SSSSHHHH, I am working on my blinkers

I have my 1952 Gasser M35 in my Auto Tech class for my students to learn on and get experience on something bigger than a regular vehicle. I wired the entire truck with new wires everywhere. I had a bad used solid state blinker box, so the blinkers have never worked.

I installed another used one yesterday and had the right side working great. The drivers side was just a steady light on the blinker indicator light. I figured it was the box and tried another. Same thing. I took both boxes home and tried them on the M715. They worked great. That means my new wiring must be messed up or the M35 blinker arm.

We had no students today and I got all my paper work done a few hours before go home time. Time to work on the M35. I plugged one of the known to be good boxes in and still had no flash on the drivers side. But, as I was walking around to look at the front lights, I heard a steady clicking noise. I traced it to the back of the drives front signal bucket. I put my hand all around it and got shocked.

Off went the power and the cover over the wires. It seems I had gotten a wire crimped between the fender and wire cover. This wire had the insulation stripped off and was shorting out the blinkers. Both sides worked with the cover off. A little tape, care putting the cover back on and I had working blinkers.

The point here along with the lesson is that if you have a wiring problem on a 24V vehicle. Turn off all the extra noise and listen while somebody cycles the offending circuit on and off. 24V is strong enough to arc a pretty long way compared to 12V. If that fails, use the finger shock test like I accidentally did.

Kind of silly, but it just might help you out.

I'll remember to lick my finger and touch around the lights.

I have a 53 gasser M275 that the lights kind of worked on but after I plugged the trailer harness connector into a commercial non-military dry van trailer everything quit. It's been awhile but I don't think the headlights worked either since then.

How much would you say you spent running new wires? It would probably be the right thing to do in my case but I am afraid of the cost.

I think I'll add that to my bag of tricks, Barrman!

Tim,

Great to get another tip while putting mine back together. When I first started to read I was thinking a bad ground.

littlebob

Add fluid

$75.00 for one of those new M35A1 harness on E-Bay sold by KCGonzo.
$25.00 for a 25 amp generator to 60 amp alternator conversion kit form a fellow SS member.
$50.00 for a new M813 rear harness from Frontline. Comes with a standard trailer plug already wired in.

New wires and Packard fittings everywhere. The M813 rear is about 4 feet too long, so I looped the wire with zip ties inside the frame rail above the rear axles. The plug that connects to the front harness is also different. I just pulled all the pins and put the new wires into my old rear harness plug.

I used the flame heater wire on the harness to go to my Gasser coil. Otherwise, everything switched over just fine. I pulled the light buckets apart and put new wires with Packard fittings in them as well.