Builds Project Patina-November 1968 FJ-40 (6 Viewers)

[MScruiser]

Yup.

I want to take it for a test drive

 

[wngrog]

Of course I'm waiting on the shoe to drop, but so far it seems super road worthy. I'll plan on bringing it.

 

[Honger]

I've been seeing your photos on Facebook and occasionally popping into the thread. I freakin' love where you've taken this truck. She's a beauty!

 

[wngrog]

So I drunk dialed a non-US brand new cluster last week. Seemed reasonable seeing that I thought my gauges were surely dead and my odometer does not work.

$210. Sure. Seemed reasonable.

So I soon found out I needed to redo the wiring to the amp meter since it's 50 amp. Since my harness is all one-piece-at-a-time I figured that it would be easy.

So this morning I made myself a test bench and tried to make my existing sending units work with this cluster. It was a cluster. This cluster. I think maybe my oil pressure sending unit was correct but none of the others worked.

 

[wngrog]

At this point I was thinking.

s***. I never even looked to see if the 48 year old cluster even worked. This is the section of the harness that is melted so I just assumed.......

I unassed my harness today wire by wire to the insrament cluster. I've got lights. Fuel. Amp (reads low in the guage but it works) and oil pressure.

I'll save you on how the sausage is made but I actually did a good job. Didn't cut corners. Took my time.

My temp gauge in the cluster must be hosed. The needle is pegged all the way to the right. It's uneffected by being plugged in or not.

Here is my handiwork. Happy.

 

[AndyO78FJ40]

Strong work. You can buy a new/used temp gauge. It is an easy replacement.

 

[wngrog]

This early cluster is a bit odd. Replaceable bit it needs to be a period correct guage. I tried robbing a later cluster. No dice.

 

[wngrog]

The instrument cluster guru in the 40 section said I would fry the amp guage and therefore the wiring again if I keep it hooked up. 60 alternator is too hot for this amp gauge.

Beno is sending me a new oil pressure sensor that should work.

So, 50% on the gauge cluster.

I might get an idiot light for that and put it in the 4wd light spot.

 

[fountainhead]

How is the ammeter hooked up? If everything is connected correctly, and the gauge is functional, then a) you've got a constant drain on your battery (even with the truck not running) and b) your alternator is not charing the battery.

 

[offr0adlim0]

You can always convert the ampmeter to a volt meter

 

[wngrog]

I've got a 60 alternator that is putting out 45-50 amps running through the white-blue wire direct to the 30 amp meter in the 1968 cluster.

The gauge guru said this

If you watch the video you see on crank the meter drops then returns to 1/3 position.

As long as my battery never gets a bad drain and the alternator is not working hard it will keep doing what it's been doing but if It ends up working hard I could smoke the system via that 48 year old gauge.

That's what I'm reading at least.

 

[fountainhead]

Based on the way your gauge is operating, I would have guessed that your alternator 'charge' wire was run directly to the battery (i.e. no longer spliced into the factory harness White/Blue wire) and that all you are seeing, and will ever see, on the gauge is draw from whatever is still connected through what remains of the harness (namely ignition). If that was the case, both your gauge and downstream wiring would be safe as the high current in question would never run across any of this.

Rudi, however, is a f'ing Jedi Master...

 

[wngrog]

He's a Jedi but you know what I got. He does not.

Rob confirms the alternator is going direct to the battery.

The white-blue is hot off the starter and is going to the amp gauge and then the key.

One lead is going to my inside fuse box that I started to use for constant 12v and some switch 12.

So far I hooked up my horn, idle solenoid and the cluster power off the factory harness.

So I am starting to use the harness again downstream.

My lights are all on the new fuse box hooked directly to the battery.

Should I put the rest of my power sucking items like wipers and heater blower off the new fuse box so as not to have much draw downstream?

 

[fountainhead]

Makes sense.

Given the setup, it should not really matter where you put the rest of your electrical connections.

The gauge is safe, but it's also useless as its only purpose is to indicate whether the battery is discharging or being charged. It can only detect this if the alternator charging wire is run through the gauge.

 

[wngrog]

Here is one for you. How does the blower motor switch get juice? There is a 3 prong plug at the switch and at the blower but not a separate wire to bring in power

 

[fountainhead]

Blue-red wire directly from the fuse block...5th fuse from the top if you're using the factory harness. If not, run switched 12V to the pin in the plug that is tied to the blue-red wire on the switch. The other two pins should be wired directly to the two pins on the blower motor...low speed and high speed.

 

[wngrog]

Yeah. F that switch. I tried everything. Tossed a toggle on it wired to high. Works.

 

[wngrog]

Cool to get the heater back in. Only major thing left is the wiper motor replacement. I've located what I need but it's $400. Gonna give my wanted ad a little more time. That seems real high.

No leaks in the core. All the old hoses lined up and the Spector sleeve worked great. Heat. Defrost. Fresh vent. I'm getting close to being able to wrap and loom the wires under the hood soon.

 

[Bossman]

Which wiper motors will work for you, Nolen. I'll check my stash

 

[wngrog]

Anything that goes up high i think