the 2G there'd be lots of help planning a quick change. I know I bought a "new" 2G for $15 years ago and the guys were quick to say "Don't install it!!!"

Hmmm, anyone need a 2G? Seriously though, I took it to my swap meet/truck show last fall and no one was interested. It'll keep going back until someone takes it off my hands - cheaply.

As for doing projects in the house, my mother allowed carbs to be rebuilt on the kitchen or even dining room table. So when Janey and I got married it wasn't unusual for me to bring a project inside. The first of those was the engine for our VW van. (Hippy van. ) Put the case halves in the bathtub to clean them, and built the engine on a roll-around TV stand. I if that had anything to do with us buying a house with a garage soon thereafter?

Well it put her a little over the edge when I put the only part I did not wash yet on the dining room table and that was a gauge cluster.

Hope to get it washed and needles painted and back together and everything back to my garage tomorrow.

I have been getting up early each day but hard to get out to the garage after last weekends blast.

Hit the auto parts store for vacuum hose and "T" fittings to run the vacuum lines.

Pulled apart the gauge cluster from my truck for washing along with all the bezels and washed them.

On the cluster I think the AMP gauge broke as 1 of the nuts kept spinning the stud so if it is connected to anything inside it is not now.

Also doing that the connection film twisted off and was a little pissed till I put the cluster back together so parts were protected till I can paint the needles and found the cluster plug contacts are all pulled away from the film so I was not as pissed on the AMP gauge deal. Guess that is why the gauges did not work?

Because of that I was a little shy to pull apart the good cluster but will pull it apart for cleaning & paint.

Dave ----

[Gary Lewis]

Well it put her a little over the edge when I put the only part I did not wash yet on the dining room table and that was a gauge cluster.

Hope to get it washed and needles painted and back together and everything back to my garage tomorrow.

I have been getting up early each day but hard to get out to the garage after last weekends blast.

Hit the auto parts store for vacuum hose and "T" fittings to run the vacuum lines.

Pulled apart the gauge cluster from my truck for washing along with all the bezels and washed them.

On the cluster I think the AMP gauge broke as 1 of the nuts kept spinning the stud so if it is connected to anything inside it is not now.

Also doing that the connection film twisted off and was a little pissed till I put the cluster back together so parts were protected till I can paint the needles and found the cluster plug contacts are all pulled away from the film so I was not as pissed on the AMP gauge deal. Guess that is why the gauges did not work?

Because of that I was a little shy to pull apart the good cluster but will pull it apart for cleaning & paint.

Dave ----

Yes, it is easy to break the connection inside the gauge. Some can be repaired, but I don't know about the amp gauge.

I think you may want to paint the good gauges in the cluster.

[Ford F834]

Well it put her a little over the edge when I put the only part I did not wash yet on the dining room table and that was a gauge cluster.

Hope to get it washed and needles painted and back together and everything back to my garage tomorrow.

I have been getting up early each day but hard to get out to the garage after last weekends blast.

Hit the auto parts store for vacuum hose and "T" fittings to run the vacuum lines.

Pulled apart the gauge cluster from my truck for washing along with all the bezels and washed them.

On the cluster I think the AMP gauge broke as 1 of the nuts kept spinning the stud so if it is connected to anything inside it is not now.

Also doing that the connection film twisted off and was a little pissed till I put the cluster back together so parts were protected till I can paint the needles and found the cluster plug contacts are all pulled away from the film so I was not as pissed on the AMP gauge deal. Guess that is why the gauges did not work?

Because of that I was a little shy to pull apart the good cluster but will pull it apart for cleaning & paint.

Dave ----

Dave, I have taken apart quite a few of these clusters and I agree that the ammeter terminals are the ones that like to break and spin inside the gauge. This is also the gauge that tends to have burnt leads inside the circuit film. If you need any gauges or circuit film let me know. I have quite a few clusters and spare parts.

[FuzzFace2]

Yes, it is easy to break the connection inside the gauge. Some can be repaired, but I don't know about the amp gauge.

I think you may want to paint the good gauges in the cluster.

That is a thought but I would like to wash the 36+ years of dirt off the back side of the cluster.

That was 1 reason I started with the cluster that came out of the project truck as from what I remember none of the gauges worked, it had been pulled apart once before and it had black paint all over it so if I broke it no big loss.

Dave, I have taken apart quite a few of these clusters and I agree that the ammeter terminals are the ones that like to break and spin inside the gauge. This is also the gauge that tends to have burnt leads inside the circuit film. If you need any gauges or circuit film let me know. I have quite a few clusters and spare parts.

