My old boss, a WWI Vet, met his wife at a USO show.  She worked at Willow Run as a "Rosie".

He was a flight engineer and was shot down on his first mission, spent time in the POW camp. The stories he told were amazing.  Real Hogan's Heroes, Stalag 17 type stuff, with escapes, tunnels, secret radios, bribes, etc.  Sadly, he passed away last year.  Nicest man I have ever met.

Finally, the moon and stars have aligned...

It's going to be a long trip for me (50 miles or so) but I might make it.  I'll start saving some money for gas!

Repairs made and back on the road.  Lesson learned. Thanks for your assistance.

I did not hear any unusual noises, though my hearing isn't what it used to be and the car is kind of loud.  I do know the sound of the starter engaging with the motor running and it sure didn't make that sound.

Would the heavy cable running to the starter and the battery ground being in close proximity (touching) allow an arc to jump through the wire insulation?

I still need to crawl under the car to see if I can determine where the short started but the wire is badly burned and I may not be able to tell.  I also don't know if I will be able to determine if the insulation was worn off by contact by something to create the short due the bad condition of the wires.

By the way, this is not a stock 1965 starter.  It is a PMGR starter.

Besides the date code, what are the signs that tires are too old or dry rotted?

Mine are about 8 years but appear to be in very good condition with no cracks or odd appearance, no discoloration, no leaks, etc.  Car is stored in a garage full time except for shows or cruising.

Change them anyway?

1965 with stock alternator and wiring, solid state regulator. Voltage gauge shows a steady +/- 14v

System was working when I put it to bed last fall.  When I woke the beast yesterday, the light came on.  If the battery is bad / weak, would the light come on?

As always, your help is appreciated.

That ...

is quite possibly the most hideous customization I have ever seen!  I wish I had never seen it.

Does anyone have a simpler method to aiming headlights or is the instruction in the 65 shop manual the only / best way?  Hard to find a flat surface with enough space to follow what the manual specifies.

I have Hagerty.  Stated value $30k but to get the lowest premium there are restrictions.  Must be registered as a historic vehicle, limit driving to car shows, parades and repairs, no drivers under 25, and stored in a garage.  Even with those limits I pay around $600 per year which is quite a lot more than other states due to Michigan's out of wack no fault insurance.

When I was about 9 or 10 years old, I got one of those as a Christmas gift from my aunt who worked at a Ford assembly plant.  I had that thing for years and let my kids play with it. Sadly, it was broken and ended up in the trash. It wasn't quite like the RC cars of today.  Could go straight or turn (if you manually turned the front wheels). The headlights and tail lights lit up if I remember right.

This won't help much, but I have experienced an on/off issue with my speedometer.  It seems every time the cable gets moved (for example I installed a back up light switch and moved the cable a little) the speedo would be erratic and then stop altogether.  I have been told that the cable inside the sleeve is either too long or too short (can't remember which).  I just drive at the speed of traffic or a speedo app on my phone so it is not that big a deal to me but I can appreciate your issue.  It's a reproduction cable from NPD.

Everybody is different.  

One of my sons showed no interest and was not mechanically inclined in the least.    He does know how to jump start a car but that is about it. He is a tax accountant now.

My other son is very mechanically inclined and helps me on occasion.  He works on his own car, brakes, installed a radio, etc.  He is an computer engineering student, is on the formula SAE race team at school and has done an internship with Ford and will be working with Tesla this summer.

Everyone has to find their own niche and do what makes them successful.  Very proud of both.

I myself am an accountant and I can take pretty much anything apart.  I have trouble putting things back together though.  

 

Bought a C4 out of TCI.  It came with a universal hot rod shift bracket with no provision for the switch.  I have since had that trans rebuilt with the correct shaft assembly and I want to get the switch installed.