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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