It looked like this one I pulled apart as the guinea pig the AMP gauge had a little heat to it. I think that is why the stud was spinning, it heated the white plastic that holds the stud and cracked letting the stud spin.

I may take Gary's advice and paint the needles in the housing to be safe.

Then again this time I will use a wrench, not a socket, so I can see if the stud starts to spin to stop and rethink the whole thing. So right now I think am good on the amp gauge & film. If that changes I will let you know. Thanks.

I do have a question on the AMP gauge?

If the stud does spin and it breaks the connection inside what will happen? Will it not charge, no power to the truck or ?

I ask because from what I seen posted they hardly move to show anything and if I was to go with a 3G ALT it has to be by passed IIRC.

I also remember a post of someone redoing the AMP gauge to show volts (with the AMP gauge face) but don't remember what else needed to be done to run that volt gauge?

Just trying to think of all my options.

Thanks guys

Dave ----

[ArdWrknTrk]

Dave, I have taken apart quite a few of these clusters and I agree that the ammeter terminals are the ones that like to break and spin inside the gauge. This is also the gauge that tends to have burnt leads inside the circuit film. If you need any gauges or circuit film let me know. I have quite a few clusters and spare parts.

I got a chance to take another pic of the flood light pattern this morning.

And I did see a few older Ford's on the way (though not bullnose)

The two '70's trucks are for sale.

And the metallic green Flareside looks pretty good.. in the dark.

[Gary Lewis]

Yes, it is easy to break the connection inside the gauge. Some can be repaired, but I don't know about the amp gauge.

I think you may want to paint the good gauges in the cluster.

That is a thought but I would like to wash the 36+ years of dirt off the back side of the cluster.

That was 1 reason I started with the cluster that came out of the project truck as from what I remember none of the gauges worked, it had been pulled apart once before and it had black paint all over it so if I broke it no big loss.

Dave, I have taken apart quite a few of these clusters and I agree that the ammeter terminals are the ones that like to break and spin inside the gauge. This is also the gauge that tends to have burnt leads inside the circuit film. If you need any gauges or circuit film let me know. I have quite a few clusters and spare parts.

It looked like this one I pulled apart as the guinea pig the AMP gauge had a little heat to it. I think that is why the stud was spinning, it heated the white plastic that holds the stud and cracked letting the stud spin.

I may take Gary's advice and paint the needles in the housing to be safe.

Then again this time I will use a wrench, not a socket, so I can see if the stud starts to spin to stop and rethink the whole thing. So right now I think am good on the amp gauge & film. If that changes I will let you know. Thanks.

I do have a question on the AMP gauge?

If the stud does spin and it breaks the connection inside what will happen? Will it not charge, no power to the truck or ?

I ask because from what I seen posted they hardly move to show anything and if I was to go with a 3G ALT it has to be by passed IIRC.

I also remember a post of someone redoing the AMP gauge to show volts (with the AMP gauge face) but don't remember what else needed to be done to run that volt gauge?

Just trying to think of all my options.

Thanks guys

Dave ----

If the stud spins and the ammeter is dead the truck will still charge. There is only a very, VERY small amount of current going through the gauge, with the rest going through the shunt - a physically large but low-impedance resistor wire. And when you go 3G the shunt has to come out of the system as it can't handle the current the 3G will throw.

Converting the ammeter to voltmeter is done in three steps. First, send a working ammeter to Rocketman, who does the conversions. Second, take the downstream lead that comes from the shunt and connect it to ground. Third, take the upstream lead that comes from the shunt to a source of switched power.

But, realize that most sources of switched power have enough load on them and are after lots of original scrawny wire that the voltage there is not what the battery is seeing, so your reading won't be correct and it will change with the load. I plan to put a dedicated relay in to provided switched power to the voltmeter.

[Gary Lewis]

I got a chance to take another pic of the flood light pattern this morning.

And I did see a few older Ford's on the way (though not bullnose)

The two '70's trucks are for sale.

And the metallic green Flareside looks pretty good.. in the dark.

I'm sold on the backup lamps. Do you have a switch that allows you to bring them on w/o being in Reverse?

[ArdWrknTrk]

I'm sold on the backup lamps. Do you have a switch that allows you to bring them on w/o being in Reverse?

No.

I have a switch for the fountain lamps that light up my bed, but the backup lights are connected to the handy bullet socket that came in the harness from the factory.

You can see the bullet block in the picture I posted.