New 320 owner, 62?

[zed1]

Foam back headliner is available in both 1/16” and 1/8”....verify with the vendor which they are offering.  Also, it is possible to have non-perforated vinyl by upholsterers who perf leather for custom seats.

[320 Newb]

Had another go at my steering wheel--took a grinder to the cracks then filled with JB Weld Plastic Weld, sanded and painted. It looks good but I have a feeling it'll crack again as the bakelite continues to deteriorate. 

 

Still having a hard time with my turn signals. They sometimes work, sometimes don't. When they do work they go at variable speeds and brightnesses. I checked all the grounds, replaced the flasher relay, rebuilt my fuse block... Right now they're not working and it seems like there's no power going to the flasher relay.

 

Any ideas? Could it be my voltage regulator? The other thing I noticed is my coil gets pretty hot to the touch pretty quickly. Is that normal?

 

 

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

I have a similar problem with the turn signals on my 1957 Land Rover. Mine is converted to 12v negative ground, and all the components are new (with the exception of the directional switch). Sometimes they work flawlessly, other times there is a short delay once activated. I suspect the problem is in the archaic relay system, because nothing else makes sense.

 

Hot coil? Coils do run a temp, but if it gets truly hot, there's a problem somewhere. Have you checked the ohm requirements? Have you measured the ohms?

[thisismatt]

If it's like the 521 turn signal switch, and I assume it is, all the power runs through the switch. The contacts get dirty from arcing and old age, then resistance goes up, and subsequently heat goes up, and eventually they start giving you trouble and even smoke/burn up completely. It would be wise to carefully disassemble the switch, clean all the contacts, and grease it with an anti-oxidizing electrical contact grease like no-ox-id, noalox, or kopr-shield. Then, even better, add relays triggered by the turn signal switch to take the current load off the switch & associated wires.

[wayno]

I have had a 320 turn signal assembly apart in the past, it is a major pain to get back together with the springs/ball bearings put back where they belong, I did it so it is possible but it took me quiet a while with another 320 assembly to look at for reference.

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

You don't actually need to disassemble a switch to clean it. A metal etch will do the job.

 

Relays are a great idea. Why I never thought of that before???

[datzenmike]

The mechanical flasher unit depends on a minimum load, like the front and rear turn signal lamps and the one in the dash to make it flash on and off. If a light burns out, usually the other lamp and the indicator lamp will just light and stay that way. If you were to add a trailer the extra draw from these bulbs will make the flasher rate go up. I would check all the bulb sockets for corrosion and when clean, rub a little chassis grease on the ends to limit corrosion.

[thisismatt]

1 hour ago, Stoffregen Motorsports said:

You don't actually need to disassemble a switch to clean it. A metal etch will do the job.

 

Relays are a great idea. Why I never thought of that before???

Probably could. Might be hard to achieve the grease step. Like wayno mentioned, it is kind of a pain as they were never really meant to be "serviceable", but I've done it also and used Noalox when I reassembled. Haven't had any issues since, but I plan to do relays when I rewire eventually.

[320 Newb]

5 hours ago, Stoffregen Motorsports said:

I have a similar problem with the turn signals on my 1957 Land Rover. Mine is converted to 12v negative ground, and all the components are new (with the exception of the directional switch). Sometimes they work flawlessly, other times there is a short delay once activated. I suspect the problem is in the archaic relay system, because nothing else makes sense.

 

Hot coil? Coils do run a temp, but if it gets truly hot, there's a problem somewhere. Have you checked the ohm requirements? Have you measured the ohms?

 

I don't have the right tool for measuring ohms but maybe I'll pick one up. Any idea how many ohms it should be running. 

 

I've got a NOS signal switch so I don't think that's the problem. Something else I noticed is the longer the turn signal is on the more erratic it gets and the signal lights on the gauge bezel start fading out. 

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

Are you running pionts or a Pertronix?

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

20 hours ago, thisismatt said:

Probably could. Might be hard to achieve the grease step. Like wayno mentioned, it is kind of a pain as they were never really meant to be "serviceable", but I've done it also and used Noalox when I reassembled. Haven't had any issues since, but I plan to do relays when I rewire eventually.

You can blow the grease in with air.

[stevecar]

20 hours ago, 320 Newb said:

 

I've got a NOS signal switch so I don't think that's the problem. Something else I noticed is the longer the turn signal is on the more erratic it gets and the signal lights on the gauge bezel start fading out. 

Are both sides behaving the same?

When the gauge lights fade out, do the exterior lights fade out too?

