Yes I do have 12 volts with the key on with the green wire that goes to the regulator.

 

And you do have 12v on the yellow wire and the large black orange wires with the truck off? And the white/black jumper is in place?

If that's good, one other thing to try. I just got through working on a rusty f350, and what made it start charging was taking a wire and bolting it to the alternator case, and then running it over and hooking the other end to the negative battery terminal.

 

Ok so the big black wires that wire into the alt have power and the green wire going to the regulator has power and the yellow and white wire have power when running. I have no orange or orange stripped wires that go to the alternator. I have no fuseable link. The green wire goes to the gauge works and the gauge works, and everything has power that should and nothing has power it shouldn't. This is an improvement as this was not the case before I rewired it. So now it seems is that all I need is a regulator. So all I need is a regulator, and the drivers window switch and tires and everything should be working perfectly. So $31 for a regulator, $35 for a switch, and a friend is selling me a set of tires and rims for $50. Things are looking up, I really appreciate the help. Very frusterating, but I think I finally got this thing licked.

I see what you're getting at with grounding it, not sure if that works with an internal regulator, I've tried that trick on some older cars though and it worked. I don't think it is a ground problem. The first things I check when electronics go bad is the fuses then the grounds.

 

Have you checked the belt(s)? Maybe they are slipping.

 

No belts are slipping and none are cracked. I seem to have diagnosed the issues (with help) and am just waiting for some magical money to appear so I can buy the parts.

 

ok...good luck

 

I got my regulator today and with key off the battery tested at 12.5 volts and with the the key on it read 14.5 volts. I drove it a few miles with everything on and it died coming in the driveway (out of gas, d'oh). So it seems everything works great now, just had to mess with everything to get it working right. Should receive my new window switches tomorrow then everything is fixed on the truck and should be drivable anywhere. So now it's going back up for sale. Thanks again for the help.

 

Ok new problem, not serious, just odd. When I first turn the key the truck won't start, you can turn it all day and nothing. But, if you turn it on then off then back on it starts right up.

Oh and another thing after the truck is warmed up and been running for a bit and I turn it off, it won't start again until it's cooled down some. Seems alot like heat soak, the lines are by nothing hot, do I need a plenum spacer?

And for some reason the right rear wheel keeps going bald, not sure what that's about.

Runs great though, has plenty of power and gets great gas mileage. Been using it mostly for a yard truck hauling stuff around, turns really sharp so it's great for the tight spaces in my yard.

 

any ideas on the starting issue? Is my ignition switch bad, or did I get another bad starter solenoid? Just curious

 

Well I had a previous post saying I got the truck working great. Well that is not the case. There is nothing more I can do to get this truck to work right. Over 3 years of trying to get this truck right and spending hundreds of dollars I think I'm going to throw in the white towel. The truck wins, it wants to be dead I will make it dead. Since the parts are worth more then the whole ( not that anyone would buy the truck anyway) I will most likely strip this down and take in what's left for scrap. So as soon as I get some time another Ford truck will bite the dust. And if my 68 does not sell in the next couple of months it too will be scrap metal. I just don't have the money, or space to keep messing with these things and it sucks. I'm done with computer controlled crap. I still want another 80-86 Ford truck though, but who knows when I can afford one again.

 

Sorry to hear its become a no-go for you. What a bummer after all that work. Do you have a trusted local mechanic that may be able to shed some new light on it for you? I'm having the problem with the truck not starting again after its hot too. If I find out what it is, I'll let you know.

EDIT- I don't know much so take it for what its worth but the turning the key several times thing would probably be the ignition switch. My truck did weird things like that when I first got it. My mechanic wound up needing to re-do the steering column to fix it. If it isn't your switch maybe something in the column isn't happy...?

 

Ya, it stinks I really do enjoy driving this truck, problem is I don't get to drive it much. Had it 3 years and put about 4k on it. I usually put that on in a month or two with my daily drivers. I thought I could fix anything and always have been able to until this truck, just frusterating, most likely is why I kept it so long, because I wanted to see if I could get it to work. I will not take my vehicles to a shop, I just don't trust them, unless I can help them or I get to watch everything they do, which I doubt that will ever happen. I've fixed every wire and connector on this thing and it still has electrical issues, maybe the truck was put together wrong from the factory? It would explain the low miles.

I just weighed the cost of getting a carbed truck vs. making this one carbed, and what I want the truck to do. I decided this truck though fun does not meet my needs and the cost of making it carbed would be equal or greater to getting a carbed truck. That and I really want a big block. So now I'm on the hunt for the perfect truck, not sure if I will find it or if I will have money for it. I'm looking for a 80-86 F350 Crew cab dually 4x4 with a 460 and C6 and NP205, not sure if such a thing exists, but I'm going to search anyway.