The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Electrical Bay engine wiring

hi, working on a 1951 1/2 ton panel, 235, 4spd. i'm reinstalling the engine, that i didn't remove, and don't know how to wire the enging back up. i don't have a voltage regulator, it is 12 volt alt set up and it was using a ballast. i know there need to be a hot from the battery to the starter, a wire from the ing switch to the ballast, one from the ballast to the coil, one from the coil to the distrubutor but kinda lost from there. should there be a voltage regulator? i didn't get one back from the shop that removed the engine and there dosent seem to be any holes on the fire wall or the fenders to mount it.

also, in case you haven't guessed, this is pretty new territory for me.

thanks for any help. this forum has been a great help during this process.

The voltage regulator, "black box", is used with a generator or an old style alternator with no built in regulation. If you have a modern internally regulated alternator, you don't need the black box. I would recommend that approach. Tell us which way you want to go and we will help wire it up.
Your description of wiring sounds pretty good except for a "bypass" system. This depends on if you have an electric solenoid or foot stomp and a few other things. Tell us about that and we will advise. The bypass system will have two wires to coil pos. One used during start and the other used for run, to protect the points.

1. Does the motor start? (you don't need a charging system for that)
2. Are you wiring with a harness kit?
3. Are you trying to follow the official wiring diagram, albeit now 12V? Good move to have 12V. I assume you know about 6V to 12V conversion issues. See tip section.
A complete description of what components is helpful for us, can not have too much info. Pics are worth gold. See attachment manager instructions. Very easy.
I have done a lot of TF panels. Very cool trucks to have. Fairly rare. I know why you have it, To carry your gig gear.

ok bart, thanks for the reply. so yes the motor was started on a stand by the rebuilders. it has not run in the truck since being removed by a local garage. i don't have a wiring kit and the rest of the truck, lights, gauges etc wiring is in place so i just need to hook up the engine, eg: starter, coil, alt. not trying to follow any offical diagram it is 12 volts, just the best way to get a simple clean dependable system. i've tried to post pics before without luck. can send them to a phone or maybe email?

so, how did you know i was using it to carry gear? do i know you?

I had a lot of fun wiring my truck up so I could start it the first time. ALL of my wiring was well worn, so please be aware of that and replace it as necessary.

hey bart, forgot to say that the alt is a new single wire type

also, the distributor has a petronix modual and it has a flame thrower coil from petronix too.

.......you didn't ask about the bypass. Do you have that covered? Electric solenoid starter? Bypass on that involves "R" terminal.

Not up on AD solenoid vs kick start, so maybe the year should tell me the answer. Can you fill me in on that?

I saw you were a musician and back in my day they always used vans and panels. Pretty good guess huh?

Check out the old video Tom Moore posted in "panels n burbs".

What model/part-number Pertronix module?

How did you run/route the ignition wire from starter to distributor?

thats a great vid. so the petronix unit is a 1168ls and the starter is the old floor button with 1 pole on the starter.

OK, foot start. You said you have a ballast resistor. Best setup is a foot start switch with the ever popular side terminal to an externally resisted 12V coil.

You said 1 pole starter mounted switch. Does not seem correct. There are several way to wire start function but 1 pole switch and a ballast resistor is not one of them. (1 pole means just the big stud, no side terminal on the starter mounted switch, yes?)

I do not know how all that works with a pertronix system (which I don't like), so I will let them boys help you.

At times, that company wants a ballast and a internally resisted coil. Many folks have been confused, many have it hooked up differently than others. Sometimes the company advises conflicting info by so called techs. Some people say it has no points so does not need point protection but the instructions say leave the bypass alone.
Then they want you to buy a meter and check your coil's resistance. Then they say heat can cause you to wait a few hours to restart. Is there anything wrong with the standard GM point's 100 year old idea? Are points causing people to be stranded and freezing to death, sterilization or global warming or something? Are people buying Pertronix thinking they are doing something groovy? Reliable? Quicker starts? More power? To lay some rubber? Those that are "happy with it", are they happier with it? If they are not points, then is it HEI? If it's HEI, why do they need a bypass? Is it perpetual motion? AI? HAI?

ok so here is what i found out about the petronix unit. as per the tech there. using the flame thrower coil and 1168ls, means no ballast is needed. the red from the distrubutor goes to + on the coil, the black to -. the side terminal is what i have without the small pole. so yes, one big stud.

i may have it figured out but maybe someone can let me know.

here is what i've come up with.
hot from the battery to the constant hot on the ignition.
keyed ignition to the coil.
plus and minus on the coil to red and black, to the distrubutor/petronix module.
single wire from the alt, to the positive side of the battery.
positive battery to the foot starter.
frame, engine, and body grounds.

so will it work?

Do you have an ammeter? That will change how you need to wire the ignition switch and alternator. If you wire the alternator and ignition switch directly to battery, the ammeter will not read charge or discharge.

ok so ignition side of the ignition switch to the volt meter?

then the rest looks good?

No. Do you have a volt meter or an ammeter?

i have the factory gauge. not sure what should it be?

Get a VOM, then you can figure out for yourself!

Ed

It's an ammeter if it's in the round cluster. Wire per correct diagrams for your truck. They are asking because ammeter and voltmeter are wired WAY differently. It's OK you didn't know the correct name for it. Now you do.

ok so ignition side of the ignition switch to the volt meter?

There is a wire from the alternator to the load side of the ammeter. The ignition wire is on that ammeter terminal also........... and all other loads.

The other ammeter terminal has only one wire, the 10 Ga starter/battery wire.

I advise to not wire anything to the ammeter and install a volt meter somewhere under dash now that you have a higher output alternator and 12V.
You can study how to wire a volt meter on the web. It does not have a bunch of sparky hot load wires to it and is not used as a hot terminal for everything. Better/cleaner wiring. It tells you everything the ammeter did.
At the same time you can install a power terminal block and/or a modern fuse panel to supply fused hot to components. The use of ammeters is not a good idea anymore. You will still have it in the cluster.......disconnected.

thanks bart, sorry i'm still in the learning stage. thanks for taking the time to make sure i get it right.

your a good guy!

Now you’ve gone and done it! bartamos won’t be able to squeeze his head inside his P/U to drive it.

Cue the "Rocky" theme.............

doob, glad to help, thanks.