1961 Amp meter replacement
I did a frame off on my 61 years ago and always I do all the work on it myself but when the starter went out while away from home I pushed the car the nearest repair shop (across the street) and they replaced the starter. I think that they must have hooked it up backwards and shorted out the amp meter when checking their work but I think that is when the amp meter stopped working. I only drive this car to club events I did not notice the amp meter had stopped working until a few days later an of course the repair shop pleaded the fifth so was stuck to fix it myself. I was able to remove the oil/amp pod without removing the whole dash (HARD! just as easy to pull the whole dash) but if you feel the need to try it You will need to removed wheel, ignition switch and lighter, 3 Ibuprofen, 2 beers and lot of cursing (this really helps) and then a little help from the almighty! finally got the little bastard out, But there is a cigar shaped, paper wrapped condenser or something else that is above the pod and hooked to the neg side of the amp meter. This thing looks nasty and falling apart but I am unable to find it anywhere in my assembly manual or ID it. What is it and what does it do and most of all where can I find a replacement? Any help out there will be most appreciated as I need to change it before it all goes back together, that is if my back holds up. ALOHA all!
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Re: 1961 Amp meter replacement
I'll bet that in the radio rpo section in back, you'll find it. I've seen some repros advertised, don't know how well they judge. -
Re: 1961 Amp meter replacement
You can disconnect/remove they may look worn but may be OK. The originals may be hard to find. It is used for noise reduction for the radio.
Phil
Ampguage.jpgComment
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Re: 1961 Amp meter replacement
This capacitor (7270568) is the old "wax" type. It is very fragile as the leads tend to break when it is handled. Because of this, originals are hard to find. Haven't seen the repro so can't comment on it. Radio seems to work fine without this capacitor installed however.Comment
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Re: 1961 Amp meter replacement
Ralph, Is the amp gauge working now? If not did you polarize it. Whenever you disconnect the battery you usually have to polarize the voltage regulator to get it to work again.Comment
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Re: 1961 Amp meter replacement
Thanks Phil, I checked it and although it looks like and old cigar it seems to still work! MahaloComment
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Re: 1961 Amp meter replacement
As a matter of fact its not working properly and it acts as if I had hooked it up backward although I put the new one back on the way the original came off and checked my wire diagram 3 or 4 times to make sure it was correct and when I rev the engine it shows discharge instead of charge, any suggestions?Comment
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Re: 1961 Amp meter replacement
Ralph -
The 1961 ammeter wiring in the diagram has been backwards for over 50 years. The black feed wire from the starter solenoid goes on the outboard ammeter terminal (closest to the driver's door), and all of the red load wires go on the other terminal, closest to the passenger side door. The factory diagram didn't get corrected until the one in the 1962 Assembly Manual.Comment
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Re: 1961 Amp meter replacement
Thanks John, I guess what threw me was that the old gauge was hooked up from the old wiring diagram and it worked fine until the starter problem. I did noticed that the new GM replacement when compared to the old unit was very different and looked as though half the inner workings had been left out. I reversed the wires and it works fine now. Thanks all for the info, its the only place you can go to find out these type of things. Much ALoha RalphComment
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