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Sterling #130 (aka American V8 ~ Chapter 2)

nbb350

Member
What program did you use to create that wiring diagram?!

AutoCad 2010; I use it at work every day so I decided to go with what I know. I can also draw stuff at 1:1 scale and get ROUGH estimates for wire length (mainly to use for ordering wire). The pic is actually just a screen-shot from a 24" monitor.

Now you just need a 4 post lift in there! Nice shop, Im jelly!

I've thought about getting a 4 post lift for the third garage stall at the house; that would let me lift the Sterling up in the winter and still have room for a Triumph Spitfire or VW Trike or snowmobile below (should I ever have a moment of weakness and buy another toy!).

Thanks; the shop is still a work in progress. I need to bring in new power next spring (currently it's 40a and i'll bring in 200a), then expand the wiring (have TWO outlets total right now!), insulate and sheetrock, and add heat/ac. lots of work and even more $$$.
 

ydeardorff

New member
Dont forget a nice glossy floor to make your sterlings stable look like a museum

4034307260_26ce142912_o.jpg


I know Im horrible, right?*explitive rant*
 

nbb350

Member
Well, the wife took off Saturday morning for the annual Women's Cookie Baking Day and all my buddies were tied up with family xmas stuff, so what could I do to occupy my time? Sit on the couch and binge-watch some tv shows? Sure, but I feel guilty doing that during the daylight hours - especially when it's a heat wave outside and pushing 32F! :D My only other option? WORK ON THE CAR! *eek!*

So I fired up the garage furnace and started digging thru boxes marked "Sterling Parts" that have been ignored for the last 3.5 years and two household moves. I think I found most everything except some wiring pigtails (which I may or may not have bought years ago...and therefore would be unable to be found) and the wiper motor (which may or may not have been a useless hunk of rust years ago...and therefore tossed).

Eventually I decided to stop wasting time looking for those parts, buy replacements, and see what I could actually get done in a day. Turns out: not much. Why? Ambition...or a severe lack of it. A lot of that can be blamed on the Winter Blahs...hard to have ANY ambition when I haven't seen the sun for weeks and it's sleeting outside. But I digress...

After a few productive hours in the heated garage and numerous trips out into the cold, unheated shop for parts, connectors and/or tools, I managed to get most of the wiring harness for the power mirrors and dome light wired, soldered, loomed and taped. I say "most" because without the wiper motor, I can't totally finish the harness. Once I get a new wiper motor (see separate post), I can wrap up the canopy wiring and move it out of the garage to the shop and then have access to the rest of the car (right now the canopy is resting upside down on top of the car body preventing access to the interior).

Sunday was consumed by a bit of last minute Xmas shopping, but I managed to get a few hours out in the garage...but those were mostly spent staring at the car and thinking - I'm an expert in the art of procrastination!
 

nbb350

Member
Guess what I found? The wiper motor! *rock on* and bracket and pantograph adapter! Don't they always say "the fourth time is the charm"?

I got home from work today after figuring out what I had to buy to replace the "lost" wiper motor and bracket (from Brett's newer post), but decided that before I took a 25 minute drive to the parts dealer to spend $160, I'd take one last look in all my boxes. Well, I found it in the third box I opened...and it's only the fourth time I've looked in there! ugh!! *very frustrated* It was in a white bag buried under some white HVAC ducting - so at least I'm not TOTALLY blind.

Anyways, I'm quite happy that I just saved myself almost $200, but now I have to figure out how to wire the 3-wire motor (VW original??) into my GM steering column. Maybe that's why I had that complicated relay system worked out in my original schematics... *hmmm*

They're forecasting 40F around here for this Saturday, so my plan is to turn on the garage heater and get the canopy wiring finished and start on the wiring for the body lights. A day of work every other month is pretty sad, but I also have to remodel the bathroom, take the christmas lights down from the house and work on my design for a car trailer...my "honey-do" list never seems to get shorter!
 

nbb350

Member
Two steps forward, one step back...I wrapped up the canopy wiring on Saturday and moved the canopy out to the shop so I could access the interior easier. Sunday I was working on the body light wiring when I realized that I didn't have the connectors for the turn signals and brake lights. Why not? They apparently were on backorder and I didn't notice them missing from my $200 wiring order that I received around Xmas. So I did an online chat with Del City this morning...they still don't have the parts in stock in Wisconsin...but they DO have them in stock at their Tennessee warehouse. "do you want us to ship them from that location?" um, what do YOU think?!? I verified that there would be NO shipping charge on it since my original order qualified for free shipping and then authorized them to send my parts from a different warehouse...a month late. ugh...I suppose THEY were just trying to save on shipping.

Next problem is that the wiper switch in my steering column apparently is OFF/ON/WASH. No HI/LO or delay (good). So (while I wait for the DelCity parts to show up) tonight I'll tear into the steering column to pull out the switch and try to find a replacement (not sure what donor car the column is from).
 

