61 Town Wagon

[maxmac]

So I'm chasing wires all over the place in this truck. I replaced the starter relay switch, ballast resistor, and voltage regulator as well as the battery cables and the starter to switch cable. I also had to put a new keyed ignition into it as it had no key.
Problem is I have power (lights, wipers) and figured out the correct connections, but am only getting a "click" when I turn the key, which I assume is the starter relay switch. Battery is new and has a full charge.

Any ideas? The guy I took it from was able to hotwire it in order to get it to turn over so I know the motor isn't seized.

[Ron in Indiana]

Sounds like a grounding problem with everything else being replaced. With no fuse block on these trucks everything goes through the ignition switch or the headlight switch. One other possibility is the starter is stuck? Do you have access to a wiring diagram? A factory service manual has one and is very helpful if your are going to keep your Townie.

[DrPepper]

Did you jump the relay...?

The starter relay is on the left fender well next to the steering column. One side is hot (battery direct) and the other goes to the starter. Depending on your starter, if the starter has a solinoid on it (probably does) with a large and small terminal, they both need to be powered when the relay closes. Your starter switch in the dash only closes the relay on the fender so you don't fry the key switch. The relay on the fender powers both the terminals on a solinoid operated starter, when the terminals are powered the solinoid moves and engages the starter gear in the ring and at full travel it then close contacts for the starter motor.
Ron is right about the ground, run a full heavy cable to the battery from the block, if anything over do the ground circuits and you can't go wrong.
The jumper is a pair of pliers across the fender mounted relay, it's gonna spark and someone is gonna' gripe at me but that will power the starter and it will or won't turn over.
If nothing happens; 1. Make sure you are powering BOTH terminals on the starter. 2. Hit the starter with a hammer, gently!!!! and it may move things enough to get it to work. Done that many times. If it runs it is probably shot and you should rebuild or replace it.

The "hot wire" you talk about, if it was under the hood, did you see where he jumped from and too??

It will probably be a V8 (juice) moment when you find the problem...
Good hunting...
DrPepper

[maxmac]

Ron, thanks for the feedback. I'm thinking its a ground somewhere as well. Some of the wiring has been hacked so I'm trying to trace things back. I got a '57 wiring diagram from DrPepper (thanks) and also have one for the '61's so that has been helpful. I know I'm going to throw something in the garage when I figure it out!!!!

It may be that the starter is stuck as that is the next part to be torn into! DrPepper, thanks for the input. I'll try to jump from the switch tomorrow. When we got it to turn over we rigged it as it was missing a battery, cables and a key!!! Jumper cables and a wrench did the trick. The next purchase is the service manual as I plan to do a restore on the truck, so I'll be keeping it for a while!

Also got some extra parts with it that I'll post in the classifieds - W300 front clip and hood, W300 grille, Sweptline doors, etc. Found some interesting stuff in the back of it and got all of that unloaded today!

I'll keep you posted on next steps and what gets thrown...

[maxmac]

What I do have is a heavy wire from the negative battery terminal to the engine block. Heavy wire from battery positive to front side of starter relay. Another heavy wire from relay to large post on starter. Red wire from wiring loom also on front side of starter relay. Pink and orange wires on top two small posts on relay (one for starter and one for ignition - these go to dash ignition switch). Lastly, smaller gauge wire from cab side post on starter relay to the small post on starter solenoid. There is also a small wire connecting the small post on the starter solenoid to the large post on the solenoid. There are no other ground wires, except for the battery negative that is connected to the engine block. Does this sound correct? Do I need to ground the dash switch?

[Ron in Indiana]

Sounds like you're headed in the right direction. One place to check is a ground strap from the block to the body. Mine has a braided strap from the rear of the right head to the body firewall. Yes keep checking in here as we're all here together for the common good, saving trucks. Keep a journal and take pictures, lots of pictures. Remember the on picture is worth a 1000 words? No truer statement when it comes to working on vehicles.

[maxmac]

Yep, I checked for the ground strap and it is good. Will probably remove and clean up to ensure a good ground. The problem may be the starter. I'll pull it today and see what the deal is. I will also post pics soon. don't have my subscriber code yet. Will post to an external site later today. Thanks.

[Gordon Maney]

Yep, I checked for the ground strap and it is good. Will probably remove and clean up to ensure a good ground. The problem may be the starter. I'll pull it today and see what the deal is. I will also post pics soon. don't have my subscriber code yet. Will post to an external site later today. Thanks.

Send me an email to the contact us link below, include your real name, mailing address, and email associated with this user account. I can get you going.

[maxmac]

So, I pulled the starter and it's toast! In the process of tracking one down. Had to scrape about 20lbs of dirt off of the undercarriage to get at it!!! Now on to pulling the gas tank, brakes, steering........

Attached a pic of what she looks like. I got my hands on a new Dana 44 for the front so ultimately I will be doing a 4WD conversion. Need to get her running and clean, rebuild, replace just about everything that used to be rubber or electrical!

[WARWAGON41]

I like it !
Actually pretty clean looking old girl on the out side.
Looks alot better body wise than mine.
Good luck with the 4wd conversion , its not to difficult.
should be easier than mine if yours is a 66.
Nice rig , keep the pictures coming !

[maxmac]

Thanks, WarWagon! The body is in decent shape, except for a bit of rust in the rear wheel wells. Luckily I have some spare fenders that I'm going to use to patch it all in!.
Having fun the past few days removing all of the undercoating/bedliner crap that's sprayed all over! Have the gas tank pulled and cleaning all of the lines, hoses, etc. The truck starts and runs now, just need to remount the tank and put the front brakes back together. We'll see what other problems arise!
I'll keep the pics coming!

[Ron in Indiana]

I've done several rust repairs on TW fenders using Utiline fenders from pick ups. You'll want to remove the rear inner panels inside the cab. The factory never primed much less painted the backside of the body. A good clean up and rust treatment would be in order. Hopefully the inner fenders aren't rusted through. That's a pain to repair them. Another thing you'll find is a 1" gap between the floor and the body. I used a mastic for sealing manhole sections to fill the gap. It cuts the dust and noise entering the cab. Use an impact driver on the Philips head bolts after soaking with a good penetrating oil of your choice.

[maxmac]

Thanks for the feedback Ron! What have you used for rust prevention on your vehicles? There are a ton of products out there and I've heard differing opinions on all of them.

The inner wells are not rusted through, luckily. This truck has been in CO its whole life so I'm fortunate that the rust is minimal. The undercoating, however, is not!! Been scraping that stuff for days. A five-way spackle knife and some Goof-Off does a tremendous job on that stuff, it's just time consuming.

Currently I'm working on the front end - brakes, hoses, lines, electrical - and working my way back so it'll be some time before I get to repairing the fenders. I'm doing a 4WD conversion and was thinking of using the front fenders from the spare W300 I have as I think it would look cool with the exaggerated fender flares on the front and the rear! A little custom touch to this classic beauty!

[LFD270ben]

How is this truck coming along?

[maxmac]

Progress Report

LFD270ben,
Since my last post, Ive secured a host of parts that I needed for the project. I've rebuilt axles, repaired many dents, and currently have the front end torn apart so that I can get primer and paint on the engine bay, core support, fenders, hood, and frame. This portion alone has been a year in the making but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I'm awaiting the front springs and a new radiator and then I can begin reassembling things and get the beast back on the road, hopefully in the next 2-3 months!

Now I need to find homes for the old but useable spare parts that I have!