The Ford Barn

Conaway2 · 10-21-2019, 05:19 PM

I’ve owned my 1930 Model A for over 50 years and have replaced countless parts during that time. However, I overlooked replacing original electrical wiring in two places, and now have had to do so. The armored ignition cable and tail light sockets both shorted within the past month. The ignition cable failure resulted in a tow home....

It had never occurred to me that wiring - a non-moving part - would just fail, but in each cast, that’s exactly what happened. The cloth insulation dried out and fell off the wire, resulting in short each time. After all, the wiring is almost 90 years old.

My key learning is to be sure that my current Model A, and any others I may acquire have new wiring throughout !

CWPASADENA · 10-21-2019, 06:17 PM

Very good idea.

Remember, nothing lasts for ever!!!

Chris W.

DannL · 10-21-2019, 08:16 PM

I'm two days into rewiring my '30 Tudor. When my headlights shorted last week I threw my hands up and said "That's it.". It took ten minutes and a pair of diagonal cutters to remove all of the wiring from the headlights to the tail lights. When I saw how little wiring was in the car I had to laugh.

Purdy Swoft · 10-22-2019, 07:30 AM

If no electrical accessories are installed , the model A doesn't need a lot of wire . Henry kept it as simple as possible .

Bob Bidonde · 10-22-2019, 07:47 AM

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Beware the wiring that has lots of patches. Each patch repair has a relatively high likelihood of failure. I strongly urge you to replace all off the wiring with new reproduction harnesses.

The dome light wiring, if your car has one, will be inaccessible for replacement.

10-21-2019, 05:19 PM	#1
Conaway2 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2019 Location: Mt. Pleasant, SC Posts: 601	Original electrical wiring I’ve owned my 1930 Model A for over 50 years and have replaced countless parts during that time. However, I overlooked replacing original electrical wiring in two places, and now have had to do so. The armored ignition cable and tail light sockets both shorted within the past month. The ignition cable failure resulted in a tow home.... It had never occurred to me that wiring - a non-moving part - would just fail, but in each cast, that’s exactly what happened. The cloth insulation dried out and fell off the wire, resulting in short each time. After all, the wiring is almost 90 years old. My key learning is to be sure that my current Model A, and any others I may acquire have new wiring throughout !

10-21-2019, 06:17 PM	#2
CWPASADENA Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: PASADENA, CA Posts: 1,884	Re: Original electrical wiring Very good idea. Remember, nothing lasts for ever!!! Chris W.

10-21-2019, 08:16 PM	#3
DannL Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2019 Location: Oklahoma City, OK Posts: 184	Re: Original electrical wiring I'm two days into rewiring my '30 Tudor. When my headlights shorted last week I threw my hands up and said "That's it.". It took ten minutes and a pair of diagonal cutters to remove all of the wiring from the headlights to the tail lights. When I saw how little wiring was in the car I had to laugh.

10-22-2019, 07:30 AM	#4
Purdy Swoft Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Alabama Posts: 8,099	Re: Original electrical wiring If no electrical accessories are installed , the model A doesn't need a lot of wire . Henry kept it as simple as possible .

10-22-2019, 07:47 AM	#5
Bob Bidonde Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 3,470	Re: Original electrical wiring Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements) Beware the wiring that has lots of patches. Each patch repair has a relatively high likelihood of failure. I strongly urge you to replace all off the wiring with new reproduction harnesses. The dome light wiring, if your car has one, will be inaccessible for replacement. __________________ Bob Bidonde