The Car Which Shall Not Be Named III (1935 Lincoln K)

[m-mman]

46 minutes ago, edinmass said:

No matter how bad your mood is after having a bad day wrenching on cars, taking it low mileage open Duesenberg up for a spin gives you a mental adjustment. “I highly recommend you try it,  you have the means!” (Ferris Buler)

 

Duesenberg therapy. . . ???   

Hummmmm. . . . Anyway I could get my health insurance to pay for that? 

[Matt Harwood]

My new wiring harnesses showed up today and they're beautiful. I almost don't want to touch them and start getting them dirty. Simple instructions should make it easy enough to install, although my car has a few hurdles to clear on the way to being functional. More on that in a moment.

 

New harness is a work of art.

 

So this is a new headlight harness, but my car has been modified at some point in the past. Instead of a rotary switch (Clum switch) at the bottom of the steering column, my car has a regular 3-position headlight switch in the dashboard. That switch powers a pair of relays in a box on the firewall, which power the low- and high-beam headlights. Somewhere in there, there's also a wire that powers the taillights and the instrument lights. I had a pretty good idea of how they wired it, even though they used all yellow/black wires. Doing some disassembly today, I found that the Clum switch at the bottom of my steering column is nothing more than a junction box. The switch components are gone, and there's just a wad of wires and tape inside. Again, that's more or less what I expected.

 

  
Clum switch at the bottom of the steering column is nothing more than

a junction box now. There's a BIG wad of wires and tape inside.

 

I peeled back the tape, which was more tar than tape, to separate the wires and try to see which new yellow/black wire went to which wire in the original harness. This would tell me which wires from the dashboard switch, to the relay, and to the original harness should be connected to each other. Sadly, time has apparently wiped out the dyes they used on the original wiring harness, because all the wires were more or less the same color. Ugh.

 

I was hoping I'd be able to see which wires were

connected to give me an idea of where the

new wires should be spliced...

 

...but sadly, all the wires have faded to the same color.

 

Then there's the headlight relay, which is actually two relays inside a single box, fed by a single power wire. In my car's case, they were just pulling power directly from the battery with a 10-gauge wire connected to the side terminal of the relay box. I'm not sure that's a good idea and I think I'll find another place to pull power. One, pulling it directly from the battery doesn't register on the ammeter, and two, it's another wire attached to the battery terminals which can get damaged or chafed. So that's one issue to solve.

 

Headlight relays are a clever little device. As far

as I can tell, they managed low and high beams.
Parking lights were disconnected and the 

taillights were fed directly from the main harness.
Nice that they used all one color wire for the work, eh?

 

The final component is the power distribution box right under the headlight relay. It acts as a circuit breaker for the electrical system and takes power from the generator, routes it through the ammeter, and then to the battery. It also manages all the lights, the cigar lighter, the clock, and the dome light. There are about a dozen wires connected to it, all wrapped into close proximity. I hope to not disturb most of them but I will need to splice in there somewhere to pull power for the lights. I've been studying the wiring diagram to find the best way to do that and I have an idea.

 

Junction box/circuit breakers. Everything runs

through here. Of note, the green/black wire is

from the generator and goes to the ammeter

before charging the battery. That's going to be 

useful in the future...

 

 

Then I stuck my head under the dash to see how they wired up the pull switch. It has three wires attached to it, which makes sense--one power in and two out to the headlights. For some reason, they skipped the parking lights and the first position did nothing. The second position sends power to a foot switch like any hi-beam button, which then sends two wires to the relay--one for high beam and one for low beam. OK, that makes sense. But I couldn't trace the wire that seems to be delivering power to the switch, and I couldn't figure out why they made it a 10-gauge wire. Since they're using relays, there isn't much current running through the switch at all, so light-duty 14-gauge wires would be fine. I believe it's pulling power from the instrument light switch, which gets power from the breaker box. Ugh, I'm going cross-eyed now.

 

I think I will streamline a lot of this wiring, including the wiring for my electric fuel pump and fog lights, by adding a power distribution block under the dash. I installed one on my '41 Buick to power things like the fuel pump, fog lights, spotlight, and other electrical accessories, and it works rather well. A 10-gauge wire with a fusible link brings power to the distribution block and the accessories are connected there. Easy!

