On the generator - the brushes may be shot. If you have a shop around that can replace them, it's pretty cost effective. You probably can buy a rebuilt generator also. Replacing the brushes isn't as easy as putting in new ones. It's best to turn the commutator on a lathe to smooth it out. I believe that Autokrafters sells a bracket assembly to convert from a generator to an alternator. Most people recommend a one-wire alternator so you don't have to deal with an external voltage regulator. I've read that a one-wire alternator will not start to operate until it spins up to 2000 RPM. If that's true, if you start the engine hot on slow idle, it might not start to indicate charging until you rev the engine. Personally, I'd keep the generator. My 1962 wagon has 143,000 miles on it and I've only had the brushes replaced twice.
On the horn - like Action said, the horn relay is activated by grounding one of the wires on the horn relay. You can check the relay easily by pressing the horn ring while the engine is not running. You should hear an audible "click". If you don't either the relay is shot or there is a break in the wiring to the steering wheel. To test, connect a voltmeter to the side that is supposed to be grounded by the horn ring. It should read 12V. When you press the horn ring, the voltage should go from 12V to zero. If it doesn't then the wiring is defective somewhere. If the voltage does go to zero and the relay doesn't click, the wiring is good and the relay is probably bad. If the relay DOES click then either it is defective and not sending power to the horns, or there is a problem with the wiring going to the horns. Put a voltmeter on the horn closest to the relay in the wiring diagram. If it doesn't go to 12V then the wiring is defective. If it does go to 12V then the horns are defective. As far as defective horns go, I just had to replace both horns on my 1962 wagon. Apparently, one of them had been bad for a while, but since the horn still blew, I thought everything was okay. Then one day, no horn at all. I picked up a new pair of horns at NAPA and installed them and MAN, WHAT A DIFFERENCE...!!!
On the gas gauge - does the temperature gauge work? There is a voltage regulator module that supplies voltage to the gauges. It is basically a bi-metal spring that controls a set of contacts that switch the 12V and provides temperature compensation, since the gauges are thermal gauges. If it's defective, then the gauges won't work. Also, on the gas gauge, when you installed the tank, is the tank grounded to the body? The sending unit gets it's ground return through the tank and the body of the car. If you painted or coated the mounting surfaces for the tank or if you painted or undercoated the tank, it may not be making a connection. Check it by using an ohm meter to verify that the tank is really grounded. If not, you can solve the problem by getting a large star washer, dropping the tank slightly, scraping some of the paint off of the tank and mounting surface, inserting the star washer, and tightening the tank back up again.
Good luck with your fixes.
On the horn - like Action said, the horn relay is activated by grounding one of the wires on the horn relay. You can check the relay easily by pressing the horn ring while the engine is not running. You should hear an audible "click". If you don't either the relay is shot or there is a break in the wiring to the steering wheel. To test, connect a voltmeter to the side that is supposed to be grounded by the horn ring. It should read 12V. When you press the horn ring, the voltage should go from 12V to zero. If it doesn't then the wiring is defective somewhere. If the voltage does go to zero and the relay doesn't click, the wiring is good and the relay is probably bad. If the relay DOES click then either it is defective and not sending power to the horns, or there is a problem with the wiring going to the horns. Put a voltmeter on the horn closest to the relay in the wiring diagram. If it doesn't go to 12V then the wiring is defective. If it does go to 12V then the horns are defective. As far as defective horns go, I just had to replace both horns on my 1962 wagon. Apparently, one of them had been bad for a while, but since the horn still blew, I thought everything was okay. Then one day, no horn at all. I picked up a new pair of horns at NAPA and installed them and MAN, WHAT A DIFFERENCE...!!!
On the gas gauge - does the temperature gauge work? There is a voltage regulator module that supplies voltage to the gauges. It is basically a bi-metal spring that controls a set of contacts that switch the 12V and provides temperature compensation, since the gauges are thermal gauges. If it's defective, then the gauges won't work. Also, on the gas gauge, when you installed the tank, is the tank grounded to the body? The sending unit gets it's ground return through the tank and the body of the car. If you painted or coated the mounting surfaces for the tank or if you painted or undercoated the tank, it may not be making a connection. Check it by using an ohm meter to verify that the tank is really grounded. If not, you can solve the problem by getting a large star washer, dropping the tank slightly, scraping some of the paint off of the tank and mounting surface, inserting the star washer, and tightening the tank back up again.
Good luck with your fixes.
