No brake or reverse lights?

[villain]

I have read through a few posts as well as the service manual and am thinking this may be an issue with the breaker that is responsible for my back up lamps and such, but dont really know.
I just got my '60 out from many weeks of work, and while they have to now do some more work in the steering column (replace the horn arm thing and a few other things), it left with brake and reverse lights working and now they are not.
is that breaker referenced something i can just switch or is it just part of the headlight switch and there is nothing i can do about it outside of replacing the switch altogether?

also - for parts like the chrome horn arm thing, are there faster sources than others? i have ordered a few things from the birds nest and they all seem to take an eternity to arrive.

Thanks in advance.

[Anders]

It can very well be corrosion between the bulbs and the sockets. Happend to me once.

[villain]

Well, i replaced some of the bulbs and the turn signals and rear lights come on as if everything there is working when the headlights are on...It would seem logical that is something is run on a 'breaker' that it could trip and then i could switch it back? but maybe that isnt the case. it certainly doesnt seem like there is anything you can switch back and forth on this - http://home.comcast.net/~y-block/HeadlightSwitch/default.htm
those fuses in that assembly are good (but i know they just run the turn signals and interior lights or something like that)

[villain]

okay, so i take that back - the reverse lights do work, they just need to be coerced a tad :-) aka - if you lift the shift lever a tad when in reverse, they work fine (a slight alignment issue in the column i assume)...but still no brake lights.
I would guess there is a brake switch of some sort that tells the lights to turn on when the brake pedal is pressed? anyone got any love on where that is?

[jopizz]

The brake light switch is on the master cylinder. You can jump the two wires to make sure it's the switch.

[simplyconnected]

...while they have to now do some more work in the steering column (replace the horn arm thing and a few other things), it left with brake and reverse lights working and now they are not...

Herein lies the secret to your problem.

Brake lights get interrupted by your turn signals. To complicate matters, there are TWO power sources that feed the brake lights (in the steering column).

Before you go any further, check the individual plug connections coming out of your steering column. Either one is not seated correctly or it is switched with the wrong bullet connector.

Go to the Technical Resource Library and download the electrical diagram for your car.

If you see a wire (for example) that says, 'ORANGE-BLUE', the wire may be orange with a blue trace OR it could be a solid orange wire with a blue bullet connector. I have seen it both ways, depending on the vendor that made the wire harness.

After fifty years, colors tend to fade. Inspect very carefully as white may appear yellow under low light.

The small fuse on your headlight switch controls your backup lights. Make sure the fuse holder prongs are tight around the fuse. There are NO circuit breakers in your stop light circuit. (There is one for your headlights.)

I hope this helps. If you have further problems, we can trace your stop circuit, properly. - Dave

[villain]

Thanks simply - I'll go out and mess with it this morning. They refinished my wheel when working on stuff (as well as put new shifter arms, detent plate, cancelling cam, etc. and (it was probably well cracked already) apparently broke the horn ring during the process. So that is what I was referring to in the column, but what your saying makes total sense. I'll go yank the wheel this morning and see what is going on.

Now just hoping i can get a horn ring sent out next day from somewhere so I can be closer to sorted before next weekend :-)

[villain]

okay - got the steering wheel apart and from what i can tell in the tech writeup on the steering wheel disassembly - it was put back together wrong (in addition to the horn ring being all broken up).
When taking apart it looks like it went with the C ring to the plastic insulating plate -> to the broken horn ring -> then the contact plate was underneath that -> no cork ring...
When i got the contact ring out, you can clearly see the marking on it where it should be on the outside...i cant tell if the screws have metal or insulating washers on them (although whatever they are - they aren't new by any means), but maybe they are metal, causing the horn to sound and they put it together backwards due to that? who knows.

regardless - it seems like i need to move the contact plate back to the back of the puzzle, cut a cork gasket to go between the steering wheel and the horn ring, and reassemble like this from the steering wheel back:
cork gasket -> horn ring -> plastic gasket/insulator that the mounting screws go through -> metal contact ring -> C ring clip thing (which i also think was in the wrong spot, anyone know where it 'should' be oriented toward?)
sound accurate?

[villain]

heh - okay and now the next issue - I was thinking the C ring was really the E clip thing. There appears to be no C ring AT ALL!?!? ugh. I'm going to call the guy that owns the shop and see if they have it up there, but otherwise - can i even get another of those?

[villain]

no c-ring, the part on the front that the screws go into seems to only get one screw into it...maybe 2 if i'm lucky, but im now beyond frustrated at even continuing to try with it cause the horn ring is broken anyway and the thing refuses to go back together.

[simplyconnected]

Check out the archived pictures we have on Squarebirds.org
CLICK HERE

I think most of your parts are still available at the parts houses. Check out tee-bird.com and Mac's

Mac's: FAB-13318-ATurn Signal Switch Canceling Cam$16.95 EACH
- Dave

[villain]

regardless of exactly why my brake lights arent working - the steering wheel and horn ring are going to need to be addressed first.
based on this diagram - http://www.parts123.com/birdnest/pdf/Page105-a.pdf
I am in need of:
- 3629 (the first part of the threads on it are stripped out on 2 of the 3 holes...screws go in, but need to go to deep to lock in...I suppose its either a replacement one of those or longer screws (51763-S))
- 13805A - its all kindsa broken
- 13318 - the c-ring that is now missing

anyone know where i can get em?

i guess one positive is that the horn seems to work great :-)
-

[YellowRose]

No brake or reverse lights?

Hi David,

I just sent you an email with contact information for Carl ~ partsetal. He might have the parts readily available that you need. Call him. Also, if you have that picture in a larger size, please email it to me. I want to consider it for the upcoming 2012 Squarebirds Calendar. If you have a copy larger than what that one is, please send it on.

[villain]

Thanks Ray! I just talked to Carl - he has the spring retainer cover and some screws that should solve my issue of it all going back together...woo hoo!!!
If I can find someone that has the remake horn rings in stock that will overnight it out, I should have this steering wheel assembly back together by Wednesday.
They are coming over tomorrow to see what's going on with the brake lights and that stuff. but currently my confidence is high.

Hi David,

I just sent you an email with contact information for Carl ~ partsetal. He might have the parts readily available that you need. Call him. Also, if you have that picture in a larger size, please email it to me. I want to consider it for the upcoming 2012 Squarebirds Calendar. If you have a copy larger than what that one is, please send it on.

[simplyconnected]

You may have missed my last post. It happened one minute before yours.

CLICK Here for the horn ring.