 

A power distribution block (gray rectangular thing at
the lower right) under the dash will power all my

electrical accessories and provide power to the

headlight switch.

 

I'll pull power for the distribution block from the back of the ammeter, which is fed by a nice, fat wire from the circuit breaker. I could pull directly from the circuit breaker, but it's the same circuit using the same wire, so the ammeter will be closer and more convenient. I'll pull power for the headlight relays from the power terminal on the circuit breaker itself, again, closer and more convenient. With appropriate fusing, there should be no issues with overloading the system--it's just headlights on the circuit breaker side and fog lights/fuel pump on the ammeter side. 

 

My next step is to map all this out with a custom wiring diagram that integrates the factory wiring and the modified wiring that I'm obligated to use. My head is spinning a little bit, but I think I've got a decent grasp on what needs to go where. I've also ordered spare wire in colors that match the new harness, so the wires from the relays will match the circuits they're feeding. Hopefully that will make someone's life easier in the future. I'll show you what I come up with when I'm finishing drawing the diagram.

 

I just hope I have it right.

 

 

Edited July 14, 2021 by Matt Harwood (see edit history)

[edinmass]

It’s possible by buddy John has a clum switch that could work, but it would be around 600 bucks, should I ask?

Edited July 14, 2021 by edinmass (see edit history)

[Matt Harwood]

11 hours ago, edinmass said:

It’s possible by buddy John has a clum switch that could work, but it would be around 600 bucks, should I ask?

 

Unfortunately, all the headlight parts are gone so a new Clum switch won't go me any good. The handle on the hub, the shaft, and the parts inside the steering column are all gone. I'm OK with the setup they've used, it looks appropriate and fits in a blank hole in the dash, so it isn't hacked up. I'm just trying to figure out how to integrate the wiring a little better than they did it the first time.

 

Thanks for the offer, but that's $600 that probably wouldn't fix it.

[edinmass]

15 minutes ago, Matt Harwood said:

 

Unfortunately, all the headlight parts are gone so a new Clum switch won't go me any good. The handle on the hub, the shaft, and the parts inside the steering column are all gone. I'm OK with the setup they've used, it looks appropriate and fits in a blank hole in the dash, so it isn't hacked up. I'm just trying to figure out how to integrate the wiring a little better than they did it the first time.

 

Thanks for the offer, but that's $600 that probably wouldn't fix it.

 

 

Understood.......just trying to help.

[TexRiv_63]

Matt, I take my hat off to you regarding the wiring, as you know electrical is not my strong suit. This is what I had on the 34 Packard, the Startix had been disconnected and bypassed, a relay box (I think) had been added, and a massive chunk of what looked like house wiring has been run down the hood side. Luckily everything worked and I never had to get into it!

[AB-Buff]

Matt

The headlight switch is a little hard to find as is all the piece parts to work it.  My 34 was missing all of it also and it took a couple of years to locate all the pieces.  Like you said, run it like you have it and just keep an eye out for the parts.  You may never change it out but the next guy might.  I tried to find a sketch of all the parts on the PC and could not, I will look far a hard copy and scan it for you.  Model A switch is a different configuration inside.

L

 

1934-35 headlight switch, maybe through 39?

Edited July 14, 2021 by AB-Buff (see edit history)

[Matt Harwood]

I think I have everything figured out relating to how to get the headlights working. I will once again use the Clum switch housing as a junction box, connecting power from the relays to each pair of wires for the hi- and low-beams. The headlights were (and continue to be) powered by the circuit breaker where they have their own terminal--I just have to move power from the Clum switch to the relay box.

 

I still have to determine how the headlight switch works--it has three positions, OFF, PARKING LIGHTS, HEADLIGHTS. Parking lights is easy, I'll just pull power from the back of the ammeter to power those two little bulbs in the headlight housings. Very little draw there, shouldn't pose any difficulties. The real question is whether the parking lights stay on with the headlights on. Not that it matters from a power draw standpoint (since I'm using relays and LED taillights very little actual power will flow through the switch when the headlights are on), but I still need to figure out how to power the taillights. Since my Clum switch is gone, I have to get power in there for the taillights (it's the red wire that goes from the Clum switch to a distribution terminal on the circuit breaker, then to the instrument panel switch and finally to the taillights). 

