I bought a 1945 Chevy 1/2 ton a few weeks ago and have fallen in love with it. But, there were a few things bothering me. One was the way the ammeter never read into the "Charging" side. The needle just hung straight down, not really discharging, just laying there (lazy SOB). I checked the battery occasionally and it seemed to be holding right at 6.23 volts. However, that all changed when I got caught at the local restaurant after dark. Lights on, discharging badly. I did not tell the wife and kids that I was afraid we wouldn't make it home, and luckily we did.
Today I went out and decided to have a look at the charging system. Nothing seemed to be wrong except every wire in the harness was showing bare copper. I started taping and realized I could not buy enough tape to patch the mess (not to mention all the butt splices and other forms of nastiness). So on a whim, I started rewiring the truck. Every wire came out and new wires went in. I bought wiring loom, several colors of wire, and ring connectors from the hardware shop and went to work. Heater, dash lights, dimmer, tailights, everything got the treatment (wire sized to match the old). When I finished (four or five hours later) I hooked the battery back up and fired it up. To my complete surprise and joy, the system started charging like nobody's business!
I had no idea my lights would burn so brightly and the heater would blow at full blast. Now I know that I have taken away from the originality of the truck, but I wieghed that against a reliable electrical system and it was no contest. The job looks neat and clean.. and works (did I mention that already?).
Well, my wife does not really appreciate this sort of victory, so I figured I would share it with all of you. I am so inspired I will start conquering the next little thing that keeps me tossing at night....(is she timed correctly?)
Hal
