Hi Mike, Run a jumper wire with alligator clips from the big + starter lug up to the + side of the ballast resistor....this bypasses the ignition switch. You've now "hot wired" your engine. If it cranks (using the ignition switch or the footstomp starter) your problem COULD be at the ignition switch. If it doesn't, hook it to other pole on the resistor or directly to the coil + terminal. Crank the engine, if it fires up you know the resistor COULD have expired. It won't hurt to run the coil on 12 volts to get the truck back into the garage with the jumper wire. You can do these little checks without disconnecting any of the wires that are already hooked up.
To verify that it isn't your ignition switch, hook one end of the jumper wire to the resistor where the ignition wire hooks up...the other end of the jumper to the + terminal on the coil....if it cranks you've verified that the ignition switch is good and the resistor is bad. The ballast resistor drops the voltage to your coil after the engine gets started on a full 12 volts....reduces point burning.
If you're working on the brakes on your truck you really should be able to handle some simple electrical tests. With an old truck it's good to have an inexpensive little test light and a couple jumper wires with clips. Clip the end of the test light to some clean part of the engine (ground) and touch the sharp probe to any electrical terminal.....if it's "hot" (12v) the light will light up!
With a test light you could verify that the wire from the ignition switch was hot, that the ballast resistor was conducting the current through it's little resistor coil and that it was getting to the + side of the coil. It's really that simple! However, a warning...once you've got a test light and jumpers you'll want a multimeter so you can test continuity!!! That's what missing somewhere in your ignition system now. And then it's a timing light.....and on and on and on......electricity is a whole lot more fun than brakes!!!!
Dave
BTW...sharp website!!!
