I see them.I added it to the comment? Can you not see it or is it not working?
Post 118 Steve
I see them.I added it to the comment? Can you not see it or is it not working?
Here is the eBay auction. The same guy makes the clips and the replacement fuse box, and fuse box with clips.
1966-1969 Plymouth Valiant Barracuda Dodge Dart Fuse Block Clip Repair Package | eBay
NOS MoPar 1970-1977 Dodge B100 B200 B300 Plymouth Voyager FUSE BLOCK | eBay
1963-1969 Valiant Barracuda Dart Under Dash Fuse Block With CLIPS | eBay
I added it to the comment? Can you not see it or is it not working?
I see them.
Post 118 Steve
Actually in some cases it is BOTH the ammeter and bulkhead connector. The whole circuit is simply not heavy enough for heavy current applications. I melted the ammeter mounting bosses somewhat in my 70RR cluster way back in the mid 70's before Al Gore invented the internet. AND the same car suffered damage to the bulkhead connector terminals.
Even in 70?-72, some of the large sea barges used external shut ammeters which eliminated the problem. "Ma" knew the problem was there, as the cars with optional 65A alternators used modified harnesses to combat the problem. This is known loosely as "fleet police taxi" wiring. Look up in the 70--72-ish shop manuals, look up the optional 65A alternator wiring for the B bodies.
After I got out of the Navy (74) I saw a few Dodge ammeters melted from snow plow hoists, winches, or big driving lights. Looked EXACTLY like the photo in the MAD article, read it here:
Catalog
View attachment 1715603598
Reason for the "MAD Bypass", though that disables the dash ammeter. Some owners instead install a dash voltmeter. I added a shunt diode to my 3 1960's Mopars so that increasing currents begin flowing direct from alternator to BAT+. The ammeter is still active, but doesn't peg. My cars have the 1965 bulkhead connector with buss-bar feed-thrus for the higher ALT and BAT currents (retrofit to my 1964). Posted the details years ago.Bingo! It's the higher amp alternators that fry the terminals. The original alternators were 35A, and the remans put out 55A minimum. So unless you are running your original alternator your terminals are probably overworked. I know someone who replaced his alternator with a reman, and a short time later the starter began to intermittently engage while driving down the street. The bulkhead housing had melted around the charging terminal, allowing the charging terminal to intermittently contact the "start" wire terminal. I have rewired 4 67-68 barracudas and found that every one had the bulkhead connectors slightly melted at the charging terminals.
Thanks for this info! That sounds like a very clever solution, but I want to make sure that I understand it correctly. Did you put a high current diode in a wire path directly from your alternator to your battery, so the current would bypass the dash when the alternator voltage got to a certain level higher than the battery voltage? And, did you remove the 2 bulkhead connector terminals and replace them with solid metal feed--thrus?Reason for the "MAD Bypass", though that disables the dash ammeter. Some owners instead install a dash voltmeter. I added a shunt diode to my 3 1960's Mopars so that increasing currents begin flowing direct from alternator to BAT+. The ammeter is still active, but doesn't peg. My cars have the 1965 bulkhead connector with buss-bar feed-thrus for the higher ALT and BAT currents (retrofit to my 1964). Posted the details years ago.
You can google my past posts with photos. Parallel-reversed diodes with a forward drop ~0.5 V (at ~100 A). I measured ~0.75 V drop in the ammeter circuit at ~50 A output. The diodes I used are rated ~200 A and need a heat sink (can be the copper wires). Don't try it unless you understand basic electricity and DC power. In my post, one reader who doesn't kept arguing with an engineer (me) about resistance, which he didn't understand. A diode has a curved voltage drop vs current curve, which can't be summarized as a linear resistance value.Thanks for this info! That sounds like a very clever solution, but I want to make sure that I understand it correctly. Did you put a high current diode in a wire path directly from your alternator to your battery, so the current would bypass the dash when the alternator voltage got to a certain level higher than the battery voltage? And, did you remove the 2 bulkhead connector terminals and replace them with solid metal feed--thrus?
Thanks for the great info! I'm going to read your past electrical posts, and use them as resources.You can google my past posts with photos. Parallel-reversed diodes with a forward drop ~0.5 V (at ~100 A). I measured ~0.75 V drop in the ammeter circuit at ~50 A output. The diodes I used are rated ~200 A and need a heat sink (can be the copper wires). Don't try it unless you understand basic electricity and DC power. In my post, one reader who doesn't kept arguing with an engineer (me) about resistance, which he didn't understand. A diode has a curved voltage drop vs current curve, which can't be summarized as a linear resistance value.
The 1965 bulkhead has integral buss-bars for the high currents, instead of spade connectors (google images). I retrofit one from a 1965 Fury (ebay harness) to my 1964 Valiant (cut opening 1/8" taller to fit). 1963 also had buss-bars. Seems after going to connectors in 1964, which suffered melted-plastic issues, they walked-back to buss-bars in 1965. In 1966, they moved the wiper motor to the engine bay, requiring a 3rd row of bulkhead terminals, so dropped the buss-bars (perhaps pencil pushers too), so back to melted-plastic. But as long as it lasted thru warranty they had no incentive since new car buyers then changed cars every 3 years. I've seen later Mopars with bulkhead connectors for ALT and BAT but with much larger terminals for those. Adding solid wire feed-thrus is the "Fleet Bypass" which the factory did in taxis and Police cars. Some here did that by drilling thru those positions (or new holes thru bulkhead).
Seems around 1980's, most cars went to wiring bundles direct thru the bulkhead, at least in GM's I've seen at the junkyard. The bulkhead connectors were likely mostly for quicker assembly than maintenance. My 2002 Chrysler minivan kind of regressed to using many connectors at the bottom of the underhood fuse/relay box (still solid wires thru bulkhead). I am guessing that also was for easier assembly. But, causes corrosion problems from rainwater getting in those connectors (not me in CA, but in eastern U.S.).