Anyway, that's a lot of words to say I need to know whether I can power the taillights from the parking light circuit or whether I have to power them from BOTH the parking light AND headlight circuits. I need to test that switch in the dash to see how it works. Good thing it's totally inaccessible.

 

Here's a wiring diagram for the headlights as I will be hooking them up, less the taillight circuit. I'll have to figure that out later.

 

 

I guess if I don't have a water pump this weekend, I'll start cutting and splicing...

[ply33]

19 minutes ago, Matt Harwood said:

. . . The real question is whether the parking lights stay on with the headlights on. . .

I am sure there will be a marque and year specific expert who chimes in, until then: I am far from an expert but having learned to drive in the 1960s my impression is that the American car standard was to have the parking lights off when the headlights were on. I think the change to having the parking lights stay on was in the mid to late 1960s.

[Matt Harwood]

2 minutes ago, ply33 said:

I am sure there will be a marque and year specific expert who chimes in, until then: I am far from an expert but having learned to drive in the 1960s my impression is that the American car standard was to have the parking lights off when the headlights were on. I think the change to having the parking lights stay on was in the mid to late 1960s.

 

You are 100% correct, but unfortunately, my car isn't wired the way it would have been in 1935. They gutted the original steering wheel hub switch and used a pull-out switch on the dash. If that's more modern, then it's possible the parking lights will stay on with the headlights. If they do, that's actually useful to me since I can power the taillights from there. If not, I just need to add one more wire from the headlight terminal so that the taillights get power in either position. Some testing this weekend will tell me what I have.

 

Here's the factory wiring diagram showing the Clum switch at the base of the steering column, which is long gone on my car.

 

[edinmass]

Make sure you keep the electricity flowing down hill, you don’t want a back up.

 

Lucas Headlight Switch, three position. - Off, Dim, and Flicker.

 

Hope this helps you out.

Edited July 15, 2021 by edinmass (see edit history)

[AB-Buff]

Pretty sure the park lights don't stay on while the headlights are on.  I didn't see any thing in your diagram that lead me to think they would.  Cole Hersee used to sell an push pull 4 position switch that would work good We use them in the Bantams. Off. park. low and high

L

[Bill Stoneberg]

Quote

Lucas Headlight Switch, three position. - Off, Dim, and Flicker.

I think there is one more position, Smoke.

 

[Bloo]

That was the 1970s model.

[edinmass]

7 hours ago, Bill Stoneberg said:

I think there is one more position, Smoke.

 

 

 

I STAND CORRECTED! 😝

[Bloo]

11 hours ago, Matt Harwood said:

Here's a wiring diagram for the headlights as I will be hooking them up, less the taillight circuit. I'll have to figure that out later.

 

I might move that relay supply down one post so it's not on a breaker. You'll probably gain a little light. Fuselink it if you want.

[Matt Harwood]

43 minutes ago, Bloo said:

 

I might move that relay supply down one post so it's not on a breaker. You'll probably gain a little light. Fuselink it if you want.

 

I thought of that, but the terminal I'm using in the diagram is where the headlights originally pulled power. The relays have fuses, so I guess it wouldn't matter--I just didn't want to overload that black/green terminal if I'm going to be pulling power for fuel pump and fog lights from it.

[Bloo]

I don't know exactly what is black/green, but the source is that wire coming from the generator cutout, not the terminal it is attached to. If you attach to that, the headlight current isn't going through any of that stuff. You would have an unprotected wire from that terminal to the headlight relay, unless you fuse or fuselink it where it leaves the terminal. Whether that matters probably depends on where that wire runs, how long it is, and whether it could get in harm's way.

 

In terms of voltage loss, fuselinks are best especially if they can be soldered in. Fuses are a little more lossy and circuit breakers are downright awful. They have to be a little resistive to generate the heat to open when overloaded. They also have points, which tend to be lossy. It's a double whammy of bad.

[Matt Harwood]

Today was probably the worst effort-to-result ratio of anything I've done so far. Once again, it appears that the Lincoln engineers didn't really consider that anyone would need to remove the wiring harness so the clamps holding it to the frame are almost completely inaccessible. I spent about 90 minutes removing ONE BOLT and another 10 minutes grinding the screw out of the clamp because I couldn't reach it with a screwdriver and still have enough leverage to turn it. It was miserable. But I eventually got the clamp to release the wiring harness, then removed the clamp so I can clean it and weld a nut to it so I can just screw it back together with the new harness in place. 

