Ford GP (series 1) slow build

[Wayne Hingley]

Very nice Mike! Great work on this unique vehicle.

[Mike Cecil]

Bled and adjusted the brakes, did several touch-ups to the paintwork, adjusted the accelerator linkage to hit maximum with the pedal stopped against the floor, and took GP 8920 for a short drive up and down our street.

Still chasing a charging - or rather, lack thereof - problem and rough running issues, but the vehicle is pretty much completed, at least within my limited capabilities and budget. Not concourse standard, but I'm reasonably happy with the result.

Mike

[Richard Farrant]

Looking good Mike, well done

[Keith Webb]

Looks great Mike!

[Wayne Hingley]

Looks great Mike! Im sure you will get the bugs worked out now that you have nice evenings to tinker with it between test drives.

[Mike Cecil]

Thanks, Gents, for your comments.


Mike

[Mike Cecil]

Spent some time over the last day or so chasing down my charging or rather lack of, issues. Turns out the generator was producing nothing, ... zilch, ... zip. And that from an expensive, supposedly fully rebuilt generator.

Took it to the auto elec wizard to be told the field coils are cactus and it will need an expensive rebuild!! Now what could have caused that? The generator was wired into the circuit as per the wiring diagram from Vintage Wiring of Maine, but never worked, so it seems it was cactus from day one. My biggest concern is that I may have done something wrong and caused the problem, but I don't know what, and don't want to repeat the process.

Unfortunately, the company that did the original work went out of business/business changed hands, and the new owner understandably takes no responsibility, so just have to swallow hard and fork out yet another bunch of $$ for the same item. Should be back in a week, and I'll do a test before I re-install it, and check the wiring connections.

Oh well ...

Mike

[Richard Farrant]

Originally Posted by Mike Cecil

Unfortunately, the company that did the original work went out of business/business changed hands, and the new owner understandably takes no responsibility,

Sorry to here that Mike,
Maybe there was a good reason why that company went out of business and you have now found out.

What we in the trade called a "paraffin overhaul", in other words, washed off and painted, then returned.

[Tony Smith]

Originally Posted by Mike Cecil

Took it to the auto elec wizard to be told the field coils are cactus and it will need an expensive rebuild!! Now what could have caused that? The generator was wired into the circuit as per the wiring diagram from Vintage Wiring of Maine, but never worked, so it seems it was cactus from day one. My biggest concern is that I may have done something wrong and caused the problem, but I don't know what, and don't want to repeat the process.

Oh well ...

Mike

If the Generator has been out of a vehicle for some time before your rebuild, it may have lost some of it's magnetism and needed to be "flashed" to restore it's ability to generate a charge. Even if the Generator has retained it's magnetism, it might be a good practice to do this to ensure that the polarity of the Gen is correct when it comes back from the Auto Electrician.

Residual magnetism in the generator Field Coils is necessary for the Generator to build up any voltage during start-up. Full output is not necessary if the battery has sufficient charge to crank the engine. Once the engine is running, voltage flowing through the Genny will reform the full magnetic field.

To restore the small amount of residual magnetism necessary to begin voltage buildup, connect either a 6 or 12 volt battery (not dependant on the voltage of the Generator, we are just using DC to create an electromagnet) to the Field Coils while the generator is at rest, as follows:

If the Generator is still in the vehicle, remove Field wires F+ and F- from the Generator. Sometimes, one of these will be marked "Ground" instead (depending on polarity. In a Jeep, it will be Neg Ground. Some Fords, like CMPs, were Pos Ground).
CAUTION: If still in the vehicle, failure to isolate the Field leads from the regulator during flashing procedures can damage the regulator.

Measure the Field Coil resistance from the F+ to the F- terminal (or "Field" and "Ground"). You should be able to read some resistance as you are measuring a continuous winding, but we are looking for a continuous circuit. An infinite resistance reading would indicate damaged Field Coils, needing replacement. Also check to be sure there is no short to Earth from either terminal to the body of the Generator.

Connect F- (or "Ground") to the Negative terminal of the battery.
Using an insulated cable like a jumper lead or spare battery cable connected to the Battery Positive terminal, hold it to the Field+ (or "Field") post on the Generator for about 5 to 10 seconds, then remove. (NOTE: for Positive Earth vehicles, reverse these connections!). This will reform a small magnetic field in the Field Coils. Small cheat, if the Generator is still in the vehicle, instead of connecting to terminals on the battery, you can use the "Batt" post on the Generator and a good Earth on the engine block to do this, but be familiar with the polarity of the vehicle's electrical system.

Reconnect F+ and F- to the regulator. Start the engine and check if the Generator is producing any output charge.