agreed

We’ll have to agree to disagree on this one. Corrosion and wear in the breaker can cause problems, false trigger, high resistance, and more. They may work fine, but then again they may not, mine will be going away when I rewire.


Yep

 

I am not sure on this relay as it was a quick replacement and it gave me a bump button on the bottom so I could do my starts. So, I think I will purchase a regular ford relay for years 1956-79 and that should work? I am confused, if I am just trying to wire an ignition/starting circuit and nothing else yet, I just have a hot wire from my battery to the ignition switch right? And then wire it as per the diagram you sent me. I don't need to run it through a fuse/relay panel or do I?

 

A quick test on your relay - put a meter between the small post and the case. If it shows continuity then it's wired like #4 and requires current to energize (this is what you want). If you get nothing then it's wired like #2 (hot post) and requires a grounding switch to energize.

Edit:
"I just have a hot wire from my battery to the ignition switch right? And then wire it as per the diagram you sent me. I don't need to run it through a fuse/relay panel or do I?" Correct. A fuse is not desirable in this particular circuit, but a wire sized for the current is.

 

Thanks to your knowledge and assistance I now can sit in my cab, turn the key, press the starter button and it starts and runs! Yay. So spent some time pulling off my rear wheels to get to the brakes and am formulating a plan for an entire new brake system. It looks like I will need a new master cylinder, brakes all around and new lines and hoses. I have to get at my front wheels to see what I've got there but pretty sure based on what I see, new everything.
As I contemplate the brakes, I am thinking I now need to purchase and install an alternator so I actually have a charging system. As most of the forum recommends, I need a one wire alternator. And it seems the issue is, getting/making brackets to fit the alternator so it mounts in the correct alignment. I don't think I want to spend the $300 to $400 for one I can just bolt in, unless I have to. Seems like the people in the forum are all over the board on this. I am looking for something fairly simple and reasonably priced. Question for you is, with all of the experience you have and also discussing this and helping others in the forum... Do you now have a specific suggestion on the way to go on this? Thanks for the advice.

 

Checking in for some additional guidance. Since my last post I have installed a new master cylinder, brakes, brake lines, fabricated (I can weld now ... somewhat) brackets for installing a one wire alternator and replaced broken springs and shocks in the rear of the truck. So where does that lead me? Wiring. Keep in mind that I am just getting this truck up and running to drive to my local hardware store. It will not be upgraded with anything other than the basics of lights, turn signals, some gauges, horn, etc. Having no wiring and now converted to 12 volt I have come up with what I think (gathered from forum reading) could be my wiring design. i Plan on using a constant hot fuse box and a switched fuse box. But I need you all to look it over for corrections, advice and suggestions. Pictures included. So here goes:

STARTER CIRCUIT: Wire from positive terminal of battery to starter relay. Opposite side of starter relay to starter. Starter grounded on engine block.
CHARGING CIRCUIT: Wire from one wire alternator through dash gauge amp meter loop to positive side of starter relay.
IGNITION SWITCH: Wire from positive side of starter relay through a circuit breaker (do I need one?) to the constant power fuse box.
Wire from positive fuse box to ignition switch BAT terminal.
Wire from IGN terminal to coil.
Wire from ACC terminal to starter button. Second wire from starter button to starter relay "S" terminal.
Wire from ACC terminal to positive post on switched power fuse box.

CONSTANT POWER FUSE BOX CIRCUITS: 1 Ignition switch
2 Headlight switch
3 Brake lights
4 Horn and dome light

SWITCHED POWER FUSE BOX CIRCUITS: 1 Gas gauge and volt meter gauge
2 Turn signal switch
3 Dimmer switch and beam indicator

Drawing included in picture. What do you think? As always, thanks for the help. I feel like I actually might be able to drive this some day. Phil

 

Nice progress Phil.

Just a few comments on the wiring, from a guy also doing research on wiring.

I didn’t see tail lights, parking lights and dash lights in your diagram. Note that the standard is to have tail lights and dash lights on the same fuse. That way if you don’t have dash lights you know you also don’t have tail lights.

