Author Topic: Trying to get the party started!  (Read 2969 times)

Offline RabidScott

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Trying to get the party started!
« on: January 04, 2008 - 01:43:09 PM »
I've been trying to sort out the electrical in my Challenger.  I'd like the basics to work, and after the electrical, it's real close to being driveable again!   :biggrin:

The car is a 1970 Challenger, the engine harness is a 1970, the dash/harness is out of a '74 Challenger with three speaker dash and AC, and the rest of the body harness is also 1970 Challenger.

Problem:
The only electrical I'm getting out of it is the tail lights and rear side lights, and it sounds like my starter relay is working when I turn the key.  I have to connect the starter wiring to see if it turns over.

With the key on, the wiper motor works.

However, there are no dash lights, no head lights, the gauges don't seem to power on, and probably other stuff, but those are the biggies.


In the engine compartment I have the battery positive hooked to the starter relay, then a lead that has the fusible link before the large red wire going to the bulkhead connector.  The large black wire that should go through the bulkhead to the amp gauge is NOT connected to the alternator yet.

I was looking into the wiring diagram, looks like the AMP lead starts at the alternator, goes up through the bulkhead, junctions in the wiring towards the fuse box and then up to the AMP gauge, then back down through the bulkhead connector to the large lug on the starter relay.

If the AMP lead wasn't connected at the alternator, would it not allow that to complete the circuit?  I was reading here that the AMP gauge needs to be hooked up, or nothing happens.


Basically, I just want my electrical to work.  Any ideas what I should check or recheck?   :clueless: ???

1970 Dodge Challenger
13.9 @ 101 with stock internally 440, OD 4 speed, 3.23 LSD


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Offline Chryco Psycho

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Re: Trying to get the party started!
« Reply #1 on: January 04, 2008 - 01:51:51 PM »
the main power does go through the Amp guage so both wires need to be connected there but the wiper motor works so that must be connected , the alternater in not critical I need time to think this through which I don`t have right now

Challenger - You`ll wish You Hadn`t

Offline LAA66

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Re: Trying to get the party started!
« Reply #2 on: January 04, 2008 - 05:14:34 PM »
 The black wire on my 70 is rerouted directly to the starter relay by-passing the amp gauge. The red one is still in place though. The only thing that doesn't work right is the gauge. Hope that helps.

Offline RabidScott

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Re: Trying to get the party started!
« Reply #3 on: January 09, 2008 - 02:33:33 AM »
Nevermind guys, I got it.

1970 Dodge Challenger
13.9 @ 101 with stock internally 440, OD 4 speed, 3.23 LSD


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Offline Chryco Psycho

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Re: Trying to get the party started!
« Reply #4 on: January 09, 2008 - 02:37:32 AM »
 :2thumbs:

Challenger - You`ll wish You Hadn`t

Offline MEK-Dangerfield

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Re: Trying to get the party started!
« Reply #5 on: January 09, 2008 - 05:15:56 AM »
Nevermind guys, I got it.

Don't keep us in suspense.   :jumping:  What was the problem? 

Mike

1970 Challenger - SOLD
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Offline Oldschool

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Re: Trying to get the party started!
« Reply #6 on: January 09, 2008 - 09:58:28 AM »
 :popcorn:    :popcorn:   
Ken  --  In Georgia

MOPAR-------"Built To Run------Here To Stay"

Offline RabidScott

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Re: Trying to get the party started!
« Reply #7 on: January 09, 2008 - 02:53:31 PM »
Well, the fuse box was still getting power with out the lead to the alternator, and AA66 confirmed my suspicion about not needing the amp gauge getting power.

I used a Dremel to remove some rust and crud that had built up on the fuse prongs in the fuse block, it appeared some circuits weren't getting power.

The headlights?  After digging and checking, it all came down to the high beam selector.  It would only give me high beams.  Tried two high beam selectors.  Took one of them apart, and looked at the guts of it.  After looking at the way it functioned, I realized it had to be a wiring problem.  Sure enought, the main power green wire and the low beam wire were swapped in the connector.  I don't know how the hell that happened, but swapping 'em around fixed the headlight problem.

The dash light fader switch I wiggled and played with, I think it has the old Chrysler problem where the resistor spring is coming loose from the insulator, so I eventually found a sweet spot where it worked.  Only one of the bulbs works, too, so I would have never seen it during the day.  Some new bulbs and will fix that problem for now, eventually I'll do the switch.


Now I'm onto the gauges not powering up, and the igniton switch has something funky going on.

The 1970 column harness and the 1974 dash harness appear to have some incompatibilities.

At first, I just plugged in in, but running a test light to the starter relay show that it is getting power whenever the ignition switch is on Run or Start, and the coil wire doesn't appear to be getting juice, so something is crossed somewhere.

Looking on the wiring diagrams I've found here and on the 'net, the '74 dash harness don't seem to have exactly routing to column as the '70 dash harness does.  Don't know how I'm going to remedy that yet, but I'll be digging into that more tonight.

Any insight would be helpful.  If I can't figure it out, I'll post some pictures.

1970 Dodge Challenger
13.9 @ 101 with stock internally 440, OD 4 speed, 3.23 LSD


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Offline Chryco Psycho

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Re: Trying to get the party started!
« Reply #8 on: January 10, 2008 - 01:58:54 AM »
I would start with the bulkhead plug , the wires changed positions year to year

Challenger - You`ll wish You Hadn`t

Offline Bullitt-

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Re: Trying to get the party started!
« Reply #9 on: January 10, 2008 - 09:50:49 AM »
Wade  73 Rallye 340..'77 Millennium Falcon...13 R/T Classic   Huntsville, AL
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