67 Barracuda Heavy Electric Load

str12-340 said

Funny how so many of the A-bodies on this site, including all 3 of my 70 Darts have made it successfully through over 50 years of use using the factory designed system AS LONG AS THE COMPONENTS ARE KEPT UP IN EXCELLENT CONDITION AND ARE NOT OVERLOADED WITH ADD ONS without bypassing the ammeter, the bulkhead connector...

The op apparently has a new reproduction factory (M&H) wiring harness. I think he needs to address the potential issues of add on electrical stuff and the function of the major components in the system.

Click to expand...

Most of them did not have large alternators, either, and some of the big ones had the factory bypass, known as the Police/ Fleet / Taxi wiring.

My 70 440-6 RR managed to "eat" the bulkhead terminals way way back about 1973 or so. Of course Al Gore had not invented the internet, yet, so I drilled out the wire holes in the connector and doubled up some larger gauge wire and fed through there. I also SOLDERED THE STUD CONNECTIONS in the ammeter, (to the shunt) which very interestingly, is documented by someone else in "today's" generation.

I've seen at least a dozen pickups with melted ammeters which had had such things as driving lights and or winches added. Another "biggie" was snow plow hoists, which were operated by large electric motors.