The 283 Rebuild Begins

[jgh64pkup]

lookin good
cant believe we got pictures out of you

[MacAttack]

Originally Posted by jgh64pkup

lookin good
cant believe we got pictures out of you

Thanks Gage, the new camera is alot of fun.

[MacAttack]

Originally Posted by 1964C10

Did those plates come with your truck or did you get them off ebay?

Only one plate - and that's the original. The other one (front) was lost during the truck's "absence." I will probably pony up for some new/old plates eventually, probably after I get stopped by 'The Imperial Forces.'

Mac.

[1964C10]

Originally Posted by MacAttack

Only one plate - and that's the original. The other one (front) was lost during the truck's "absence." I will probably pony up for some new/old plates eventually, probably after I get stopped by 'The Imperial Forces.'

Mac.

LOL...Sounds like my experience. When I bought my truck they said they were going to register it for me etc etc. Well it didn't happen so I asked them to do it, they said ok, I just needed to mail them one of the plates. Never heard from them again, they went out of busy, phones disconnected. Now I have one plate and the number has been reused sooo it's hanging on the wall and I have new tags

[MacAttack]

Hey - my thread just cleared 20k views!

[bubba327]

Outstanding work! I would give you rep points for that!!!

[MacAttack]

Well – now we go into Bizarre-O-World with the truck’s electrical system:

Without the brake pedal applied – the stop lights blink of and on and I can hear the signal canister “pinging” under the dash. Apparently, it’s been doing this from getting the truck back from the shop – weeks ago.

I tried switching the canister out with a new one – same / same. If that’s not odd enough, sometimes (other than when I put the brake on) it stops on its own. Has no effect on the tail or front parking lights, but turn signal sticks on – when I apply the brakes.

Tried everyone’s ideas on my alternator wackiness, but nothing is working. Still not a single amp of charging and nothing showing on the dash gage. Truck runs fine – but still having to use the trickle charger to be able to drive the rig around.

Mac.

[padresag]

turn signals and brake lights have their one circuit different from the taillights
grounding problem?
ron

[padresag]

hey Mac they didn't pull your wire did they?
if they did the screw driver nbr on the column they may have buggered some of the wires in there. did they pull any off under the dash>
ron
. do you have the later str column with the 4 way flashers

[MacAttack]

They butchered the steering column and the wiring therein, in some drug induced attempt to get their 3-speed linkage to function.

The column was/is bone stock, for an automatic - but it was so tore up I had to take what was left of the original shifter off, plug and paint over the hole and put a Gennie shifter on the floor.

I replaced the turn-signal canceling unit and wiring (with the horn ring hardware) with all new stuff and my transmission place plugged that into the stock plug, further down the column.


The really good news is - I just called my old-school auto electrician and he's closed up shop and retired.

Mac.

[MacAttack]

At lunch today - checked out a source for getting my electrical gremlins zapped.

Went by my old guy to see if he was actually gone - he was. Bummer.

New possibility seems like he knows what he's doing, has a 66' Chevy P/U and because of my scheduling issues - can't drop my truck off until Monday (11/23).

He's open at 6AM which is kind if unusual and really cool.

I'll make him a hit list and we'll see how he does.

Mac.

[bubba327]

Are you using the hazard flasher or just the turn signals? I just went through all that wiring nonsense on my 64 when I adapted a newer tilt column into my 64 . I can walk you through the colors codes- let me find the wiring diagram and I'll post it. The brake switch over-rides the 4-way flasher and just holds all lamps steady on . Hey my electricians license is handy to have sometimes. Yell if you need help.

[bubba327]

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=324250
63-64 bowties had this link in january 09-- '63 turn signals

[jason65]

Flashing break lights when they are not applied might be your boo switch being out of adjustment or busted. Please explain on t/s sticking on when brakes applied? Like hazzards or just one side? Just the back?

Trucks lookin good Mac.

[MacAttack]

Thanks Jason, the rear stop/turn lights both flash, as soon as the ignition switch is turned on - even without engine not running. Put the brakes on - they stop flashing and you can't hear the "clicker" can going off under the dash.

Flashing lights only effect the back - not the front of the truck.