Brett Proctor

Well-known member
Next problem is that the wiper switch in my steering column apparently is OFF/ON/WASH. No HI/LO or delay (good). So (while I wait for the DelCity parts to show up) tonight I'll tear into the steering column to pull out the switch and try to find a replacement (not sure what donor car the column is from).

Dang ! Only OFF/ON/WASH. Thats got to be out of something from the 60's
Any numbers on the switch or column??

Post a picture of it if you need help finding a replacement with the HI/LOW feature
 

nbb350

Member
So...I pulled the steering column apart and got the part out. Only identifying number on it is B9508-R...which turns up exactly NOTHING in a Google search.

This is essentially the part I have:
DS1585.jpg


Notice how the pink wire does a "loop". I think I have a "smart" switch that talks to a wiper motor module, similar to this diagram:
93_astro.jpg


I can't use this switch...so I need to replace it with a simple Off/Hi/Lo/Wash switch...for a tilt column (supposedly out of a 1986 Fiero). RockAuto's parts finder doesn't show ANY wiper switches for that vehicle, but looking at parts for a Chevy S10 (similar column i think) shows this part might work:
[ame=http://www.amazon.com/ACDelco-D6389A-Original-Equipment-Windshield/dp/B000C9N5VU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421685947&sr=8-1&keywords=ACDELCO+D6389A]Amazon.com: ACDelco D6389A GM Original Equipment Headlamp Dimmer, Windshield Wiper, and Windshield Wiper Switch: Automotive[/ame]

and of course this part is WAY too ancient for any of the local auto parts stores to stock it...special order everywhere.

hmm...this part MAY be in stock at the warehouse...
NAPA AUTO PARTS

now...should I try to replace the ignition barrel while i have it out too? i only have one key and it's seen better days. hmmm...
 

Peter

Active member
Try Triumph Dolomite /Spitfire or British cars from the 80s like Land Rover MkII/III, most had that type of switch gear or look at early VW Golf, most stuff post 1990 will use an interface..
I use one from a Triumph Dolomite, a combined unit that clamps around the column tube and has two speed wiper, wash,and momentary on one side and dip/flash, horn and indicators on the other side. you just need to fit a tab on the column shaft to cancel the indicators.
Wiper switch
TRIUMPH DOLOMITE - WINDSCREEN WIPER STEERING WHEEL SWITCH WITH WIRING HARNESS | eBay

Not easy to find but perfect for the job.

If the stalks are a but too old looking you can make up some modern ones as I had done.
IMG860.jpg
 

Brett Proctor

Well-known member
This is essentially the part I have:
Can you post a picture of the one you actually have?? and the arm and the connector to it.

I did a search on that number and kept getting stuff on BMW's so I went on ebay and did a search there. The BMW's had those "jumper" wires but the connectors are different than the one in your picture.
 

ydeardorff

New member
That connector looks a lot like what I had in my car before I changed the column.
If memory serves, it was either a late 80's fiero, or a firebird column.
 

letterman7

Honorary Admin
I concur. Looks like 98% of the GM intermittent wiper assemblies from the early to late '80's. Same essential thing I had on a Beretta column on my old car.
 

nbb350

Member
Looks like 98% of the GM intermittent wiper assemblies from the early to late '80's.

Yup...I too have had them in cars for as long as I've been driving (love my GM multi-function column lever!). But RockAuto lists about 20 different replacement switches that almost all look the same. Multiple parts from the same manufacturer say they are for "w/ Tilt & w/o Pulse wipers". I guess I'll just have to roll the dice and order one...(the cheapest one!) and cross my fingers! *thumbs up*
 

nbb350

Member
Well, we had a heatwave here in Minnesota this weekend (40F!), so I got a LOT of garage time in! Of course, that time was spread among three vehicles (lower control arms on the daily driver car and step bars/brake controller on the truck), but every one got its turn...

First off I had a present from Amazon show up Friday:
20150123_190447_zps424a6967.jpg
(also a new ignition key cylinder - unpictured)

Of course though the new switch was NOT a direct fit to my column:
20150123_193652_zps741bbd9c.jpg
20150123_193733_zps97e0f209.jpg


But once I took them apart, I discovered that the actual switches were pretty similar - only the mounts had major differences.
20150123_195329_zpsd3aaddea.jpg


After a little filing and swearing, I had the new switch installed into the old mount:
20150123_201824_zpsb551cd3a.jpg
*thumbs up*

the column then went back together fairly easily - no spare parts left over! *laugh*

Sunday afternoon I finally got back to the Sterling and "finished" up the wiring loom for the front lights...only to discover that I forgot to run the wires for the horns inside the loom. Dammit! I started undoing all the tape to add the wire when dinnertime was called and I decided to call it a night...
 
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