Also, you might consider changing your headlight circuit. I’d use an auto reset breaker feeding relays for the headlights, one relay for each low and high beams. The advantage of the circuit breaker is the breaker will try to reset itself, very important if they go out on a dark road. The relays will remove the high current from the headlight switch, which is a weak point in the circuit. Here’s a diagram, it’s missing the circuit breakers, which I installed in the red wire leading to the relays.

 

Oh, in my diagram my light switch has headlights, parking lights, tail lights all wired on the same switch. I liked your suggestion with the relays which led me to research for another 5 hours today, but I think I may have it. Wire from battery through one large circuit breaker to constant fuse block. Constant fuse block powers several relays which are connected to the switches and the item being powered (ie. lights) through a distribution/terminal block. The switch is powered through the fuse block. Turn on the switch which uses a small amount of current to turn on the relay. The relay then sends big current to the item being powered (lights). I hope that is right as I am developing a picture in my head of hooking this all up.

 

yeah, we go down rat holes with this stuff.

My wiring will take the wire from the battery/solenoid, through the battery meter, to the fuse box and also to the circuit breakers. I used 2 circuit breakers because if one blows, the you can hit the beam switch and still have lights.

I wouldn’t run the entire truck from one circuit breaker.

Draw up your diagram and I’m sure you’ll get lots of input.

 

Okay, I see what your thinking is for the lights. I just think I won't be powering anything other than my basics so I thought a 150 amp breaker would be enough for the entire truck. And I am thinking if one set of lights goes it must be pretty serious and a beam switch may not help? Yeah, I don't know. I feel like it is such overkill compared to how it ran just fine in 1949. Maybe we are suppose to be much smarter now.

 

150A....WOW!!

The original had a 30A and a 15A, 45A total. You’ll burn up every wire in the truck before you blow a 150A breaker. That’s way too big, you might as well have no breaker. I’m using 2-10A breakers on my lights.

My reasoning on using 2 breakers comes from an experience in the 80s. My Ford van had a bad headlight relay that would kill the lights at the worst times. One time the lights went out on a cloudy night, on a country road in central Maine. The road ahead of me was pitch black and curvy. It was only luck that we didn’t crash into the woods only to be found days later.

 

That's not how it works. The size of the largest breaker cannot exceed the ampacity of the wire.

 

I don't think we are on the same page. So initially I came up with wiring that I thought would work for my truck with basic circuits

, but then the more I explored and discussed and researched I began to modify. So I have included a picture with 4 different scenarios. # 1 was my first and # 4, I think, is what Bob has designed. #2 and #3 were the designs as I modified from the previous step (#).

#1 BAT ------ STARTER RELAY ------ FUSE BLOCK ------ SWITCHES ----- COMPONENTS
Then someone said use RELAYS instead.

so I came up with #2
#2 BAT ----- STARTER RELAY ----- FUSE BLOCK ----- RELAYS and SWITCHES ----- COMPONENTS

then Bob suggested using circuit breakers. I researched circuit breakers and people suggested putting a large circuit breaker in the system to stop any catastrophic battery fire from going into the cab. (But now I think what Bob means is use circuit breakers in place of my fuse block for each individual circuit).

so then I went "oh" circuit breaker and came up with #3
#3 BAT ----- STARTER RELAY ----- LARGE CIRCUIT BREAKER (for fire in engine near battery) ----- FUSE BLOCK ----- RELAYS and SWITCHES -----COMPONENTS

So then you guys respond with you'll burn up the entire truck. And then I rethought and came up with what I think Bob is proposing.
#4 BAT -----STARTER RELAY ----- INDIVIDUAL SMALL CIRCUIT BREAKERS (instead of fuses) ----- RELAYS ----- COMPONENTS

Which would be correct? To me, I thought #3 was the one that everyone seemed to be moving toward. So...here we are...Thoughts? Thanks Phil

 

What would be correct is:
#5 BAT ► STARTER RELAY ► INDIVIDUAL SMALL CIRCUIT BREAKERS (instead of fuses) ► SWITCHES ► RELAYS ► COMPONENTS

 

Alright, alright, alright. Each relay has a circuit breaker right? And does each switch, that controls each relay, have a separate circuit breaker?

 

One circuit breaker per circuit. Keep it simple.