IML: 1960 electrical problems horns and lights

[richard burgess <lecrown60@xxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Group, 

 

Hope some of you have some advice on my electrical woes.  My 1960 LeBaron is giving me fits. 

 

My brake lights were working intermitantly and have now stopped working entirely.  I have headlights, front park lights, tail lights, and back up lights.  No turn signal and no brake lights.  My rear harness is fine, cleaned all bulb connections and checked wiring.  The power is not coming through at the connector at the left front kick panel.  This connector to the rear harness has three wires.  B-2/D-7/D-8 in the wiring diagram.  The white wire (B-2) is the back up lamps, I get power when the car is in reverse on the selector.  I am not getting power to the green and brown wires.  These wires (according to the wiring diagrams) go to the turn signal switch which is totally inaccessible without pulling dash guages.  I do have new connectors at the brake switch, and new switch, at the new master brake cylinder.  I am getting power at that point.  I am now lost as to what to try next.

 

My horns stopped working a while back and I determined the ground wire was broken at the steering column.  It also had a flat spot on the brass roller.  I replaced the whole switch with one from a parts car that had good wires and roller.  I was getting sporadic horn play and now when I turn the wheel right, the horn honks, turn the wheel left, the horn honks.  Cute huh?   From under the dash I can see the horn ground engaging when the wheel gets to a certain left and right location.  I guess instead of having turn signal lights I have horn indicators.  I unplugged the wire.  I innitialy thought the problem was in the steering wheel since it would only honk/respond when you pressed the left side of the ring.  Cleaned all the metal surfaces in the wheel and again swapped out the parts for nicer ones and was still only getting response on the left side.  My big question is why does the ground involve this roller mechanism?  What on earth does the position of the wheel have to do with the horn honking????????  What now?

 

The brake lights are my real problem as this car is hard enough to drive with both hands.  Having one out window doing hand signals is dangerous for me and I think everyone else on the road has forgotten what they mean anyway. 

 

Richard Burgess

'60 LeBaron Sedan

'60 Crown Sedan, (comes back from the bodyshop next weekend!)

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