New to me project. Has a 351m. Trying to figure out a wiring problem. Truck will not turn over when key is turned. Previous owner has it rigged up with a hot wire coming from battery to the inside of the cab. Another wire tied into the coil coming into cab. When you put these wire’s together sending power to the coil you can turn the key in the switch and it will crank and run. I’ve started trying to track this down. The yellow wire going into ignition switch has power on it all the time. I’m not real sure what’s going on here. I would’ve guessed there was no power at ignition switch, but there is. But like I said, if you don’t send 12 V to the coil with the jumper wire nothing happens when you turn the key, even though there’s power there all the time. Any suggestions?

 

Probably the switch it’s self. My 77 would sometimes start sometimes not and it was a faulty switch.
Have you pulled the the switch? Often the plastic part, where the connections are, are corroded and cracked

 

It was ignition switch.

 

We need pics of your truck

 

 

several changes are coming. Haven’t had it a month yet.

 

Scott, that's a nice piece for us Ford collectors'.

Omg, so frigging cool these early Crew Cab Crummies. LoL

I had a '77 Dodge 2500 4x4 Club Cab pickup and the three kidoo's in the back were always starving for AIR.
So, in 1996, I looked around for an old Ford Crew Cab, and found a '77 F250 2wd short box with a 300 six.
The cab was dented but no cancer, so I knew I had myself a "Life-Time" pickup in the making.
I figured I'd simply stretch the chassis for an 8-foot box, and convert the front to 4x4. The 300 had a cracked block.
The cab needed a rear pass door, and got a lead on a guy with Crew parts near 200-miles distant.
Ok, so I contacted the guy, and agreed to go up and have a looksie. Well, he had a Door, and said I would be buying the entire cab and chassis of a '77 F350 Crew Cab 2wd factory LongBed, minus a box or the dana 70 rear axle.
I hustled back there with a Dana 60 rear, bolted it onto the chassis, and wound up using the F250 Cab, and the F350 chassis.
Oh, yes, just for NOSTALGIA, I pulled the 400M from the F350, and built up a "Greaser-special 300 Gasser, balanced and hot rodded with some porting and Comp Cams valve train, and definitely steel timing gears for the whine. LoL
I keep the pickup parked indoors under cover, and today, it is like driving a new pickup.

These really aren't a Daily-Driver unless built-to-suit for the task with an OD transmission.
I've been looking at the 392 Dodge hemi with the ZF 8-speed for my next build. _ _ only $5k for a good used unit to repower.
For fun and games, I'm running a D9TZ 429 in my '78 Ford E250 4x4 Raptor Van. It runs circles around the 300-six.
Ford has yet to release a Raptor-Van, so I built my own to feed my addiction for responsive power. LoL