The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Electrical Bay Anyone know what these are for?

Not sure what these are...

First:
http://s45.photobucket.com/user/serb28/media/What%20is%20it.jpg.html?sort=3&o=1

Second (hanging down attached to yellow wires) Headlight dimmer?:
http://s45.photobucket.com/user/serb28/media/What%20is%20it%202.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0

I assume you are referring to the heater switch in the first pic.

The second pic shows an aftermarket starter switch.

Thanks for the help and Man, am I NEW to this!!! A heater switch? How did I miss that?

As for the aftermarket starter, how does that work with the stomp starter. I have been using the stomp starter. Should I be using the other one?

And again, thanks for the help. I will do more research first next time.

What year truck?

What type of after-market starter?

6v or 12v?

What size/year engine?

What transmission?

What year flywheel is on the engine?

Does your foot-actuated starter not work properly?

Truck is a '54 3600 with original 235 engine.

Do not know about transmission or flywheel.

The after market starter was not put in by me. Foot starter works fine. In fact, I tried "after market" starter this morning and nothing... So not sure if that is what it is.

The foot pedal part of the starter (that your foot touches, your "stomp starter") is just an offset lever to actuate the starter switch (that is physically located on the top of the starting motor, called "starter"). If you sat in the passenger seat, the starter would be in the vicinity of under your left foot.

The starter switch is connected to the battery- hopefully by a large cable; once it is depressed (by that foot action & extended lever), the starter switch contacts make an electrical connection causing the starter to come to life; the lever on the starter also makes a gear extend into the bell housing, engage the flywheel ring gear, & turn the engine.

Here's a starter switch that goes on a foot-actuated starter. You can see the underside & the contacts I was trying to describe.

Adjectives made all this really confusing for me at first, so I hope this helps clarify some things. Remember, some things may also be in the truck that are not wired to function right now, or bypassed ; the push button "aftermarket starter switch" dangling from the dash could also be wired up to do any number of things- so I'd follow the wires to see where they went before I kept on switching it on/off.

Brad

If the push button was used as a starter switch at one time truck would have had an electrical solenoid starter not a foot actuated starter. It does look like you have a mechanical foot starter. Can you follow the wires on that push button switch and determine what it is or was wired to? Can you state if you have a mechanical or electrical solenoid.
Sorry, I now see that Brad was answering as I was typing. Same gist.

Maybe some one wired it in as a horn button.

The foot starter works fine. I am trying to see if anyone knew what the push button hanging down is. Nothing appears to happen when I push it. Guess I will be playing around under the dash this weekend to trace the wires and see where they go.

Cletis: is that an aftermarket or original heater switch? I have not seen one like that before in my searching.

Thanks for the ideas/help.

The button hanging down looks like an add-on push-button (finger-stomp) for an electric solenoid starter.

You'll have to trace the wires
The first switch could be the heater switch as stated before
...pic...

Same style switch was used for some fog lights
...pic...

Thanks for the heater switch picture. That looks very much like the switch.

How does the heater work then? Thought it had the lever on the heater unit itself.

You need to post a pic of the heater to get an answer on that. There were 2 dealer offered heaters and dozens of aftermarket heaters in 1954.

Thanks. I will post a pic. How do you guys know so much!!! I am very impressed and hope to one day have a fraction of the knowledge y'all have!!!

Everybody starts at zero. Then learns from their Dad, friend, School, job or farm training......or "digging in" to fix the car on Sat and Sun to go to work on Mon. I did that Every weekend!, had no money for a good car or mechanic. No books, no internet.
AND some are still learning from the Stovebolt, like you and me.

I learned from a bunch of good old boys who were the mechanics on my brother-in-laws' dirt track race car (and they worked in parts stores or machine shops in their real jobs).

Well I am still very impressed with the knowledge on this site. I will try to pay attention and learn from y'all.

Here is a picture of the heater:
http://s45.photobucket.com/user/serb28/media/DSCN0470.jpg.html

That is the Recirculating Heater. The lever is a manual adjustment for diverting different % of hot air between windshield defrost vents and the floor.