64.5289Jay

first off i am in the process of getting a 64.5 up and running. it was originally a 260 car, but whoever had it b4 me switched out the 260 for a 289 2v. i ran the numbers in my books and by the casting codes the motor is comes out to a 200 hp, 2v 1965 289, the date code on the front right of the block works out to say that the motor was assembled in may of 65, and the car has the original c4 trans. it also has the original generator setup which i would very much like to keep.

the motor fires and runs great, (it actually sat for 15 years, but after a carb rebuild, new rad, starter, solenoid, fuel tank and line, hoses and belts, plugs, wires, points, condenser, and dist. cap.... ) it also doesn't smoke on start up or while its running.....

my problem is i am very close to putting this car on the road and i only have a few small things holding me back...... turn signals, headlight dimmer switch, and dash lights.....yeah, that's it. the turn signal switch seems to be fine, the cams are not broke and it cancels out when i turn the wheel, but i cannot get the marker lights in the front valance to light up at all. the headlight switch sticks but if i can get it to work if i pull it back out, obviously i will just buy a new one for that problem. and, the dash lights are a mystery to me as of yet.

i know there is supposed to be a dash light voltage regulator of some sort in these cars, but i cannot find it, anyone know?? if this is the problem, can it possibly be tied into the dimmer switch or turn signal problem?..... i am not sure if these are all seperate problems, or if two or all three are tied into one another somehow...... any help is greatly appreciated and i thank you in advance for any help you can give me....

68GEETEE

I think your dash lights problem could be caused by the headlight switch. It can also make your lights flicker, so you may want to change it out.

The instrument cluster regulator is attached to the back part of your gauge cluster. Remove the screws, and make sure you remove the screw inside your cigarette lighter chamber, it screws up into the dash and you will break your cluster if you dont remember to remove that screw before trying to budge your cluster.

My front lights didnt work either, and it was due to very dirty socket plugs, try removing the bulbs and blast those sockets with electrical contact cleaner spray. Install new bulbs and see if that helps.

64.5289Jay

i think i may have been unclear about which headlight switch is messed up.... the one on the dash seems to work fine, the switch on the floor for the hi-lo beam toggle is the one that is fubared...... also, i noticed that when i try to use the turn signals, the indicator lights in the dash do not work either..... so you guys think i'm looking at the dash voltage regulator as the culprit or what?.... thanks again for any help in advance

68GEETEE

The dimmer switch on the floor can also cause problems, I would change that out. The signal light problem could be blown out bulbs in your dash, I assume the signal lights themselves are blinking when you activate them?

64.5289Jay

things that do not work.......
the turn signal indicators in the dash, the dash light that illuminates the speedo, the fuel gauge works, but its not illuminated, etc..... the turn signals on the exterior, the horn, or the headlight dimmer switch....

other than those things, everything works normally now.... my brake light problem was caused by the switch on the master cylinder which i kinda suspected from the beginning.

i got the rest of my brakes and a few other loose ends tied up today, so those are the only things holding me back from inspection......

68GEETEE

Alot of those things sound like either blown out bulbs, or very dirty socket/pigtails. I couldnt get my hood mounted turn signals to light up even with a new wiring harness and bulbs, the culprit was years of dirt and oxidation build up inside the wiring plug. I blasted it with electrical contact cleaner and now they work.

Dash lights: usually the bulbs burn out over the years, however if none are lighting up, I would suspect your headlamp switch. Instrument regulator could be bad too.

Signal lights not flashing could be the flasher itself is faulty, or your bulbs are no good, or the sockets they are in are too dirty to make contact. Bright dimmer switch is probably worn out being 36 years old. Should have a horn relay under the dash, also, did you check the fuse for the horn? Hope some of this helps. I still think alot of the problem is dirt on the old wiring components.

64.5289Jay

yeah, i checked all the fuses and all of them seem to be fine.... i'm heading to my garage now so i'm gonna start ripping on the lenses and stuff to clean up all the sockets.... and replace bulbs whether they seem good or not ..... thanks for the help so far....

roundman

If you have a battery terminal cleaning brush, you can use the round wire brush part of it to clean out the corrosion in the larger bulb sockets, but make sure the power is off to the socker or it will short out and blow the fuse. you also need to check the ground circuits for the lights that aren't working too, without a good ground, they won't work at all either.

64.5289Jay

alright.... will the turn signal indicators in the dash still work if the turn signal bulbs themselves are bad, or if the ground is bad?? cleaned up the sockets, replaced bulbs, checked fuse for the millionth time, changed fuse just cuz i know it doesn't have to look bad, to be bad...... still no marker lights in the front, or turn signals...... got a floor headlight switch coming to local parts store tomorrow first thing so i will switch that out as soon as i get to my garage.... still lost.... thanks for the help so far guys...

roundman

the turn signal lites in the dash should work even though the others may not provided they have a good ground, usually if the indicator comes on but don't blink, that means a bulb is bad somewhere on that side or there is a break in the circuit to those two bulbs on that side. the indicators are also not connected to the dimmer control for the other dash lites either if I remember correctly. I seem to remember that the dash lights dimmer is built into the headlight switch, you rotate the pull out **** to control the brightness? do you have a 12 v test light? if yes, then use it in one of the turn signal sockets, turn the switch on, then probe the bottom pin in the socket with the test light connected to a good ground. if the test light comes on, then the wires to it are OK. if it also blinks, then the flasher is also good. if you get no sign of power, then the flasher is bad to that side or the wiring to the socket might have a break in it somewhere. try a good flasher first and if that don't do it, you will have to back check the wiring from the socket back to the switch.
hope this helps you some!