Electrical

To find a battery drain, remove one battery cable (positive or negative, doesn't matter) and connect a test light in between the cable and the post of the battery. If the test light lights, that indicates something is pulling power. If you suspect a particular area such as a trunk light or similar, you can go right to it and remove the bulb and see if the testlight goes out. If it does, you found the drain. To speed things up when unsure of the location, pop out 1 fuse at a time until the test light goes out. That will narrow down the general problem area quickly. Typical drains would be glove compartment light, trunk light, stereo and sometimes, a bad alternator can drain a battery. *-note that some stereo's have a memory to keep clock/station settings correct. In this case, disconnect stereo before testing. Bob-"mr409"

Looking for T-3 headlights to complete your project 1958-1965 Chevrolet but don't want to pay the high cost of repo's? The junkyards are a great place to find them and usually $1 a pop but did you know there were differences depending upon the year? The triangle in the center of the bulb on pre 67 cars was clear but starting in 1968, they had vertical lines inside the triangle. Be sure to also check the Cadillac, Buick, Pontiac and Oldsmobile section as these GM cars used the same headlights. Bob "bobs409"

It's a good idea to check that the correct size fuses are in your car. Fuses are designed to burn out in the event of a short to prevent a fire but if a larger fuse is used in place of a smaller one, it will take longer to burn out in an emergency and can result in damage to the wiring or even a fire. Bob-"mr409"

If you are having intermittent trouble starting your car due to heat soak or an unsolved electrical problem, try adding a heavy gauge wire to the "S" terminal on the solenoid. Run it up through the firewall into the engine compartment and leave it long enough so it will reach the positive terminal of your battery. If you cannot start your car due to heat soak or some other problem such as a bad ignition switch, you can use this wire to put full battery power right to the start terminal. With the key on, the car should start, even from heat soak. Another nice feature of this is with the key off, you can use this wire in the future to bump the engine around for adjusting lifters, etc. Be sure to cap off or tape the end of the wire so it cannot touch metal when not in use and be sure to tuck it in somewhere out of sight as the last thing you want to do is make it easier for a thief! Bob-"bobs409"