Pilothouse glass rubber question

[vance1234]

All the bulbs but one headlight are gone!  Ha!  I found what looks like a vin or serial number on a tag on the firewall by the voltage regulator.  It has been painted over but it looks like it reads 5112 266776.  Does that sound right?  The one in the door jam has been painted over so many times I can not see a number at all on it. 

[HanksB3B]

Sorry for only being able to put one picture per post.  

 

think I comitted that unforgivable internet sin myself. One group (not here) got real mad at me about that once..

 

Welcome and good luck with your truck,

 

Hank

[wallytoo]

You need forsure a 12 volt coil, and a 2 pin ballast resistor (any early to mid 60's MOPAR had them), and if you go alternator you can ditch the voltage regulator on the firewall. If you are running a heater fan, you need a reducer resistor (Radio Shack) and one for the fuel gauge, the switches are fine with 12 volt. That's about it, other then all the wire.

most automotive coils, for 1940 through the 1980s, are 6v.  The "12v" coil is a 6v coil with a ballast resistor.  I'm using the "6v" coil in my 12v converted truck, along with an external ballast resistor.  works fine, and has for several years.

 

also need a voltage reducer for the wipers, if they are electric, otherwise the solder will melt.

Edited January 12, 2015 by wallytoo

[wallytoo]

All the bulbs but one headlight are gone!  Ha!  I found what looks like a vin or serial number on a tag on the firewall by the voltage regulator.  It has been painted over but it looks like it reads 5112 266776.  Does that sound right?  The one in the door jam has been painted over so many times I can not see a number at all on it. 

the number on the firewall is a code for the color/body, iirc.  not the serial.  the "vin" should be on a plate along the inner door post, between the hinges, most often on the driver's side.

[BobB]

The serial number is also on the frame on the driver's side near the front axle. the numbers are quite a bit larger and easier to read than the door plate. Most of the entries on my door plate are unreadable.

[vance1234]

Thanks.  I will look on the frame.  The plate on the door frame has been painted over.  The only readable numbers are 89        3600        4900

                                                                                                                                                                                            100      3600       

the area where the vehicle number should be on the tag is unreadable.  Not sure what the other numbers are.  We tried a 8 volt battery the other day to see if it would turn over.  The starter would not even make a sound.  I hooked it up for positive ground.  I did not try negative ground.  Somebody may have converted to 12 volt, or the starter may have been converted to 12 volt or be off a later model that was a 12 volt, not sure.  I am going to try a 12 volt to see if it will turn over.  If not I will take the starter off and have it tested.  If it test bad I have found a local shop that said they can rebuild it for about 60 dollars.  Does that sound reasonable?  I am thinking I will go with the one wire GM alternator and 12 volt coil.  Pretty much all the wiring will have to be replaced anyway. 

[ggdad1951]

Even though it would destroy the original black markings on the tag you can strip the paint off to get your numbers. I don't know what the laws in your state are but I remade my tag with a repop from VPW and put it in.

[Dave72dt]

Yes, that's a reasonable charge to rebuild the starter.  I just did a quick rerun of this post and didn't find any mention of pulling the plugs, any penetrating fluid in the cylinders or attempting to turn the engine over by hand.  Get a socket on the front of the engine and try turning it over before rebuilding or replacing the starter.  The starter will not turn an engine over that is stuck tight.  Get it freed up before trying the starter again.

[vance1234]

Sorry.  Yes the engine will turn by hand.  The starter would not click or do anything. I think somebody already said or I may have read regardless of polarity of the battery the starter would still turn in the right direction.  Is that correct?

[Don Coatney]

vance1234, on 13 Jan 2015 - 10:25 PM, said:

Sorry.  Yes the engine will turn by hand.  The starter would not click or do anything. I think somebody already said or I may have read regardless of polarity of the battery the starter would still turn in the right direction.  Is that correct?

Do you have a foot starter? Have you checked with an electrical meter to insure you are you getting power to the starter?