The flasher speed will vary with load. If you have more lights in parallel (less resistance) it will flash slower, and less lights (more resistance) flash faster. This is backwards from what you might think, but it is the cooling speed of the bimetallic reed that has way more effect than how fast it heats up.

If both sides and gauge lights behave the same, a good place to start would be to disconnect the wire from the turn signal lever wire to flasher and apply a good 12V to that wire on the lever side. Flip the lever and see how the lights behave. Report back.

You should disconnect the ignition coil if you have power on for a long time.

[difrangia]

43 minutes ago, stevecar said:

Are both sides behaving the same?

When the gauge lights fade out, do the exterior lights fade out too?

The flasher speed will vary with load. If you have more lights in parallel (less resistance) it will flash slower, and less lights (more resistance) flash faster. This is backwards from what you might think, but it is the cooling speed of the bimetallic reed that has way more effect than how fast it heats up.

If both sides and gauge lights behave the same, a good place to start would be to disconnect the wire from the turn signal lever wire to flasher and apply a good 12V to that wire on the lever side. Flip the lever and see how the lights behave. Report back.

You should disconnect the ignition coil if you have power on for a long time.

 

You should disconnect the ignition coil if you have power on for a long time.

 

Or at least be sure that the points are open.

[320 Newb]

8 hours ago, Stoffregen Motorsports said:

Are you running pionts or a Pertronix?

Points

 

Also the speed at which they flash varies from too fast to too slow. Not sure if the lights fade but I'll try to investigate. 

 

I rebuilt my fuse block and put in all new brass hardware and polished all the brass plates and brackets. This seems to have helped some. 

Edited January 28, 2020 by 320 Newb

[thisismatt]

NOS switch with dried out 60 year old grease 😁

[datzenmike]

7 hours ago, stevecar said:

 

The flasher speed will vary with load. If you have more lights in parallel (less resistance) it will flash slower, and less lights (more resistance) flash faster. This is backwards from what you might think, but it is the cooling speed of the bimetallic reed that has way more effect than how fast it heats up.

 

 

  Add a trailer with more lights and the flasher interval speeds up. Loose a rear light and they slow or even stop. I have never seen otherwise.

 

 

 

[stevecar]

2 minutes ago, datzenmike said:

 

  Add a trailer with more lights and the flasher interval speeds up. Loose a rear light and they slow or even stop. I have never seen otherwise.

 

 

 

I disagree. Here are some google topics: https://www.google.com/search?q=blinker+too+fast&oq=flasher+too+fast&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j0l4.9359j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

I have always seen them slow down with a trailer and speed up if you lose a bulb. Yes, they could stop if you lose a bulb.

[thisismatt]

An old flasher will flash slower or not at all with lamps burned out.  More lamps = more current = flasher metallic strip heats up faster and breaks contact sooner.  Less lamps = less current = flasher metallic strip heats slower or not enough to break contact.

[datzenmike]

Maybe the other applies to modern cars. With my '64 and '70 Dodge and all my Datsuns they slow or stop when a bulb burns out.

[thisismatt]

Yeah, there are modern flashers with "lamp out" circuitry that speed up the flash delay when a bulb is out.

[320 Newb]

1 hour ago, thisismatt said:

NOS switch with dried out 60 year old grease 😁

Good point. I'll pull my steering wheel off and grease it. 

[thisismatt]

1 minute ago, 320 Newb said:

Good point. I'll pull my steering wheel off and grease it. 

I'm not sure which, but you might run some solvent through it first, or at least some CRC electronic/electrical contact cleaner.

[320 Newb]

On 1/26/2020 at 11:16 AM, Stoffregen Motorsports said:

A metal etch will do the job.

 

Is there a product you suggest?

 

If I grease it should it be dielectric? 

Edited January 28, 2020 by 320 Newb

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

3 hours ago, 320 Newb said:

 

Is there a product you suggest?

 

If I grease it should it be dielectric? 

Krud Kutter metal etch is the brand I use. Be careful not to let it sit too long though. Metal etch takes the plating off of steel parts. If you spray it on, scrub it around with a toothbrush and hose it off inside of a couple minutes, that should be enough to clean the contacts.

 

Also, wear gloves and eye protection. Don't breathe it in. It will stain some plastics too, like corrugated wire loom.

 

Dielectric grease works fine because it gets wiped off the contacts after a couple swipes.

[stevecar]

14 hours ago, datzenmike said:

Maybe the other applies to modern cars. With my '64 and '70 Dodge and all my Datsuns they slow or stop when a bulb burns out.

You are correct. I checked my truck and it blinks slower with a bulb out.

I have never had a bad bulb in my truck, but have had several in newer vehicles. I would never have thought that the blink rate for a failed bulb would be backwards. Good to know.