20-10 Niners... Who is your God now?
Dash/Speedometer lights...
Cargo Master
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 2,575
Likes: 36
From: Greenville, SC
If you want the dash lights to be able to be dimmed and brightened by turning the **** it has to have a working rheostat (white ceramic thing with a spring in the back). The rheostat is the spring (resistor) looking thing that would go around the back of the ceramic near the front of the light switch kind of like a horse shoe. In the "closed" position it will be making full contact off the spring an providing full voltage, when the switch is turned it makes contact with the spring and as you turn it, the electrical resistance increases (has to flow through more of the spring) and the lights would become more and more dim. If you have an original switch, this spring is likely corroded or maybe part that rotates is stuck in the on position. You can see a picture of the switch at Dennis Carpenters website in the catalog. As 3414 said, the feed for the lights that should be fed from the rheostat is I.
Good luck
Good luck
See A Man About A Horse
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 4,935
Likes: 699
From: Mariposa, Ca.
Baumst,do you have a factory manual?You should, it is perhaps your best course of action at this point.Also,the very best one-shot wiring diagram is by these guys:
CHEVY, FORD COLOR WIRING DIAGRAMS items in ClassicCarWiring store on eBay!
Large, plastic laminated, and color-coded.I love mine.Short of having someone close by to crawl up under your dash with a flashlight and a wiring diagram,not sure what else to tell you.
Good luck,
Steve
CHEVY, FORD COLOR WIRING DIAGRAMS items in ClassicCarWiring store on eBay!
Large, plastic laminated, and color-coded.I love mine.Short of having someone close by to crawl up under your dash with a flashlight and a wiring diagram,not sure what else to tell you.
Good luck,
Steve
Lead Driver
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 6,104
Likes: 138
From: Orcas Island Wa.
I saw no converter or anything of the sort in mine. A couple of years ago I pulled an instrument panel from a 54, 55 or 56 (not sure which) to use in my 53. The 53 was 6 volt and the 55 was incomplete and I assumed it was 12 volt. Anyway, the gauges looked the same but there were these modules bolted around and wired and I suspected they were to convert the same gauges to work on the new 12 volt system. I never used the panel and sold it with the truck. Not sure why they'd use 6 volt converters on the instrument lights and not just use 12 volt bulbs.....???
See A Man About A Horse
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 4,935
Likes: 699
From: Mariposa, Ca.
You gotta dig a little deeper in the well, boy!Here it is with their direct link to their Ebay auction with a BUY IT NOW option:
1958 1959 1960 Ford Truck 11X17 Color Wiring Diagram | eBay
"Bid early,bid often", LOL!
Steve
P.S. Your doom comes tomorrow, Browns 28-Whiners,er Niners 21
1958 1959 1960 Ford Truck 11X17 Color Wiring Diagram | eBay
"Bid early,bid often", LOL!
Steve
P.S. Your doom comes tomorrow, Browns 28-Whiners,er Niners 21
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Junior User
Joined: Jul 2011
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Junior User
Joined: Jul 2011
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Yeah so... the wire ends I saw where I said something is unplugged? Um...so I bought an aftermarket light... plugged it in, turned lights on and my interior lights worked.
A little FML but now I have three lights. The two work in the dash, I can drive at night and see the speedo.
Anyway... check the wiring out of the headlight switch throughly with a voltage meter to see if you have a bad switch. If not, trace the wires. A wiring diagram can help.
A little FML but now I have three lights. The two work in the dash, I can drive at night and see the speedo.
Anyway... check the wiring out of the headlight switch throughly with a voltage meter to see if you have a bad switch. If not, trace the wires. A wiring diagram can help.
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