One thing that has always scared /worried me when driving the charger..

[Canadian1968]

When I first got the charger it was haunted with some intermittent electrial issues that could kill the car at any point with out notice. Engine would die and I would loose my power brakes and power steering . The car basically becomes a giant ram rod. I was always worried what if through car died and I had to make emergency maneuver or stop. Obviously the faster the speed the easier it is to ste'er but u still gottake have some pretty strong arms. And no engine vacuum your breaks are more or less useless. You have Ebrake of course but this is as good as it gets .

Since I have rebuilt the car I have had little seat time in it before winter arrived this year, and the engine has not died on me since the new dash harness. Just curious what otherpeople's thoughts are about the scenario?

[Mike DC]

 
If you have a vacuum canister then you should still have a couple pumps of the brakes before all power assist is gone.  If you're genuinely concerned about this then you could add more/bigger canisters.

[Canadian1968]

Hmmmm interesting...... the canister should hold enough for that ?  I am going to have check the system make sure there are no leaves

[Mytur Binsdirti]

I have found that sudden cut-out problems generally can be traced to the bulkhead disconnect.

[white]

I will second that.

[Canadian1968]

oh I fixed the problem I replaced the entire bulkhead engine compartment and dash harness. like I said the car has not quit on me since

[c00nhunterjoe]

I fear bumble bees hitting my brittle grill and it exploding.

[JR]

I fear bumble bees hitting my brittle grill and it exploding.

That is seriously my worst fear. I've contemplated making a plexiglass block off plate for the front bumper similar to what the Silver State Challenge/Bonneville/top speed guys use to protect it.

I don't really have any more concerns about wiring after the new dash harness, checking all my grounds, Denso alternator, headlight relay upgrade, etc. I don't remember my last electrical failure

[birdsandbees]

My only fear is some ahole hitting me ! 

[68RT440]

I have a ton of time in replacing the rear valance and valance corners on my 68 to make them fit and look correct. I told my dad that my worst fear is us sitting at a light and a teenage girl texting plows into the back of the car...I'd have a really hard time keeping my cool...

[M5Ivan]

I haven't had any electrical issues with mine, but I went ahead and replaced the bulkhead connector, engine bay wire harness and cleaned up all of the connections. I've also done the ammeter bypass and am working on the headlight relay upgrade. I just wanted to eliminate as many potential issues as I could from reading up on other people's experiences. I've only put a few thousand miles on mine since I bought it last year and they have been trouble free. With that being said, I keep the Hagerty tow service number in my glove box just in case....

[RCCDrew]

My only fear is some ahole hitting me ! 

I agree. This and an under hood fire.

[dual fours]

I haven't had any electrical issues with mine, but I went ahead and replaced the bulkhead connector, engine bay wire harness and cleaned up all of the connections. I've also done the ammeter bypass and am working on the headlight relay upgrade. I just wanted to eliminate as many potential issues as I could from reading up on other people's experiences. I've only put a few thousand miles on mine since I bought it last year and they have been trouble free. With that being said, I keep the Hagerty tow service number in my glove box just in case....

And a fire extinguisher in the car is a must have item.

[birdsandbees]

I haven't had any electrical issues with mine, but I went ahead and replaced the bulkhead connector, engine bay wire harness and cleaned up all of the connections. I've also done the ammeter bypass and am working on the headlight relay upgrade. I just wanted to eliminate as many potential issues as I could from reading up on other people's experiences. I've only put a few thousand miles on mine since I bought it last year and they have been trouble free. With that being said, I keep the Hagerty tow service number in my glove box just in case....

And a fire extinguisher in the car is a must have item.

Defintely, I carry a 5lb right beside my shifter. Have since I was 17.. and that's a long long long time ago as I turn 55 in March! Carry two x 2.5's in the console of my Bird. I had the dash catch on fire in my '69 Fury II when I was 16 and managed to get it out by throwing sand up under the dash. Stuck voltage regulator.

[holanae]

I fear some racist a**hole will key my car because it is the same body style as the General Lee.

[M5Ivan]

I haven't had any electrical issues with mine, but I went ahead and replaced the bulkhead connector, engine bay wire harness and cleaned up all of the connections. I've also done the ammeter bypass and am working on the headlight relay upgrade. I just wanted to eliminate as many potential issues as I could from reading up on other people's experiences. I've only put a few thousand miles on mine since I bought it last year and they have been trouble free. With that being said, I keep the Hagerty tow service number in my glove box just in case....

And a fire extinguisher in the car is a must have item.