 

Getting that clamp out of there was a MAJOR

hassle just because it was so inaccessible. 
Getting the mounting bolt out took about 20 minutes

of 3-degree turns with a wrench.

 

With the clamp removed, however, I was able to remove the entirety of the old wiring harness. I also removed most of the additional wiring they added to customize the light switch, including the hi-beam switch and associated wires. Unfortunately, it looks like I'll have to replace the switch simply because the old wires are actually soldered to the terminals. Fortunately, the switches are common and pretty universal so I expect I'll be able to find a replacement that fits.

 

Hi/Lo beam switch has soldered terminals. I'll

have to replace it but they're common.

 

I also managed to get my head under the dash in the usual fashion: legs up over the seat back. I removed the switch from the instrument panel and saw that it was more or less wired the way I expected. For some reason, they wired both outgoing wires to the same terminal--I presume parking and headlights. That would suggest that they didn't really care about making the parking lights functional (they're in the headlight buckets anyway and don't do much). One wire goes directly to the bundle in the Clum switch, which is presumably the parking lights. The other goes to the foot switch, which in turn determines whether to activate the hi- or low-beams. Power for the switch comes from the ammeter, as I planned to do myself. The installer in this case obviously didn't understand his relays very well and used a heavy 10-gauge wire from the ammeter to the headlight switch. At first that seems logical, but with relays, the switch is only carrying enough current to activate the relay--only a few milliamps. There's no need for a heavy wire and the draw on the ammeter is negligible. All the power for the headlights is at the relay. But since that wire is already there, I'll probably just re-use it to power the switch again.

 

For reasons that aren't altogether clear, the

installer put both the headlight power wire

and the parking light power wire on the same

terminal. When I reinstall everything, I'll 

separate them so the parking lights and headlights

work properly.

 

10-gauge blue wire provides power from the ammeter to the

light switch. It's overkill, but that's OK with me and I'll re-use it.

 

I also verified that my horn button is functional by attaching my volt meter to the wire coming out of the center of the steering column and to a good ground. Setting it to test continuity, pressing the horn button should complete the circuit and sound the alarm. It did. So my horns will work (if I ever find any--the car came to me without horns). I also verified that the wire in the column hasn't crumbled and the insulation is good so it isn't shorting out. Good news there.

 

I have decided not to use the Clum switch as a junction box. There's really no need. Instead, I'll use an actual junction block. I'll have one power wire each for high and low beams connecting to two wires going out to each of the headlight buckets. There will be one wire from the light switch to the junction block for the parking lights, and one for the horn. A junction block will be much cleaner and I'll tuck it out of sight inside the frame rail where it will be protected and out of sight under the engine splash pans. A much more reliable and elegant solution compared to taping everything together and stuffing it in a little metal cylinder.

Junction block will be a better solution than 

using the Clum switch housing and tape.

 

Hopefully my wiring supplies arrive tomorrow and I can spend the weekend doing some wiring. That is, unless Jim has the water pump ready which he told me today might just happen.

 

Fingers crossed...

[Walt G]

I used to have patience like you do Matt, not sure I have even half that patience now. Some people say I do but I don't think so .  Thank you for continuing to share what you are working on, it is a great lesson for all of us.

Walt

[Matt Harwood]

We'll see how much patience I have when that engine fails to start or when I run out of time to put the car back together before the show...

 

My children have an encyclopedic knowledge of swearing thanks to my "patience."

[edinmass]

I might have a 1935 power buss off a Pierce made out of bakelite..........would you like me to check? Ed

[Walt G]

Swearing!? Well that can be a matter of whole discussion here on the forums ( I think I just made Peter and Steve M. cringe - no I am not going to start a new topic on that)

As a former teacher and an author The use of Adult Verbiage and creative descriptive words to refer to parts and cars that are not cooperating despite gentle and caring attention by the owners has been going on since the founding of the AACA by its original members in 1935.  Newer words to get around the censors have developed as well , for example : 'dang' , plus the abbreviations now in use for phrases which I will also not explain as it will get me tossed from this great venue to express opinions.😝

Edited July 16, 2021 by Walt G
spelling error (see edit history)

[Matt Harwood]

2 minutes ago, edinmass said:

I might have a 1935 power buss off a Pierce made out of bakelite..........would you like me to check? Ed

 

That would be awesome! I don't like using modern hardware if I can avoid it. Fortunately this is in an out-of-the-way area so nobody will see it, but just the same...

