Electrical Issues

[TKlauber]

Well I finally got off my duff and got my hands dirty with this. I took the alternator off last night and took it into NAPA for a test. Kelly the guy that works there is an old friend (he is into Model A Fords BTW). The alternator tested bad. I could not believe it. It looked in mint shape. So I bought a rebuilt one and kept my core. $40 bucks. What a great price. Put it on and of course it seems to be working fine. I checked continuity of the wires to the alternator and they were fine. I dug into the horns as there seemed to be an intermittent loss of horn and found a bad ground at the harness at the driver front. It is at the left horn harness. Actually I should have filed off some of the powdercoat there when I put it together 15 years ago. I also found that one of the horns doesn't work and probably never did. I tried a direct wire to it and never could get it to sound. I did not mess with the tuning screw which looked like it was in proper place. Replace the horn some day. Now the lights. I checked fuses - OK. I noticed I could get the instrument lights to work some of the time but not the headlites. I noticed the reostat for instrument lights and turned it a couple times and the instrument lights would come on and off so I think the reostat has some minor corrosion internally. I worked it some and finally all the lights would come on. It is cheap but period correct. It probably needs to be used a little more. Plus Marion SC is in a swamp - Swamp Fox City is our motto so damp is ever present - another excuse to get out and drive. I cranked it up and it cranked fine. It idles a little rough like a plug or wire is off so I will check that. Who knows how long I have been running on battery? I have never tuned the car - do you tune an electronic ignition? I know how to tune a points ignition but not this newer stuff. I will figure it out. Maybe advance or retard the spark some till it sounds right. I have a nice SUN timing light. I did replace the plug wires with some from NAPA. They are 7mm and should be 9mm so they gotta go. Maybe put them on the boat. They don't even fit in the looms. Thanks for the help fellas. Seems everyone had something to offer on this. Tom