[NiftyFifty]

Not a horrible idea to take the starter off and give it a cleaning yourself, I've saved a few that were doing nothing just by cleaning up contacts and polishing up the bushings. Just mark the 3 pieces with a stamp or scrape before you split it for easy reassemble. If it was switched to negative ground, you would have had a pretty good snap when you hooked the battery up positive ground, not to mention some cooking wires Id think

Edited January 14, 2015 by 4mula-dlx

[Don Coatney]

4mula-dlx, on 14 Jan 2015 - 01:48 AM, said:4mula-dlx, on 14 Jan 2015 - 01:48 AM, said:

Not a horrible idea to take the starter off and give it a cleaning yourself, I've saved a few that were doing nothing just by cleaning up contacts and polishing up the bushings. Just mark the 3 pieces with a stamp or scrape before you split it for easy reassemble. If it was switched to negative ground, you would have had a pretty good snap when you hooked the battery up positive ground, not to mention some cooking wires Id think

 

Can you explain this a bit further? What would "snap" when polarity is reversed and why would wires cook? I do not understand this comment?

 

There are a lot of vehicles that have converted to negative ground either intentionally or by mistake with no snap or wires fried.

[NiftyFifty]

You've never hooked a battery up wrong and had the magic smoke come out? Converting is one thing, running the power the opposite way is another, depending on what is hooked up and drawing power immediately. In these trucks I do imagine nothing would cook hooked up the wrong way, as nothing really draws off the hop and no sensitive electronics......

[Don Coatney]

When I made my comment I should have clarified in a non computerized vehicle but as the topic of this forum is pilothouse trucks I assumed that is what you were talking about.

[NiftyFifty]

Not just computers, it fries alternators too, but I imagine being this is a start up project it's all stock generator, in which he will likely have to trigger the regulator again, but maybe not. I'm just saying you should NEVER hook the battery up incorrectly regardless of what type of system, it's not that hard to figure out how ther system has been wired. You may get away with it on these old Dodges, but bad habit for future endeavours

[vance1234]

Sorry guys, but I am still learning.  What do you mean by having to trigger the regulator again?  Yes, it still has the old generator on it.  If I Can just get it to turn over, I am thinking about then getting the alternator and 12 volt coil, then trying to get it running, so I am thinking I will not ruin anything by hooking the battery up either way, unless it could damage the points.  Would it do that?  Hope you guys don't get tired of answering my questions.  I have 1000's more to follow.

[NiftyFifty]

No, points should be fine...can you tell us what wire is triggering the points? - or + off the coil. Untouched I would guarantee your truck is 6volt positive ground, unless you can see where wiring and things have been changed. I would recommend switching to 12, makes adding accessories and getting parts easier, at least in my neck of the woods. Alternator is another great touch, and a necessity when going 12v.

The voltage regulator may need to be triggered because you ran the current through it backwards, I can't explain 100% what happens, but if you google it, there are many sites that explain which terminals to momentarily jump.

Edited January 15, 2015 by 4mula-dlx

[Plymouthy Adams]

you may remember the action 4mula-dlx is referring to as "flashing"

[vance1234]

I will dig into the wiring a little this weekend and google the flashing. Every wire on it seems to be black or have turned black and what's not black has been painted white. Most of the insulation just cracks open when you go to messing with the wires. I check the coil though. Just thinking about a number of possibilities, and I have read a lot about frame swaps, some good and some not so good, has any one here done or heard about a frame swap to a dodge early 80 model d150? I read somewhere about it being one of the swaps with less fabrication, especially mounting the cab. Just wondering.

[NiftyFifty]

D150 would be too wide I would think? Dakota is the main swap I see and s-10 being second. If your wiring is that bad, I would unhook everything and just power the coil from a new wire from the battery and the starter...no point wrecking switches or anything else with bad wiring

[Don Coatney]

I guess the big question I see here is will a frame swap be the next logical step in fixing a wiring issue?

[vance1234]

Oh no.  No where to that point yet.  Just thinking out loud.  If i can find the link i will post and let you guys read it and see what you think.  That is if it is ok to post a link to another forum here. 

[Don Coatney]

Post away.

[BigDaddyO]

you may remember the action 4mula-dlx is referring to as "flashing"

Yeah, I tried that. Now I can't show my face in that state anymore.

[vance1234]

http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/archive/index.php/t-262287.html

 

Here is one.  Again, just thinking out loud.  No where near that point.  Just wondering if someone on here had tried it.