[edinmass]

This is what we have..........

[edinmass]

They may not suit your needs.......I thought I had a bigger one, but we used it on a secret project that we haven't announced yet............🤐

[Matt Harwood]

8 minutes ago, edinmass said:

This is what we have..........

 

Close, but I need seven terminals total (parking lights, low beam x2, high beam x2, horn, taillights).

Thanks for looking. I think the terminal block I'm using will be safe (most important) and since it'll be hidden nobody will really spot it.

[TexRiv_63]

4 hours ago, Matt Harwood said:

We'll see how much patience I have when that engine fails to start or when I run out of time to put the car back together before the show...

 

My children have an encyclopedic knowledge of swearing thanks to my "patience."

I learned almost all of my lifetime profanity vocabulary from my father as we laid under the car trying to fix things. Much of it was related to my inconsistency in holding the drop light!

[Matt Harwood]

That's my favorite bit in "A Christmas Story" when Ralphie's mom is calling Schwartz's mom to tell her that Ralphie said he learned the F-word from her son.

 

"Mrs. Schwartz, do you know where he heard it?"

Faintly on the other end of the line: "Probably from his father."

 

 

[38Buick 80C]

A couple years back someone who shall remain nameless was at school in first grade I think and he and the kids at this table were asked to pick a verb and conjugate it. His table picked a certain four letter word that rhymes with yuck. The teacher was walking around the room and heard their choice... at that point they knew they were "yucked".

 

At the parent teacher conference my question was..."well did they did they conjugate it correctly?". The answer was, "well yes..."

 

we still laugh about that one.

[ericmac]

Matt, I really enjoy this thread. I know this car is fighting you, seemingly every step of the way,  but you are proving to be an excellent instructor for all of us...especially when Ed chimes in.

[edinmass]

Every car kicks you ass.......it’s just how much you bleed, how much time you spend, and how broke you end up. Trick is to dig in, do it right the first time, and keep hammering away till it’s done. Played hooky today, took the White out for ice cream with Phil at 3 o’clock. Weather was perfect. Lots of friendly faces waving as we drove along the Atlantic. 

[JV Puleo]

There is a story told about the Revolutionary War General Nathaniel Greene. Green commanded the Continental Army in the South in the campaign that forced General Cornwallis to retreat to Yorktown where he was besieged in 1781, effectively ending the war. Greene may be the only general in history to fight a successful campaign while losing every battle. He said "we fight, get beat, get up and fight again." Difficult jobs like this Lincoln are much like that. You just have to keep buggering on and, you'll win and the recalcitrant machine will give up and run.

[Walt G]

Very well stated Joe, persistence, determination , time and a lot of patience; can't count in $ that is always double or triple what you guessed it would be.

It will be some time before you can enjoy the first many hour event you and Melanie and your family participate in but when the does happen you can savor that moment you are doing it in a automobile heading towards its 90th birthday that because of your efforts is still a piece of automotive history. Every one who sees is is sharing in your joy.

Go for a ride in your Buick - it will boost your enthusiasm to continue on .

[AB-Buff]

Matt just when you think you’ve got everything perfect and ready to go some thing else pops its head up and you have to deal with it. Happens all the time. Right now the hood grill and Radiator are out of the Lincoln. It developed a leak on the passenger side, a previous mechanic decided to put a bolt that holds the hood hole down clamp to the radiator side on with a bolt that’s a half inch too long and it went into the radiator. Hopefully my guy can fix it reasonably fast and reasonably inexpensive. But crap happens. More than you want.

Lynn

I thought this was a pretty cool picture so I thought I’d post it.

Edited July 20, 2021 by AB-Buff (see edit history)

[edinmass]

With old cars, it never ends. Trick is to become numb to it and expect it. 

