Here at YnZ’s I often get requests to rewire customers original turn signal switches. There were a huge assortment of types and manufactures. Some of the switches are really odd. However, I think most of them are an interesting example of the automotive art. I have started keeping a picture log of the switches we recieve and what information I have about the switch.

This particular switch must have been an aftermarket accessory in the mid-fifties. The wire used on it was PVC insulated with a brown cloth braid over it. It also has the nice feature of having a wheel on it that would self-cancel the switch. The front of the switch says “Auto Lamp, Chicago”.
Interestingly enough once opened the switch mechanism was a typical ford switch. I have provided a wiring diagram below for anyone who has this particular switch.

The rubber wheel on the switch was in bad shape. I sprayed the rubber heavily with silicon spray. After letting the silicon sit for a few hours the rubber was a lot softer. After that I applied some brushable electrical tape over the wheel to seal it and provide an extra layer of contact material.

I charged the customer $60 to rewire this. I ran all new wire right to the switch, rebraided it and even put a connector on the other end so it matched perfectly to the harness we made him. So after a little work the customer has a nice rewired vintage piece on his steering column instead of the clunky aftermarket pieces available now.

I just received a letter from a customer regarding a problem he was
having with his taillights. He wrote:
“When my lights are off and I step on the brake the brake lights work
great, but when I turn on the lights they are always bright.”
This is one symptom of a very common problem. Somehow the brake and
taillight wires are shorted together. To fix this check inside the
taillight sockets. This is this is where the problem usually is. The
spring could be bent over and shorting out the two wires together or
they could be misaligned and touching. Also be careful because many
times the problem disappears when the bulb is taken out! I have even seen
on more than one occasion where one of the filament is blown and
touching the other filament causing the short inside the bulb itself.
An even stranger problem can happen if one of the front lights is
shorted out. The lights may seem to work properly but when you switch
the turn signal on the shorted side it will look like you are running
4-way flashers. This is caused by the turn signal power back-feeding
through the park/taillight circuit in the shorted out light.
The main point is to check and double check your dual contact sockets.
It is very close quarters in there.

Here at YnZ’s I answer the phone every day to take orders, or answer
questions from folks wanting to know more about the wiring they will
need for their restoration. It has been interesting over these last 40
years of offering our Wiring Harness for the restoration hobbyists, to
go from talking to people my fathers age, to talking with my peers, to
talking with younger people trying the “learn as you go” process.
The point is that younger people are getting into this hobby! We talk
with them every day. These are the folks who Grandpa or Dad left the
old car to finish up, or just start, or to keep on using the already
restored vehicle on the road today. They aren’t as car savvy as their
predecessors, but they get an “A” for rolling up their sleeves and
learning from the “university of hard knocks”. We also find that “Take
a Kid to a Car Show” really works because we hear the stories of young
people who were influenced by an older family member or family friend
and discovered the cars of their future hobby dreams.

The new younger hobbiests don’t go to the swap meets as earnestly as
those who came before them, but they shine in the using computer search
engines and a web site “will help me find that part” department.

These hidden restorers are the future of the antique,classic car and
truck restoration hobby. You don’t see them, but my telephone is
showing me they are appearing in greater numbers every day.

One of the common inquiries we get from customers is how to get better electrical performance from their positive ground vehicle. Aside from buying a new wiring harness there is a simple $10 investment that can breathe new life into your vintage positively grounded vehicle

Positive ground systems have a lot more problems with corrosion at the grounding points than negative ground systems. The reason for this is because electrons actually move from negative to positive. In a positive ground system this means that the electricity is flowing from the softer metal (copper) to a harder metal (steel). This causes quite a bit of electrolysis and quickly degrades the connection.

The solution to this is a simple can of battery no-corrode spray available through YnZ’s or at your local parts store usually for around $10. If you are installing a new wire harness simply spray a little on any place the wire connects to ground. If you are trying to work with old wiring make sure to clean any ground connections thoroughly first. It may also be useful to clean and spray any points where ground is critical like bolts that connect light housings to the body or where the instrument cluster connects to the dash.

The last positive ground vehicle that I restored was my 1954 Bentley. I used this method religiously and while I do not currently own the vehicle I did not have a single electrical problem in 20 years. Apparently this chemical wards off the prince of darkness as well as corrosion.

So I couldn’t talk you into keeping you original electrical system 6 volts(see 6 to 12 Volt Conversion Part I). The following are points you will have to address in completing your conversion to 12 volts:

(more…)

Powermaster has created a new line of alternators called PowerGENs. These alternators look almost exactly like an old generator but house a powerful 75 Amp alternator. We took a look at one of the first ones to come through our door and run it through its rounds.

Look and Feel
The PowerGEN alternator certainly looked exactly like the original generator it is designed to replace. It even had the manufacturers tag in the original location. Except in this instance is says “PowerGEN” instead of “Delco”. All in all it looks like a high quality piece of machinery.
(more…)

YnZ’s is now an authorized distributor for PowerMaster. PowerMaster is the leading producer for high performance OEM and street rod alternators and starters. We have all kinds of charging solutions:

• OEM replacement alternators
• Racing Alternators
• PowerGEN – a NEW bolt in replacement for your 6 or 12 Volt generator

At YnZ’s people are always asking us what type of alternator they should use on their vehicle. Now rather than shopping around you can buy the alternator with your wiring. If you buy the alternator from us we also give you credit toward custom modifying your wire harness to work with your specific alternator.

Opinions are like noses, everybody has one. Well. my opinion is to NOT convert an originally 6 volt restoration project to 12 volts. Let me just point out some of the reasons people go to 12 volts and how to work around these issues and keep the 6 volt system (more…)

Coming soon for our first article we will be discussing how to convert an antique car from 6 to 12 volts. The do’s and don’ts and the why’s and why nots.

YnZ’s now offers 6 volt light bulb kits. It contains every light bulb for the car plus extras all labelled telling you where they go!