Hi All,
I've been working on a friend's '50 De Luxe, replacing most of the wires with new ones from Rhode Island Wiring. There's black wire from the ignition switch that comes through the firewall in a tube that is part of the ignition switch and the wire leads to the negative post on the coil (see the image below). The wire is bare as it comes out of the tube. Will the lack of insulation on the wire cause a problem with a positive ground system? Does the switch need to be replaced?
Thanks.
Tony
that is the ignition run voltage supplied to the coil from the ignition switch..it is part of the anti-theft deterent of the day...the wire should be insulated from the metal sleeve it runs through..if this should touch chassis anywhere it will ground the circuit..finding one of these in good condition is not easy..most folks I have heard from in the past have had trouble finding one better than they one they currently have.....most report back as having used the later switch without the armoured lead..
if you can get shrink tubing inside the armour cover and around the bare wire itself, one could ensure it does nto short and continue with the wiring upgrade by splicing your new wire and piutting the cloth back over the repaired spot..a bit of clear coat could sead the thread to the splice and keep it from fraying and make the unit look quite nice..I have done similar repairs to cloth covered wires in the past by this method keeping its appearance intact..
Thanks for the reply, the owner has a replacement switch without the tube. I'll have to change the switches.