[Matt Harwood]

Yikes, Lynn, I'm sorry to hear that. Hopefully the fix is easy enough and not a new core. I'll make a note to make sure I use the right-size bolts when I install my radiator.

 

My day was spent in the wiring department and again, I'm reminded why restorations cost so much. This apparently small amount of work took me 7 hours and I'm only halfway done with the headlight wiring. What's worse, part 2 is all the under-dash stuff, so the really tough job will be tomorrow. My solution to the lack of a Clum switch is to simply use a terminal block tucked into the frame rail and I think it turned out pretty well. It looks neat and will be safe, reliable, and permanent. My first step was to mount the terminal block, so I drilled and tapped some 10-32 holes in the frame and screwed the terminal block into place. By using 1/2-inch screws, they are just about flush with the outside of the frame, so I painted them and they virtually vanished. Much better than having some nuts visible in the wheel well.

 

Terminal block mounted.

 

  
Screws are just about flush with the outside of the frame and

vanish when I painted them. 

 

Next up was adding eye terminals to the harness, which came with just bare wires anyway. The instructions say to remove my original terminals from the Clum switch and reattach them to the new harness, so that made my job easier. I soldered small eye terminals onto each one and attached them to the terminal block.

 

  
The harness shipped with bare wires, so I soldered terminals to them
for the terminal block instead. Note that I insulated the yellow wire, which

supplied power to the Clum switch and the headlights, and I won't be

using it. Just the same, I kept it in place in case I ever do take it back to
stock. Also note that the horn wire had a bullet terminal already installed

but I removed it and added an eye terminal instead.

 

Then I connected the wires to the terminal block.

The yellow wires are low-beam and the red wires

hi-beam so I grouped them together (more on this

in a moment). Also note the clamp that I installed

using a threaded hole that was already in the frame.

 

The next step was getting power to the terminal block for the headlights. The relay on the firewall handles that, but I needed to get power to the relays and then from the relays to the terminal block. Since I wasn't using the yellow wire to power the headlights, that terminal on the circuit breaker was available to power the relay. I took some 10-gauge black wire with a red tracer and added a fork terminal on the circuit breaker end and a flag terminal on the relay end, and slid it into some protective tar-impregnated sheathing for a period look. Connecting the two, the relays will have power. I also connected the black/green wire from the generator to its terminal in the circuit breaker so everything will be powered.

 

Black/red wire (red arrow) powers the headlight

relay using the original terminal (yellow wire that
I'm not using). Green/black wire is power from the

generator that supplies juice to the whole car.

 

I used this stuff to make the harness look correct.

 

I made two wires to power the hi- and low-beams and connected them to the relay using flag terminals. I used more of the tar sheathing for these two wires but was disappointed that I couldn't fit a third in there--I need to get power to the terminal block for the parking lights (the green wire). I guess I'll just run another sheath for that wire and bind them together with some friction tape (I hesitate to use zip-ties just because they will look wrong, but they're so danged useful). 

 

  
Relay box gets power from the circuit breaker (black/red) and sends power to the 

hi-beams (red/green) and low-beams (yellow/red). 

 

I routed the headlight wires with the other harness through the frame and to the terminal block. I also fixed that harness clip that was such a bear to remove by welding a nut to it so I could simply screw it together once it was in place. I shot it with a coat of black paint just because it was easy. Once I routed the new harness through the frame, I secured it with another clip and screw, then connected the wires to the terminal block.

 

This pesky fellow would have been another nightmare

to reinstall so I welded a nut to it, which greatly

simplified the installation.

 

Then I routed the headlight wires to the terminal block.

Black wire is for the horn--I had to put a sheath of

shrink tubing over it since the original insulation was

crumbling. I also had to lengthen it on the harness end

to reach the terminal block. My car is missing its horns,

but if I can find a set, they'll work.

 

  
To make one wire power two headlights, I used these little jumper clips

between the terminals (arrows). I'll do the same for the green and red wires
which power the parking lights and taillights, respectively. I just need to

figure out how to get power for the parking lights to the terminal block.

 

Tomorrow I will route wires to the headlight switch and hi/low beam switch on the floor. I also need to pull a wire for the parking lights and maybe even get power to my accessory distribution block for the fog lights and fuel pump. We'll see how long I last working on my head...

