I got the 3200 out of winter storage yesterday and was driving home when smoke started coming out of the dash. I pulled over and looked under the dash - the headlight switch was on fire. I managed to get it out pretty quickly with only a burnt sleeve and a few singed fingers. I had taken out my extinguisher for the winter..never drive without one of them again. When I pulled the switch it appears that one of the points of the thermal breaker had fused together and melted the copper strip it is attached to - it is an original switch. Damage to the truck was minimal, however the connectors are melted into one big plastic mess.
Is there anywhere I can buy the electrical connectors and plastic clips that slide over them to repair the last section of each wire that goes into the switch? This is almost a brand new wiring harness and I want to repair it. Nothing up around here. Any input appreciated. It is lucky old Esmerelda the truck is still around.
Try contacting Rhode Island Wiring. They will likely have those connectors and the sleeves that slide over them. I have used them for my '37 project and my '50 COE (complete harnesses) and the sleeves are not plastic but a firm rubber. Kent
A fire started under the hood when I threw a rod and blew a hole in the block. There was a bit of a drip from the fuel pump adding fuel to the fire. The guy on the highway behind me stopped and tossed a rag on the engine.
I was this close to seeing the whole thing up in flames. Good call on the extinguisher.
You need to find out what caused the problem. The headlight switch breaker is designed to open when a short to ground happens, preventing a fire. Yours apparently did not open, but that may not be your only problem. Could be you have a bare wire contacting ground. Carl
1952 5-window - return to "as built" condition | 1950 3100 with a 235 and a T-5 transmission
Check the dimmer switch for shorts, grounds, corrosion, or loose connections. Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
I managed to get it out pretty quickly with only a burnt sleeve and a few singed fingers. I had taken out my extinguisher for the winter..never drive without one of them again. When I pulled the switch it appears that one of the points of the thermal breaker had fused together and melted the copper strip it is attached to - it is an original switch. Damage to the truck was minimal, however the connectors are melted into one big plastic mess.