Ok, did a quick search and found nothin'. I have a brand new headlight switch from Concours for my '54 Mainline that is a stock replacement and my wiring harness is a Rebel Wire 9+3. I was using an aftermarket switch from carquest when I first re-wired the car and it worked great until recently. It started blowing fuses while mounted in the dash but worked fine just hanging down by the wires. Checked every bit of wiring and concluded the switch was bad. I have a stock wiring diagram, a nice one, wired up the new switch and all I am getting is headlights but no taillights or parking lamps. I need to know if anyone else here has had any issues using the stock switch with Rebel Wire and any help in the matter is always appreciated...JeffB2, I am looking at you brother. But seriously....HELP!!!!
If you are now back to using the stock Ford switch,give Rebel Wire a call on the tech line they can help you as their customers service is A++ from any Hamber that has used them,also Rocky aka dragonknucks can help you as He used the same kit in His '54 I would send him a pm.Almost all aftermarket harness kits are made GM friendly as are some aftermarket switches and that is what causes the problem you have with your Ford.Also when you installed the new harness did you install headlight relays? that takes the load off the switch,my '54 Ford switch died and I wired it with a GM style switch.Fords used one wire for power in,GM switches have two 12 volt feeds, your tailights and parking lights are on a seperate circuit from the headlamps and dash lamps with a GM switch.I STRONGLY advise you to read this link about relays:www.watsons-streetworks.com/current_topic.html I used the headlight and 70 amp relay on the ign switch for good insurance,my advice: add those relays and call Rebel wires' tech for info on wiring a Ford switch,if you plan on a sound system or other add ons that 70 amp relay is critical in your case.Your Ford switch is grounded by the dash so to test your lights by doing this get some small alligator clips and make two seperate wires both with these clips,on is for ground from the switch the other is for a test jumper also have a test light on hand,disconnect the battery when you remove the headlight switch,after you have it hanging down reconnect the battery run your new ground wire to the metal on the switch and to a metal bolthead.Then as you pull the switch in and out you can start tracing current to your feed wires,when you get everything working disconnect the battery before you put the switch back in.
Hey, I did use the rebel wire kit, but switched to a gm switch. Made things much easier for me. Didn't use relays though. Also, I had to call rebel wire a couple times for some help. Awesome people to deal with. I will buy all my wiring from them. I followed the simple diagram for gm headlight switch. The diagram comes in that fancy little book labeled "instructions". I call it fancy cuz its simply stapled together with 1 staple. I love it! Anyways, this probably didn't help you much, but if you need any help or thoughts, send me a message. Rocky
I totally agree with Jeff . Just take a deep breath , sit back and wait till you have time to talk with Rebal or maybe Glenn if he is still up . Personally I would wait till I can talk with the tech guys at Rebal . They will get you up and running in no time . They are the best around . It really sounds like you got the wiring mixed up on the switch . Yes most companies use the standard GM basic wiring harness . I wish they didn't but then we all love our Fords not GM's ! I am not saying that the kit you got is a GM kit , but most universal wiring kits are built that way then you buy different pigtails for Fords . You just have your wiring wrong on the Ford switch and sounds like you are shorting it out when you mount to the dash which is a common ground . Just let it hang for now if you need to drive . Don't worry , Rebal will get you going fast in the morning ! Jim
JeffB2, a couple of stupid questions for ya, where did you wire up the 70 amp relay on the ignition? and, where is the best place to wire in the headlight relays? I think it would be better for the harness and my sanity, in the long run. Thanks for all the replies, I'll get it handled.
When you order the relays,call in the order and ask if they can send you a diagram to work with, let them know you have a Rebel wire kit.I have talked to them on the phone and the guy was helpful at Watsons.
Call Rebel wire. I had a similar issue and we got it fixed right away. I can't tell you how top notch those guys are at Rebel Wire. Call them, they will give you the right answer!
I used rebel wire and factory switch. Literally the factory one, not a remade one The support guy is top notch and he will probably remember me if you call him and say there is a guy you helped with a 56 Ford in TN. He got to know me well. But it worked like a champ, everything first time. This is the only notes I could find on my setup, so I would use this and call them just to verify. My car is at the body shop (along with my 56 shop manual with notes) otherwise I could tell you for sure. I wrote down the rebel wire name and what it goes to on the factory switch and...just in case anyone needs steering column wiring colors, here that is Flasher = Blue Lft. Frt Turn = Green/White Rt. Frt Turn = White/BL Left Rear Turn = Green/Oarnge Rt Rear Turn = Oarnge/BL Br. Lt. = Green
Oh man, all this help is making me very appreciative of the HAMB and all the kick *** folks that hang out in this group. Thanks so much everyone.
That is why I recommend Glenn33 and Rebal Wiring to everyone on the HAMB when they are asking for a good wiring harness . Made in the USA and all the best tech support that you could ask for . This group will always help anyone out no matter what they are driving ! Glad everything worked out good for you ! Jim
Ok, so I bit the bullet and bought a new GM style switch to replace the bad one, went to back to Carquest to give them another shot and so far, so good. As I deduced, the first switch was bad and the new one is working great. Gonna invest in relays and get that wired up to protect everything. Thx again to everyone for the help.
I used a switch like this one which is USA made http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/3-Po...tZVintageQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories ,I had bad luck with "Made in China" switches which seem to be common at O'Reillys and Autozone you can remove the billet knob and replace it with a Ford knob so things will match. Also the switch from Watsons Streetworks (see link in my post above) is of good quality part#AA-HLS @ $25.
