The next thing that managed to show up in the mail for the Truckstang is the radiator fan. Because this radiator is smaller than the radiator used in the Rustang, being able to cool the 289 V8 is very important. Since the position of the engine relative to where the radiator sits would cause the water pump mounted fan to hit the top rad hose, I had to remove the fan from the water pump. Obviously I'd have to use an electric fan, and use the biggest one I could install. In this case, I picked a 16" fan, compared to the 12" fans I used on the Dodge. This large fan managed to cover approximately 80% of the surface of the radiator. This fan should be more than able to draw enough air through the radiator to supply the vital cooling for the engine. Before the fan came, I did get the wiring taken care of. Since the amperage draw is high enough to be a little taxing on the spartan electrical system, I chose to use an automotive relay for the fan, which will get power directly from the battery, with the relay being switched from the electrical system. This makes things easy to bypass if the relay happens to malfunction but I would like to think I'd keep a spare relay in the glovebox or whatever I plan to set up for storage in the car.
In the meantime, I did take some time to test out the different circuits on the car. The headlight circuit, wipers, starter, etc were tested successfully. I did have an episode with the turn signal system as it was popping fuses constantly. After a good day of aggravating troubleshooting, I found that one of the front parking light assemblies was wired wrong and essentially shorting every time the signal switch was activated. Ironically the other parking light was wired the same way and didn't pop fuses, which was confusing. I did rewire both lights, solving the problem with the malfunctioning turn signal/hazard light circuit. Another problem I had in the circuit that was less of a problem and more of a headache was the fact that the right taillight did not work. I ended up using the additional light socket I installed on the housing in the past for a turn signal just to test the operation of the turn signal system now. I would have to repair this by either replacing the housing/socket or in TIC style, making something work. I had the spare light socket added because trying to resurrect the original turn signal circuit where it switches between the brake light, fed off a constant 12v power source, and the turn signal, fed from a switched 12v power source feeding through a flasher module, would involve replacing the entire turn signal switch/cam assembly, which is a pain in the ass. It was easier to just add another light socket, separate from the old wiring, and isolate the turn signal cam switch for use in switching the extra lights. Now, with the universal signal switch, I can go back to the single dual filament bulbs in each taillight socket, as it was from the factory. To help this along, I cut out the old light socket from the housing, then trimmed the hole to accommodate another light socket I pulled from another car from the junkyard a long time ago. This socket will then be wired into the wiring I set up, allowing the signal/brake light circuit to work as intended. Because I wasn't exactly able to get the measurements for the light socket and the hole that I would need to cut, I ended up cutting the hole too wide. While this would be a setback for some, because we're TIC, we make things work. In this case, I took a piece of metal that appeared to be a lever of some sort for a switch, I don't even know where I got it, and bent it to serve as a retaining clip. I drilled a hole on the housing and secured the metal piece with a sheet metal screw so it can hold the light socket in place firmly. With the socket modified and now "working", I can get the piece installed back in the car and conclude the turn signal/taillight/brake light circuit on the car, which will then put me in a position where I can't do anything else on the electrical system until I get more components in. The next thing I'm waiting for is the radio, which is on order and is of a retro style but is a digital media player, smaller in size, lower power consumption and bluetooth ready so it can connect to a phone for use. The next thing I will have to do is source a couple of small 3 way speakers to use in the dash right above the radio, versus running two pairs of wires all the way to the back, which will just be more clutter in the car. Of course, this also means I'll have to plug the holes in the old speaker panel to clean up that area. This will most likely be done by cutting some sheet metal and tack welding said sheet metal in place over the holes then painting the new surfaces with the Ivory Bisque paint I used on the rest of the interior.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
May 2023
|