Wiring help, Smoke escaped!

[Job]

Hi All,
I wired my 29 Station Wagon a few years ago and she ran just fine while being rebuilt. She's been in the barn while the body was slowly being finished. This week I added the tail lights and a Truck-lite turn signal kit #900. Today I turned her key on, did not start her, turned the light switch on, saw one head light was on, walked to the rear to check tail lights, none were on and saw smoke pouring from the engine compartment. Hit the cutoff switch and found the wire to the generator Cut-Out hot, brown and crispy(and losing it's smoke) and the wire to the tail lights warm to the touch.
Where should I start looking?

[Roadster62]

Wiring is the very last thing to do on a car, roll it outside and get good photos before you start, that way you'll have photos to remember the car by. Bob

[Tom Wesenberg]

Disconnect the two terminals on the cutout output side, and see what happens when you connect the battery. If nothing happens, then touch the wire from the firewall and see if it sparks when you touch the cutout terminal. If it does, then the problem is the cutout or generator. If nothing happens, then touch the lights/horn wire to the firewall wire and see if it sparks. If it sparks with the lights turned off, then the lights or horn are the problem.

Do this and report back.

[Job]

That's basically what I did. Just wired it enough to make sure the engine ran after putting the chassis together. Now I'm in the home stretch to get it registered for this summer driving!

[Job]

Thanks Tom, I'll try tomorrow after work.

[Tom Wesenberg]

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If the lights seem to be shorted, the first place to look is the connections at the base of the headlamps. Some of the repro parts don't fit as well as original, and the contacts may be touching each other or ground.

[Y-Blockhead]

Originally Posted by bunnyc

Replacement wiring harness smoke.

Wonder how many times we'll see that one today...
https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=196335

Originally Posted by Tom Wesenberg

If the lights seem to be shorted, the first place to look is the connections at the base of the headlamps.

That happened to me once. Luckily I had added circuit breakers before it happened..

[H. L. Chauvin]

As you stated: "Wired a few years ago.:

Difficult to see what one has from far away.

With a vehicle left unattended for a few years, it might not be a bad idea to begin verifying all wires and all connections starting at the battery.

Lot of times, metal oxidation sets in ....... and one loses (+) and (-) continuity in the least suspected areas ..... then one begins to play hopscotch with no electrical road map diagram.

[Job]

Morning, so I followed Tom's suggestions and it sparks like heck when I touch the light/ horn wire to the firewall wire. When I first tested the lights the passenger light did not light, so that is my suspect. Off to work now, car play later.
Thanks for the help!

[1Tudoor]

One reason to have an easily accessible batt cut out switch . I had a smoker diagnosing wiring my 31 in the tunnel under the tank .

[eagle]

EVERYONE should have either a fuse or a circuit breaker in the power circuit. If fuse, keep some extras in the car. Unless of course, you aren't really that concerned about burning up your car, garage, etc. Just because Henry didn't put one there, is NOT a good reason to not have one. Once the wiring has been hot, the insulation will be compromised and will degrade much quicker than it should. I myself prefer a fuse over a breaker because if I have a excessive current draw, a fuse will act quicker than a breaker. As far as not resetting, that's fine with me because I want to find out why it blew. Anything that "fixes itself" WILL break itself too.

[Big hammer]

My guess adding, adding turn signals at the terminal box one of the studs backed into the firewall. But just a guess!

[Job]

1Tudoor, I had a battery cut off switch, I was just at the back of the car when I saw the smoke. Two steps to the front of a wagon!
Eagle, Ya, learned my lesson. I had a safety fuse, not installed, waiting to go in. It is NOW installed! Question, it came with a 20 amp fuse yet I'm finding sellers offering 30 amp replacements. Which should be used?

[Job]

So I got a chance to pull the wiring harness today and give it a through going over and I believe it was shorting out where it came out the base of the steering column. Poor insulation on the wires and a few bare spots where it could have been touching there.
Shoud have a new harness Thur. and if it's not better quality I'll modify it before installation.
Thanks for all your help!

[Mitch//pa]

The quality will vary depending on where you buy the harness from...

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

I've heard that Sacramento Vintage Ford makes their own EXCELLENT looms & they're very AUTHENTIC.
Bill W.

[mshmodela]

Originally Posted by eagle

EVERYONE should have either a fuse or a circuit breaker in the power circuit. If fuse, keep some extras in the car. Unless of course, you aren't really that concerned about burning up your car, garage, etc. Just because Henry didn't put one there, is NOT a good reason to not have one. Once the wiring has been hot, the insulation will be compromised and will degrade much quicker than it should. I myself prefer a fuse over a breaker because if I have a excessive current draw, a fuse will act quicker than a breaker. As far as not resetting, that's fine with me because I want to find out why it blew. Anything that "fixes itself" WILL break itself too.

SECOND THAT! when I got my car and discovered that power was never really fully removed... That's a potential fire waiting to happen... So a battery disconnect was installed fast...