Electrical Issues

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Dwayne Fairchild

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Afternoon FABO family,
Let me know by saying, I’m a novice with some previous automotive knowledge.. I’ve pulled and replaced an engine 40yrs ago and thought sure, I can do that again…
So today, I have a 66 Barracuda that had the 273 2bbl & 904 tranny. I pulled it and replaced it with rebuilt 1976 360LA, 4bbl and a rebuilt 904 tranny. I survived that project but I’ve found myself with a couple of issues, could be related to the engine swap or just a “gremlin” that was bound to happen with a car that’s 58yrs old.

Electrical Issues:
1. Battery is drained overnight. The new Denso 60amp is pushing 14.5 to the battery. Just no juice next day?

2. No Brake Lights when pedal is depressed? Worked fine before?

3. No running lights when switch is pulled. But I have headlights and turn signals?

Overheating Issue
1. After a short drive 5-8miles and get antifreeze being pushed out of the overflow. I’m installing manual gauges this weekend to see actual temps. Bottom hose has the wire. 13lb cap, re-cored original 2 core radiator to 3 corr and a flex fan. There’s no fan shroud. The new water pump has the lower hose on the passenger side. Currently has new 180 thermostat.

Could the overheating be caused by timing being off?

Any and all advice appreciate..

Humbly asking,
Dwayne

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1...Drain. Start with a 12V test lamp. Disconnect battery ground, and put the lamp between battery post and ground. Does it light? Check everything imaginable. Is lighter pulled out, glove box lamp out, trunk light?

Then move to your multimeter, put that in series on the high amps scale and move down to milliamps. Measure the drain

2....Brake lights. Access the connector at the column which feeds the turn signals. You need a wiring diagram. I believe the brake lights switched power FROM the brake switch and TO the turn signal switch is white. See if you have power there when pedal is pressed. If so and if the lights do not come on, you have a turn signal switch problem

3...Define "running lights." Front lamps (parking) ONLY light in "park" position of headlight switch. But if you have no park or tail, there are TWO power feeds to the HL switch. One is UNfused, comes from the ammeter circuit, and powers ONLY the headlights. The tail/ park/ instrument power comes from a fuse, check that

4...Timing. Where is it set and what is the advance curve, AKA have you checked that at least the mechanical advance is working, and not stuck or rusted?
 
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Let's see that fan. Some don't do a good enough job. What diameter? How close is it to the radiator? What is the timing set at now? It sure can effect cooling if it's too retarded. A live temp gauge to see what the actual temp is would help too. Do you have an overflow tank?
 
You want to get 4 full gallons of coolant into the 360, if not you still have air in the cooling system.

360s run hotter than 273 and 318 small blocks. Harder to cool.

☆☆☆☆☆
 
Update…
*Replaced flex fan with 17” 6 blade steel fan. Cooling much better. In town driving, close to 200. Highway 180-190. No overflow issue. Still looking for a 66 Barracuda shroud. Measurements of an aftermarket shroud won’t work.. maybe pre-fab in my future…

Electrical Drain
*found a faulty brake switch. Replaced no more drain..yes!!

Two issues resolved.. and of course, a different one arrives…

After 35min drive, longest with this engine, no issues until I tried to start the car after it had been sitting for about an hour… acted like it was “flooded”, would “idle” and some backfiring through carb. After 10mins of this, started and ran fine back to the house… I’m thinking timing.. since this is not in my wheel house, off to the shop this week so they can tell me what I did wrong….

I appreciate all of the help and I’ll let you know what they find…
 
Removed Flex fan; added black 17” blank metal… i was thinking of the 19” but concerned with fan shroud fitment, once i find one.. thoughts?

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That should be a definite improvement over that flex fan. That style of flex fan doesn't pull much air. The later stock flex fans do, but, the have a problem coming apart after years of flexing and then they start throwing shrapnel through the hood, radiator, and anything nearby. I'm not a big fan of the universal fans with slotted bolt holes. Just make sure the center hole is perfectly match to the spacer button. Also, it's better to use a complete circle spacer and not the + type. Most of the fan problems I've seen were from the + type spacers not supporting the fan hub properly and allowing the center hub of the fan to fatigue, crack, and break off.
 
Those style flex fans are a health insurance claim waiting to happen. Plus as mentioned, they really don't move a lot of air.
 
Dwayne Fairchild said:
Update…
*Replaced flex fan with 17” 6 blade steel fan. Cooling much better. In town driving, close to 200. Highway 180-190. No overflow issue. Still looking for a 66 Barracuda shroud. Measurements of an aftermarket shroud won’t work.. maybe pre-fab in my future…

Electrical Drain
*found a faulty brake switch. Replaced no more drain..yes!!

Two issues resolved.. and of course, a different one arrives…

After 35min drive, longest with this engine, no issues until I tried to start the car after it had been sitting for about an hour… acted like it was “flooded”, would “idle” and some backfiring through carb. After 10mins of this, started and ran fine back to the house… I’m thinking timing.. since this is not in my wheel house, off to the shop this week so they can tell me what I did wrong….

I appreciate all of the help and I’ll let you know what they find…
Click to expand...
Probably percolating the fuel, possibly related to the underhood heat.
Could be due to pressure in the fuel tank.
Could be due to fuel-line to heater-hose contact.
Could be due to a heated intake.
Could be the pump. or even the supply line.
Pump could be sucking air at the rear jumper. If you have replaced that line and used gear clamps, then those clamps can wrinkle up and open an air passage into the line. The cure is a second clamp on each side and to stagger the screws 180*.
They do not leak fuel because they are higher than the tank.

Good luck.
 
You should install a coolant recovery system. Any coolant recovery bottle that fits with a stant 10231 cap and your good.

Make sure the clamps from the overflow line are tight or it won’t cycle back and forth.

This keeps your radiator full and keeps the nasty off the street.
 
Dwayne
What water pump are you running. You will get more fan clearance with the 69, and back cast iron water pump, in a 66 B-Cuda. That's what I run in my 69 B-Cuda.
I am also building a 360 for a 66 B-Cuda, and I'm using the 69 Cast iron pump, because I want the best fan to rad clearance.
You will get about an inch more clearance, with the 69 pump.

Dave
 
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