Found my dads original 1971 duster!

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S'cuder said:
It looks great!
How do YOU feel about it? Better?
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Thanks! It’ll be fine for this year. I’m feeling better for the fact that it’s something I can do. Bodywork is pretty bad in certain light, which is a shame now that I have the paint 90% corrected. I’ll feel amazing once I get it running and driving! The wiring is very foreign to me
I’m now wondering if I should order a new wiring kit. Also thinking I should bipass that amp meter. I read a post on here about it. Just not sure if boosting it eliminates the resistor for the gauges or you need a different adapter for them or what the deal is
 
dads71 said:
Thanks! It’ll be fine for this year. I’m feeling better for the fact that it’s something I can do. Bodywork is pretty bad in certain light, which is a shame now that I have the paint 90% corrected. I’ll feel amazing once I get it running and driving! The wiring is very foreign to me
I’m now wondering if I should order a new wiring kit. Also thinking I should bipass that amp meter. I read a post on here about it. Just not sure if boosting it eliminates the resistor for the gauges or you need a different adapter for them or what the deal is
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Not sure if replacing it**
 
Nice to see/hear some positive feedback. Let's hope you can continue to have more positive results. Great job and nice results, congratulations.
 
Nicely done! You probably feel great after that project and you should!

With that success you should be able to start tackling some basic mechanical work on the car too! Keep it up; before you know it, you might be rebuilding the transmission!
 
H22A4 said:
Nicely done! You probably feel great after that project and you should!

With that success you should be able to start tackling some basic mechanical work on the car too! Keep it up; before you know it, you might be rebuilding the transmission!
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Thanks! Ya, I’m happy with the outcome of the paint correction for sure. Ya. lol. The door handle quit working today, so I had to ratchet strap the door shut to align and install decals. The guy messed a lot of stuff up. Gotta figure out how to get the windows working properly too. Lots to do
 
dads71 said:
Thanks :). Just gotta figure out how to finish the rest now!
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One step at a time. One small aspect one small mini-project at a time. Laser focus on single aspect, get that well done, not perfect, well done. Then determine next step. Slow methodical. Do not focus on too many things brain melts down gets over whelmed. Narrow, mini sub projects, lazer focused, tune out the noise and distractions. Work smart not hard. Do not touch car unless you are fresh well rested and in good spirits. Its just a machine, you can and will over come all obstacles....
 
340sFastback said:
One step at a time. One small aspect one small mini-project at a time. Laser focus on single aspect, get that well done, not perfect, well done. Then determine next step. Slow methodical. Do not focus on too many things brain melts down gets over whelmed. Narrow, mini sub projects, lazer focused, tune out the noise and distractions. Work smart not hard. Do not touch car unless you are fresh well rested and in good spirits. Its just a machine, you can and will over come all obstacles....
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Great advice!! Thanks :)
 
dads71 said:
Not sure if replacing it**
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You'll still need a resistor for the other gauges, but you'll have eliminated a potential source for a fire to start. Bypassing the ammeter and installing a cable with a fusible link from the alternator to the starter relay will take a large portion of the charging current away from passing through the bulkhead connector, which can be another source of overheating. This is often done with a stealthy voltmeter installed in the place of the ammeter.
Putting your headlights on relays will also reduce current through the bulkhead connector.
See @crackedback sale threads for information on these wiring updates.
 
S'cuder said:
You'll still need a resistor for the other gauges, but you'll have eliminated a potential source for a fire to start. Bypassing the ammeter and installing a cable with a fusible link from the alternator to the starter relay will take a large portion of the charging current away from passing through the bulkhead connector, which can be another source of overheating. This is often done with a stealthy voltmeter installed in the place of the ammeter.
Putting your headlights on relays will also reduce current through the bulkhead connector.
See @crackedback sale threads for information on these wiring updates.
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Awesome. Thank you! I definitely don’t feel comfortable working on the electrical system. I wish I knew of someone near me that knew these things inside and out and could just wire it up for me. I think I could manage the rest. I may have someone coming tomorrow who could have some insight into the wiring etc. Thanks again
 
dads71 said:
Great advice!! Thanks :)
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Sure. The whole mental attitude strategy its very very very tough to get through. I done giant massive car projects, got my *** kicked on every one of them, never fails, unexpected challenges ect *** kicked bad every time. When I not happy drop tools walk away go rest up come back fresh at later time. But going about it strategically goes a long way to success. Understanding yourself, how brain power can fade when body tired etc, self aware. You learn to go about it very strategically methodically. Then one day its like damn my car is awesome. It takes forever for that day to come, but take care of your physical and mental health, strategic, you will end up on top over time. Brute force, nope, wont work.
 