Driving, put a turn signal on, right or left and they operate fine, front and back - until you apply the brakes - then whichever side it's set to - the light sticks on and won't flash until you take your foot off the brake.

Understand - the tranny shop did the final hook-up on the wire loom (click in unit) coming down out of the steering column. Also understand I FAILED Basic Electrical shop in high school, TWICE! But the teacher was a real P*%#k.

Mac.

[70 Suburban]

Could be a few things... I know its been said. But start at your light grounds... They will feed back if they is not a good ground.

[bubba327]

http://www.americanstreetmasters.com/Wiring_101_16.jpg
this is a helpful site .. the colors stay consistent through the years. Do you have the hazard 4-way flasher?
Power starts at the fuse ,then to signal flasher then goes to the brake switch on the orange wire and leaves the brake switch on the white wire which goes to the connector and up the column to the turn signal switch. the 4 signal lights (front/rear turn /brake) all leave the turn signal switch on 4 different colored wires.
your flasher only flashes when it has a load to pass power to. It sounds to me like your turn signal switch or column wiring has been damaged. Or mis-connected
good luck-- Bubba

[MacAttack]

Thanks Bubba - yes, the wiring was damaged and I bought a replacement unit that runs from the horn ring down to the first connector at the base of the steering column. Laid out next to the scraped one - they appeared identical. Something might be shorting out.

On the emergency flasher issue - my truck didn't come with them and I can hear the regular canister firing off, which makes both stop lights illuminate.

Mac.

[bubba327]

Glad you found it. I put a newer Gm tilt column in my 64 and added the 4- way hazard lights. It only took a extra flasher and one wire using the newer turn signal switch which was in the column.

[MacAttack]

Truck's Puking Oil.

Not bad - but on the brand new driveway - it's quite noticeable. A spot about 2 inches wide and 4 inches long. Noticed it when the kid put the truck in the garage yesterday. Haven't checked out the exact location, but its not tranny fluid or anything else and I'm taking it easy for the holiday - so I'll worry about it when I get the rig back from the electrical repair guy two Saturdays from now.

Typical.

More-than-likely the small I/D tubes I ran from the PCV valve from the original tube back by the distributor, up to the carburetor, aren't producing enough flow/suction to relieve the crank case fumes.

Based on the fact the spot is right in the center of where the truck was setting - it's probably a rear seal.

Oh joy.

[padresag]

there was a change in the wiring to the lights in 65 or 66 in regards to the frt parking lights remaing on with the tail lights. prior years the park lights were not on with the taillight when running. perhaps when they fix your wiring there may have been some confusion.
just throwing that in for thought Mac
ron

[MacAttack]

Thanks Ron - every little bit helps.

[70 Suburban]

Mine was a pan gasket on the front.. Hit the crossmemeber then made a spot right under the engine. I thought rear too.

[MacAttack]

Originally Posted by 70 Suburban

Mine was a pan gasket on the front.. Hit the crossmemeber then made a spot right under the engine. I thought rear too.

Hope so - maybe it was the rush job I did on the elcheapo gauge tubing off the fitting at the back of the block for the motor break-in. (Grasping at straws).

[MacAttack]

Now it's not that I'm a Drama Queen or anything (yeah, right), but I think I found the source of the leak: Fitting off the back of the block that feeds the oil pressure gauge.

The last guys that worked on my rig - putting the gears in the differential, new drive-shafts, brakes etc - also did some wire clean-up in the engine compartment. They put one of those flexible plastic wire sheaths over the bundle on the driver's side, but didn't secure it properly.

I got a few minutes yesterday and fired the truck up to see if I could eyeball the source of the dripping and discovered, as I pulled the throttle rod back, this loom was riding up and down on the rod - pulling on the plastic oil line that was bundled in with the various wires.

Every time you'd step on the gas it would give this line a good yank. So I took a Velcro wire strap and tacked the whole mess to the firewall and re-tightened the tube's fitting. I'll go back and clean everything up, but there was a fair puddle of oil near this fitting at the top of the motor - near the distributor.

Oh the Humanity!

Dropped the truck off at the electrical repair guy's shop before work this morning - so we'll see if he can get my charging system working. A 64' Impala with a monster, late-model Corvette motor was there for a wiring restoration, so I may have found a decent vendor.

Mac.