 

Edited July 18, 2021 by Matt Harwood (see edit history)

[Matt Harwood]

Today was one of those days where I wanted to work, I was ready to work, I was eager to work, but not much work happened. I don't know why, but it happens sometimes. So I plowed in anyway. I think part of the problem is that I don't have my new headlight switch or hi-beam switch, so I could run wires but I couldn't connect them. 

 

What I did get accomplished was running the green wire for the parking lights and a yellow wire to power the hi-beam switch. It was harder than expected to find a passage through the body insulation, but I eventually pulled some of that loom through and used it to feed the two wires from under the dash to the engine bay. I routed the green wire to the terminal block and connected it there, while I left the yellow wire dangling until I have my hi-beam switch. With all the wires connected at the terminal block, I installed the cover, which admittedly looks kind of cheesy but at least it offers some protection.

 

  

All the wires are connected. Cover offers protection but looks awful. Not

sure that I'll be keeping it, we'll see how visible it is once the engine is in place.

 

I poked around under the dash and re-routed the old wires for my electric fuel pump, which previously were just strung across the firewall with the wire from the headlight relay to the battery. Since they don't belong there and I eliminated the headlight power wire, I had to get rid of the power feed to the fuel pump relay and the wire to the pump itself. Eventually I'll have the distribution block installed and can pull power for the fuel pump from that, so I just pulled the power supply wire through the firewall into the cabin and left it hanging until I locate the distribution block, which is proving to be difficult--there's no good place to install it where it's protected, convenient, and invisible. That's part of why today felt so frustrating--it was like I was ready to go but didn't yet have a destination.

 

I have this distribution block to supply power to the 

fuel pump and fog lights, but I'm not sure I'll

use it. It's pretty open and doesn't have a cover.

 

The power feed to the electric fuel pump was a little harder, since it goes all the way to the back of the car on the passenger's side and has to go across to the driver's side in front where the relay lives. I found a pocket on the passenger's side where the other wiring harnesses go into the cabin and fed the wire through there, then across the inside of the cowl, and over to the fuel pump relay. Hooked it back up and it should be ready to run again once it has power.

 

Oh, you're wondering about my electric fuel pump setup and the rest of the fuel system? Let's take a look.

 

My entire fuel system is new, as it was one of the first things I did when I bought the car (or any car, as a matter of fact). Every time I drove the car when I first got it, it stalled. I assumed it was heat-related vapor lock so I installed a quickie Airtex pump to see if I could cure the problem (I'll show you how I did it wrong then how I fixed it).

 

Ideal place for the fuel pump. It's back by the tank

but protected from moving parts and exhaust

heat. Good little pocket in the frame to protect it.

 

I installed the Airtex pump and connected it to the

factory fuel lines with rubber hoses and hose 

clamps. I am not proud of this.

 

But at least I put a slight flare on the fuel lines to

help retain the hoses on the lines. Still not

proud of the work.

 

Finished and wired. Used the clip screw as the

grounding point for the pump itself. Yellow/red

wire goes forward to get +6V power.

 

Used a toggle switch pulling power from the 

ignition switch to power the fuel pump.

Unfortunately, the pump was so quiet that I 

accidentally left it on once and it killed the battery

and dumped gas all over the engine.

 

Ultimately, that half-assed electric fuel pump didn't change anything. I drove the car around for a few hours on a Saturday and it seemed just fine. Sunday morning, Melanie suggested we drive it to breakfast and it sputtered to a halt less than 100 yards from the restaurant and would not re-start. This was the third time it had left me stranded, the third time I had to call Dylan and his flat bed to come scrape the Lincoln off the pavement. A fellow on a bicycle rode by and I offered to trade him, but he declined. My fury was white hot and I had Dylan dump the car in the parking lot at the shop where it remained for a month. I intended to let it rot.

 

One day I came in to work and found our old mechanic, Dr. Francini, had pulled the Lincoln in and was trying to get it running. It would fire but not stay running unless he kept pouring gas down the carburetor's throat. The electric fuel pump wasn't moving much gas and disconnecting the line at the carb showed that it was just a trickle at best. It wasn't heat that was this car's enemy, but debris. There was a blockage somewhere.

 

It didn't take long to find it. Dr. Francini pulled the tank and it was obvious where the problem lay.