Here my two Cents. If you used a kit from EZ Wiring you would not of had a problem. A much better kit And user friendly. At a lower cost.
Just thought I would throw this in:http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=561590 Rebel wire has in the past and still does today excell in service after the sale,prices are good and discount is available from a fellow HAMBer and it's all USA made.The switch problem is not uncommon even with Painless or Ron Francis kits costing twice as much because most kits tend to be GM friendly with the wiring to the lights.Our Fords have kind of been the "red headed stepchild" for years as more and more interest is being shown in them we will see more parts become available that are Ford friendly.
Jeff, does the original bezel fit on this switch? The knob should be no problem if the shaft is long enough, but I would like to keep the bezel to keep the dash looking neat and uniform. Thanks for your input.
I used the same Rebel Wire 9+3 kit in my 54 and used the stock switch, works like a charm! The issue I had with it was trying to determine what each post on the switch was for. Once that mystery was solved, it was easy!
Does anyone have a shop manual for my 55 mainline on CD? I'm trying to figure out what all the wires do on my car because I am trying to install this Rebel wiring kit and the directions they send are not real comprehensive. Some of the wires have two wires hooked together on both ends which it doesnt show in the drawings and in most of the pics it supplies it doesnt show where the wire goes to...
Just another $.02 worth here. First, don't over think the re-wiring process, it's much simpler than you first realize. Second, forget the old wiring in your car, you are putting new in. The new wiring may or may not be the same as the old so trying to compare the old with what you are installing will only serve to confuse you. The wires from Rebel have what they go to written on them. Here's what I did; After installing the fuse block, I worked only one 'coil' of wires at a time and started with the tail lights and everything to the rear of the car. Once that was done, I found the 'coil' for the engine compartment and ran that thru the firewall. Depending on what steering column you are running, you may have to fish out the horn wire from the dash 'coil' and run it along with the other engine compartment wires through the firewall. Under the hood, I then separated the engine compartment wires from the light wires. The light wires were the ones that were connected together in my kit. If these are connected together on both ends on your harness, they were probably meant to be custom cut in the middle, but call Rebel and ask before you cut them. I wired my lights followed by the engine compartment. Next, I wired my light and ignition switches from the remaining 'coils', leaving enough extra wire to alow me to manuver them into place once the dash was installed. (I had these separated from the dash and the dash out of the car). Next, I took the dash 'coil' and marked a location where I could terminate the wires into a male/female plug, somewhat close to the fuse panel but long enough to leave maneuvering room. One wire at a time, I cut those wires and terminated them into one side of the plug, making sure that the wire I removed was terminated into the corresponding opposite side of the plug. When I was done, I took the pigtail that I just made and wired it to the dash on my work bench. When I was done, I just simply installed the dash and plugged it in. The main thing to do with the entire project is just run the wire to the location thats written on the wire. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to give Rebel a call. I talked to a guy named Bob when I called and he was more than helpful. Good luck!
Chopd top X2!! Almost exactly what I did. Except I was a genius and installed my kit with the dash still in the car. That was fun....
Thanks Guys, I appreciate the help..I know I am probably over thinking it like you said I tend to do that. I sat down and made myself a drawing last night that I'm hoping will help me figure this project out we will see, The bad thing about the drawings that Rebel sends is that it doesnt tell you what side of a guage or Lamp or light that a wire is supposed to hook to. It just says LT tail light or coil or something like that. So when you get the wire there and there is two wires that are coming from the coil or Light you dont know which one to hook it to and what to do with the other wire! LoL Thats why I needed the drawings of the old schematic to trace where the wires actually went before. Most times when I think of a light or something I think that there should be a positive input and a negative so that it completes a circuit but when the Wiring kit only has one wire going to it it Makes me think I should ground the other wire. Where did you get a Male/Female Plug from?
The male/female plugs you can get at any part store. They come in different styles and types, but the ones I use come with a male side and a female side along with the corresponding male/female pins. The pins are joined together and you have to separate them as you use them. You crimp these pins on the stripped end of your wire and then click them into the plug but make sure you have it in the right spot before you click it, once you do, it’s there permanently. On to the wire labeling, you should have 2 wires for each tail light, one marked tail light and one marked LT or RT (left turn or right turn). One of these goes on one post of the light socket and one goes on the other post of the light socket. The socket itself is the ground. Same with the front turn signals. When I did mine and I went to do the first brake light/ turn signal test, only 2 of my turn signals worked properly. After my initial panic subsided, I stopped and thought the whole process thru and quickly discovered that I had the wires reversed in the sockets of the lights that weren’t working properly. A quick swap and everything was good. Food for thought, make sure you have your body, ch***is and engine block properly grounded. I have the 223/6 in mine, pretty much original so the engine bay was straight forward. I ran the pink wire labeled COIL to one side of a ballast resistor, then coming off the other side of the resistor I split it and ran one wire to the + on the coil and the other wire to the I post on the solenoid. Again, don’t over think it, you’ll do just fine!
Thanks chopd top you have been very helpful and putting it in laymens terms. I will have to pick it up again in a week or so the boss called and I have to go back to work (right in the middle of a project) I will pick up some of the connectors when I get back in though that is a great idea to do it that way. I was wondering how i was going to wire all the dash up laying on my back in the floorboard! LoL
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