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Popularity of old school rods is becoming more prevalent with each passing day. The older the owners become, the more they want it as it was in their youth. Bob Burks, of Ft. Worth, is no different. When he acquired his 1936 Ford sedan, there was no doubt that it was going to be rebuilt back as close as possible to original.
Reversing the eyes on the springs, repainting the exterior and interior as well as re-upholstering the original seats was tasks that seemed not to require a lot of thought. Bob soon found out that re-wiring the car may be a bit different since he wanted the dash and the rest of the electrical system to look basically stock while changing over from 6 volt to a 12 volt system. The main challenge was the ignition switch, light switch and starter button. The rest of the wiring could be hidden or covered, but the dash, which was re-wood grained, had to look stock.
A visit to some friends at Painless Performance provided Bob with the necessary information and diagrams needed for the re-wire of the 39. He found that by using relays he could retain the stock ignition and starter switches. The light switch, which is a new aftermarket unit, has the look of the original but can replace the old switch and the dimmer switch.
When the word got out that Bob was going to do the re-wire several friends came by to help. In the course of a weekend the car was re-wired and ready for a road test. Except for a few wires under the hood, no one would ever know it wasn’t original
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This photo shows the universal style kit often used in re-wiring street rods and custom application vehicles. Painless, the innovator of this style kit provides all the needed wiring to do the job.
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The mounting bolts, included in the kit for the fuse block, were welded to the bracket, making studs, which will allow for easy mounting and removing of the fuse block. The bracket was then repainted before installation.
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With the bracket in place, the fuse block is installed on the studs and furnished nuts are installed and tightened
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Sergio now starts separating the different groups of wires in the harness. The three main groups are for the dash, engine compartment and the tail of the car.
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The decision was made to route the firewall forward wires through on the passenger side due to space limitations on the drivers side. A hole was cut for the rubber grommet furnished in the kit.
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Sergio can now start pulling the wires through the firewall. Care should be taken to prevent kinking of the wires when pulling them
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Bob drilled a hole and installed a grommet for the brake light wires on the drivers side lower firewall..
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The brake switch wires are attached to the wires and connector that came with the new Painless low pressure brake switch. The wire colors were designed to match for a simple installation.
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With all the wires routed to the rear, Bob Boudreaux drills holes for grommets to allow the tail light wires through the inner rear fenders.
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Bob pulls the wires through the tail light opening and prepares to cut the wires to length.
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The last wires in the tail section to install are the fuel tank sender and optional electric fuel pump. Note the ground wire attached the body of the fuel sender; it is routed over to the frame and attached.
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The light switch is wired first. It has 4 positions, off, park and tail, low beam and high beam. No dimmer switch is required with this style switch.
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John now prepares the wires for the gauge clusters. The chassis harness comes with all the gauge wires as well as the power wire. A short ground wire will be made and attached to insure proper gauge functions.
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The back side of the switch reveals 2 terminals. Originally one was battery input and the other was power out. Now one is tied to ground and the other goes to the ground terminals of the ignition and accessory relays.
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Three relays were mounted under the dash. One for the starter activation, one for ignition power for the fuse block and one for accessory power to the fuse block. Input power for the relays comes from the main input power wire to the fuse block from the maxi fuse.
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The completed installation of the relays. Note the buss bar at the top where all the relay power wires come in from the bottom and the large wires at the top is the input wire cut in half and both ends attached.
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The final interior item was the dome light. The original was cleaned and remounted to the door post.
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While everyone else was working on the inside, Sergio was mounting the Maxi fuse to the firewall. This fuse protects the overall electrical system. The Maxi fuse also makes a good junction point.
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The head light pigtails were spliced on to the harness wires after the were cut to length..
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The turn signal socket was removed and a ground wire was attached. The extra ground will insure the proper operation of the light in case the fender would lose it’s ground.
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The oil pressure sender was wired in the same fashion as the coolant sender.
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Battery cables were made and attached to the starter solenoid. The solenoid activation wire from the relay under the dash was also attached. The ignition bypass terminal on the solenoid will not be used in this application.
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Each circuit is now activated to insure proper operation. Once all the circuits have been checked, the battery cables will be installed permanently.
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Bob stand out side if the 39 and fires the engine. All systems are go.
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With the car now wired, the interior still looks completely stock. Some floor boards and we will be ready for a test drive.
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