340sFastback said:
Sure. The whole mental attitude strategy its very very very tough to get through. I done giant massive car projects, got my *** kicked on every one of them, never fails, unexpected challenges ect *** kicked bad every time. When I not happy drop tools walk away go rest up come back fresh at later time. But going about it strategically goes a long way to success. Understanding yourself, how brain power can fade when body tired etc, self aware. You learn to go about it very strategically methodically. Then one day its like damn my car is awesome. It takes forever for that day to come, but take care of your physical and mental health, strategic, you will end up on top over time. Brute force, nope, wont work.
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Yep. I totally get it and agree! I look at all the stuff done wrong on my car…and most of it is likely caused by what you speak of
Already found: leaky fuel line, leaky brake line, coolant leak and transmission line leak
 
CFD244 said:
When working with the Ammeter wires......Make sure the battery is disconnected first. Both wires are Hot, and the black wire is NOT a ground. One of the wires comes from the starter relay, and the other comes from the alternator. When you take them off of the ammeter studs and join them, you are simply bypassing the ammeter. If you do this, bolt them together and insulate them really well.

Also, it is possible that the fusible link in the bulkhead connector may have been compromised. So, check that if you are still getting a no power issue.
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Amazing. Thank you!
 
Vey impressed with the results of your efforts, great job! I will just reiterate what others have said, take your time, do a small project, then another, and another. Be patient and you will be amazed at not only the results, but what you've learned.
 
missing linc said:
Vey impressed with the results of your efforts, great job! I will just reiterate what others have said, take your time, do a small project, then another, and another. Be patient and you will be amazed at not only the results, but what you've learned.
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Thanks! Ya, I’m trying to think positive about the situation now. It will be pretty cool to have done some of the work myself on my own (dad’s) car, in the end. Money is money. It comes and goes. Maybe when the car is all finished it will mean more to me in the end
 
dads71 said:
Thanks! Ya, I’m trying to think positive about the situation now. It will be pretty cool to have done some of the work myself on my own (dad’s) car, in the end. Money is money. It comes and goes. Maybe when the car is all finished it will mean more to me in the end
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Exactly
 
340sFastback said:
One step at a time. One small aspect one small mini-project at a time. Laser focus on single aspect, get that well done, not perfect, well done. Then determine next step. Slow methodical. Do not focus on too many things brain melts down gets over whelmed. Narrow, mini sub projects, lazer focused, tune out the noise and distractions. Work smart not hard. Do not touch car unless you are fresh well rested and in good spirits. Its just a machine, you can and will over come all obstacles....
Click to expand...
This is great advice in every aspect of life :thumbsup:
 
dads71 said:
Awesome. Thank you! I definitely don’t feel comfortable working on the electrical system. I wish I knew of someone near me that knew these things inside and out and could just wire it up for me. I think I could manage the rest. I may have someone coming tomorrow who could have some insight into the wiring etc. Thanks again
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We have some fabulous electrical experts on the board. @Mattax an @67Dart273 come to mind. They can help you with any of the issues you may have. When you ask about knowing the systems "inside ad out" These folks are who you are referring to.
 
CFD244 said:
We have some fabulous electrical experts on the board. @Mattax an @67Dart273 come to mind. They can help you with any of the issues you may have. When you ask about knowing the systems "inside ad out" These folks are who you are referring to.
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Awesome! I hope to get an idea of where I’m at with the electrical once I get the windshield and dash out. Gonna tackle that today! If I can’t, I’ll just need mattax or 67 darts address….snd I’ll go rent a car trailer. Lol
 
Since @CFD244 called me out, I'm happy to provide my 2 cents.

1. Ask your friend what he hooked the battery power to.
1 a. Post a photo of exactly where he connected
1 b. from that we can then figure what circuits got damaged.

2. IVR. I didn't see what led to the conclusion that the gauges and IVR were damaged. Might be because I read quickly. So feel free to point this out if I missed it.

dads71 said:
I need some help. I had a friend come over to try to get car started. He had power to the firewall, but not on car. He bipassed and ran direct wire from battery into a wire under the dash and got the car running….but it immediately started smoking like crazy under the dash and coming out of the gauge cluster. I shut it off immediately. Someone said I might have fried my gauges because they are 6 volt.
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See 1 & 2 above.
That said, you still may want to remove the instrument cluster and instrument harness.

dads71 said:
Also trying to figure out how to get the dash out to see what burnt. Any tips would be helpful. My buddy is a good mechanic. He just isn’t sure about the 12 volt to 6 volt. If that’s true
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It's true the gauges operated on approx. 6 volts. That is true for many makes and models.

dads71 said:
Thanks again! How do I buy this solid state unit?
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There's member search nad RTE but seems like you have this in hand based on later posts.


Resistors. There are no resistors. The gauges internally, and the sending units have resistance wire or windings.

The ammeter "alternator gage" is different and seperate. Next post we'll go over the basic layout of power supply.
 
I haven't done a '71 dash removal. You can approach it a couple of ways. One is just remove the components - that's what I've done on my 67 with ralley panel. Other is remove the dash frame itself. I've not done that. Do look for ground wires. On the 67- there is one from the capacitor on the instrument panel to radio strut support (by the ash tray), another on the steering column to dash bolts, and a third from the heater (on top) to behind the right side passenger kick panel.
 
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