 

Inside of the tank was badly rusted and full of trash. If you haven't recently

cleaned your gas tank, I guarantee it looks like this.

 

So we sent the gas tank out to be cleaned and restored. While it was out, I decided to rebuild the entire fuel system. The mechanical pump came off and went out for a rebuild with my friend Jim Capaldi (who is now rebuilding the water pump). I removed all the original fuel lines as well as that half-assed fuel pump I had installed previously. In place of the light-duty Airtex, I installed a burly Carter fuel pump--a bit louder but absolutely bulletproof reliable. Plus I figured the noise would keep me from leaving it on accidentally. All-new cunifer tubing and flare fittings eliminated all the rubber in the system, and I custom-bent all of it using templates made from the original lines. Since the Carter isn't a draw-through pump like the Airtex, you need a bypass with a check valve, so I installed one of those, too. About the only thing I kept was the yellow/red wire for power. It's worth noting that there is zero rubber in my fuel system now. It should last forever.

 

I hung the Carter pump inside the frame using

a noise kit that included those rubber feet.
It's quieter, but certainly not silent. I'm OK with that.

 

  
Then I custom bent the fuel lines to include the bypass and check valve (arrow).

 

I used flare fittings throughout, as original. They're

good to like 900 PSI and are very easy to make.

 

New lines to the rebuilt mechanical pump and out

to the carburetor. I re-routed the upper line to 

keep it away from the exhaust manifolds and

upper radiator hoses. 

 

So the gas tank is new, the fuel lines are all new and 100% metal, and there's a new heavy-duty fuel pump that should last many years. After getting some feedback from Ed reminding me that pulling power from the ignition switch is a no-no, I decided I had to rewire the fuel pump as well. I still wanted it to shut off with the ignition, but I also wanted manual control. It had to get a full +6V but not draw any power from the ignition itself, which can cause all kinds of drivability problems. The solution? A relay! It will pull power from someplace other than the ignition, but the ignition will be used to "trigger" the relay, which only takes a few milliamps. I also incorporated a toggle switch so that I can control the pump manually--the pump won't run unless both the ignition AND the toggle are ON. If either one is OFF, the pump is off. Easy! Here's how I wired it:

 

Wiring diagram for incorporating a relay

in the fuel pump circuit.

 

You'll note in that wiring diagram that I was pulling power from the kill switch on the battery, which works but isn't ideal. Since that current doesn't pass through the ammeter, it doesn't show as a drain. Not critical, but not the best way to do it. That's what I was working to correct today and is exactly what the distribution block is for. I removed that power wire from the battery kill switch and tucked it under the dash and will ultimately connect it to the distribution block. The distribution block, of course, will be powered by the 10-gauge wire from the ammeter, which means all the accessories powered by the distribution block will show on the ammeter. That's the right way to do it. 

 

Toggle switch and relay tucked under the dash.

 

It took me two tries to get the fuel system right, but I'll never have to touch it again. I'm optimistic that I've eliminated one possible source of issues when it comes time to start the engine. With everything being new, what could possibly go wrong?

 

 

Edited July 19, 2021 by Matt Harwood (see edit history)

[edinmass]

Fix it once, fix it right, do it in the shop. Then you never need to touch it out on the road. Take the ten most common issues on an old car that stop you from driving down the road.....fix them BEFORE you have a problem, and you car will never let you down. Matt is working his ass off now, and after five hundred miles of driving, he will be able to leave the tools and spare parts at home when on tour. I took my V-12 Pierce on tour three years ago, did 1200 hard miles in eight days, and never touched a single thing on the car except the gas cap. The restoration was 25 years old. Once done correctly you never need to address the stupid things that 90 percent of the people are fighting with. 

[Jeff Perkins / Mn]

2 hours ago, edinmass said:

Take the ten most common issues on an old car that stop you from driving down the road.....fix them BEFORE you have a problem, and you car will never let you down.

I would love to see your list of 10 and compare to mine. I am picking up a ‘48 Chrysler next week and want to go through everything  before I hit the road. It is a clean original with 62 K miles but maintenance the past 30 years may have not been up to a high standard. 
 

Matt, forgive me if I drifted from your topic but many of us have learned so much from this thread I thought I could ask this of Ed. Jeff P.