Hello, Brand new to the site and already love the great articles. I am picking up my 1966 f100 tomorrow and am looking forward to all the great projects with my wife since "it is hers." I currently own 1996 Cobra so am used to the new electronics.


My question is, is that I would like to replace the gauges with something like Auto Meter and put a better classic radio in with nicely hidden speakers. Is there something I need to do to upgrade the truck to handle more power. Not much more but more. Not sure if I need a bigger fuse box or do something else so I don't fry the system. If so, any ideas of where to get it from would help. Truck is in good shape so not looking to replace the entire wiring harness.


Any ideas? Thanks everyone

 

Welcome to FTE, and congratulations on your new/old truck. You didn't give us much of a description of it, and usually, the first thing new owners want to do is add power steering and power disc brakes - or have these things already been added to yours? Which engine does it have? Is it an automatic? Custom Cab? Long or short bed? Etc., etc. Ford electrical systems of this vintage are not known for their sophistication and great circuit protection. I would wire your new radio separately with an appropriate in-line fuse either to the stud in the center on the back of the ignition switch (giving power when the key is turned to ACC or RUN) if it doesn't draw too much current, or directly to the battery if it's thirsty for amps. In that case, you will want to upgrade your alternator and voltage regulator, or perhaps eliminate the regulator with a modern single wire high output alternator. I've put AutoMeter gauges in a couple of my cars and I don't think they will have any impact on the electrical system. If your truck has an amp gauge and you eliminate it in favor of a "Volts" gauge you'll have to be careful with the amp gauge wires, but it's no big deal. Hope you and your wife have fun with your new toy!

 

Thanks, SuperSabre. The truck has a 352 with a 3 speed on the tree. The factory ID says it was a 6cyl with automatic. It has a step side short bed.


It does have an ALT gauge along with what appears to be an ALT warning light. I did see in a post were someone upgraded their fuse panel to a 50amp. That was on what I believe was a 1964.


Any ideas for an upgraded alternator/voltage regulator that I could pick up at a local parts store? I did not know if I could use one off of a certain year.


Hope this gives you some info. This is my first time on a forum posting. I am usually the one reading page after page to find similar problem. Pictures yet to come.

 

Not sure it helps much at all, but the factory AM radio draws only about 0.85 amp max so a fairly low draw from it. Modern AM/FM can draw substantially more as you might guess. Refer to the spec of each radio to know for sure.


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The thing about buying a 49 year old truck is that you don't really know what has been done to it by previous owners. Not that it couldn't be done, but it strikes me as unusual that it would have left the factory as an automatic I-6 combination and been turned into a 352, 3 on the tree by someone. That would take a lot of doing, and for what reason? Which makes me wonder if someone has changed your driver's door out, and not changed the attached warranty plate, which would then be giving you erroneous information. So it would be a good idea for you to make sure that the VIN on the warranty plate matches the VIN on your state title, and which matches the VIN located on the top of your passenger side frame rail. If all three match, then you can believe what the warranty plate says. Post the plate data on this site and someone will decode it for you. So getting back to your electrical system, your truck may well have left the factory new with a 35 amp output alternator and an old fashioned points type voltage regulator. A common upgrade for it might have been a 65 amp alternator, and an electronic (no points) voltage regulator. Find out what you have. You can take your truck to some place like O'Reilly's or Auto Zone and they will diagnose your electrical system for free. Decide what new radio you want and find out what it's "appetite" is. You might easily be able to do fine with a 65 amp alternator and electronic regulator. Unless you plan to add air conditioning, and then maybe not. Lots of variables to ponder. If your truck is a 3 speed, it probably doesn't have power steering (although it is possible). Since you say it's to be your wife's truck, what does she think about the lack of P/S? And power (disc) brakes? More variables to consider. Ain't this fun? Enjoy!