Defintely, I carry a 5lb right beside my shifter. Have since I was 17.. and that's a long long long time ago as I turn 55 in March! Carry two x 2.5's in the console of my Bird. I had the dash catch on fire in my '69 Fury II when I was 16 and managed to get it out by throwing sand up under the dash. Stuck voltage regulator.

That really sucks about the Fury 
I'm having my voltage limiter replaced as part of my instrument cluster rebuild. Glad I decided to do it after hearing this!!!

[JR]

I would also highly recommend a quick disconnect for the electrical system. You can wire it up so that it shuts down the whole car, even with the alternator running.

I made sure to install one when I did the battery relocation. As a bonus, my switch even has a removable key for an extra layer of security/anti-theft.

Also, all this talk of stuck voltage regulators is another good reason to ditch the stupid factory alternator and upgrade to a more reliable late model unit. The 60 amp Denso unit from the 440 Source kit has been working great for 10 years on mine.

[FY1 Charger]

My cars are manual steering and manual brakes so that doesn't concern me  , I am worried about some hooligans running into me though.

[69wannabe]

I haven't had any electrical issues with mine, but I went ahead and replaced the bulkhead connector, engine bay wire harness and cleaned up all of the connections. I've also done the ammeter bypass and am working on the headlight relay upgrade. I just wanted to eliminate as many potential issues as I could from reading up on other people's experiences. I've only put a few thousand miles on mine since I bought it last year and they have been trouble free. With that being said, I keep the Hagerty tow service number in my glove box just in case....

And a fire extinguisher in the car is a must have item.

Defintely, I carry a 5lb right beside my shifter. Have since I was 17.. and that's a long long long time ago as I turn 55 in March! Carry two x 2.5's in the console of my Bird. I had the dash catch on fire in my '69 Fury II when I was 16 and managed to get it out by throwing sand up under the dash. Stuck voltage regulator.

My charger almost went up in flames too due to a stuck regulator. I jumped out and yanked the battery cable off and figured out which wires were burning, unhooked both wires on the regulator and was able to drive it to the next house and park it in their driveway til I could get my trailer and haul it home. I could have driven it home but it was almost dark and without the alternator charging the headlights were very dim and I wasn't really sure what other problems I had at the time.

[dual fours]

I would also highly recommend a quick disconnect for the electrical system. You can wire it up so that it shuts down the whole car, even with the alternator running.

I made sure to install one when I did the battery relocation. As a bonus, my switch even has a removable key for an extra layer of security/anti-theft.

Also, all this talk of stuck voltage regulators is another good reason to ditch the stupid factory alternator and upgrade to a more reliable late model unit. The 60 amp Denso unit from the 440 Source kit has been working great for 10 years on mine.

Should the battery disconnect be on the positive/hot or the negative/ground? I've seen it both ways.

[JR]

Should the battery disconnect be on the positive/hot or the negative/ground? I've seen it both ways.

SCCA and NHRA rules say to wire it to the positive side. I attend alot of SCCA events, so that's what I did.

Something to do with potentially crushed/damaged wiring not finding an alternative ground in the event of a crash.

Also, the alternator output feed wire is ran thru that switch so it will kill the running engine when the switch is flipped.

[VegasCharger]

I would also highly recommend a quick disconnect for the electrical system. You can wire it up so that it shuts down the whole car, even with the alternator running.

I made sure to install one when I did the battery relocation. As a bonus, my switch even has a removable key for an extra layer of security/anti-theft.

Also, all this talk of stuck voltage regulators is another good reason to ditch the stupid factory alternator and upgrade to a more reliable late model unit. The 60 amp Denso unit from the 440 Source kit has been working great for 10 years on mine.

Do they make those with double groove pulleys for A/C applications? The one on their website shows and states a single groove pulley.

Link:
http://store.440source.com/Lightweight-Alternator-Retrofit-Kit/productinfo/122%2D1004/

[JR]

I asked them when I bought mine 10 years ago, and they didn't have one then. I doubt they do now, though I could be wrong.

I'm sure a pulley from something else can be used, though I have no idea where to begin looking.

The alternator in the kit is a stock unit from a Toyota 4runner. (I forget which year.) I once had to buy a replacement after a leaky valve cover killed mine, and the part# on the reman sticker crossed over to that. The same single groove pulley came with the parts store unit.

[Dino]

I'm afraid of mine getting stolen more than anything. It's pretty safe now sitting on jack stands and no wheels on the front, but once it's runs again I'l be driving it to work and it only takes one guy to figure out my driving patterns and swipe it from a parking lot. Hopefully the added alarm system and gps will prevent disaster.

[moparnut]

Another wise thing is to double up your throttle return spring.If it breaks you could have a out of control moment,ask me how I know. moparnutjavascript:void(0);