I just had an electrical fire in my 1964 Dart. The wires burned up both under under the hood and the dash. Is this a common problem? Does anyone happen to know the cause of this? Any info is appreciated.

Thanks,
Sandee

Often, such problems result from the ammeter wires that pass through the firewall at the bulkhead connector and attach to the instrument panel and are asked to carry the alternator's full output, as well as the current loads inside the car.
There are many posts here about how to rewire the car to avoid such problems, and it seems like you've been forced into it .
Hope you and the car are ok!

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O==\=/==O

"A mechanic is Somebody."
- Jim Preston

Sorry to hear about your fire. I also hope you are O.K.

I'm not familiar enough with your model to even suggest where to start, but I wish you well. I believe I could have the engine running in a day or so, but the ignition switch and dash wiring would be a real headache.

Here's hoping you find a good donor.

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1980 Aspen 225 super six

My '64 Valiant didn't have a fire, but the positive lead burned up from the alternator back, melting several wires in the harness on both sides of the firewall. I wasn't present when it happened. All I know is that it involved my wife, a battery, an attempt at starting, sparks, and lots of smoke.
The firewall connector suffered a little damage, but was reusable with a little tinkering. Replacement wiring harnesses are available, but expensive, so I just took my time and replaced large sections of wiring.
I took this almost-disaster as an opportunity to upgrade to a 60 amp alternator (already using a solid-state voltage regulator), and to use larger-gauge wiring in those sections I had to replace. I chose to keep my ammeter. (Read all sides of the ammeter/voltmeter debate before you make any decisions.)
Be methodical about removing the old wiring. LABEL EVERYTHING! PHOTOS, PHOTOS, PHOTOS! Sketches with notes about colors, etc, can help, too. And remember: It may cost just as much to replace as it does to upgrade parts!

I didn't witness the fire either. My husband was picking me up from work because his truck was in the shop (when it rains it pours). He started the car and immediately saw smoke so he turned it off. He thought it was just overheating, but when he opened the hood all the wiring was burning away. I came out to leave and was trying to figure out just what the heck he did to it.

It seems as if the wiring under the dash is corroded and may be the culprit. Has anyone experienced this? Would corrosion cause a fire or just blow out the fuse?

Would I be better off just buying new reproduction wiring to be safe? Or would it be just as safe but cheaper to get something from the boneyard?

I've never done anything with the electrical side of my vehicles, so I'm a bit cautious. I really appreciate everyone's input.

Thanks,
Sandee

Corrosion itself shouldn't have caused a fire, but it's possible. Corrosion can ruin the electrical connection. Bad connections can create high resistance and heat, but I think a more likely scenario is a chafed wire or loose connector shorting on something. 12V to ground. Short = high current flow = heat in conductor = melting copper and smoking insulation ... fire! And don't forget that smell.
Boneyard wiring is highly suspect, in my book. You might grab a harness for the connectors and for reference, though. Label, label, photograph, note, and label.
A new harness would be expensive, but it would probably be the best. I'm too cheap for that, so I just pieced my old one back together one new section of wire at a time, trying to match colors as much as I could. I checked and cleaned or replaced all the connectors. My soldering gun got a workout. The ammeter leads were given special attention, because of all the juice they carry.
Also, check for any pinch points or areas where the wires might get damaged by abrasion, stretching, etc. Use heat-shrink tubing on splices, etc.
I've had no electrical problems of any kind since then, thank goodness.

For my 2 cents, this is a very rare occurance. I have never seen it in over 20 years of working on slants. Electrical wiring is my specialty, and as such I see no problem with a junkyard harness. The important thing is that you need to make a good inspection to try to determine the cause of the problem. If you had a water leak at the windshield that caused corrosion, then you could have had a bad connection tht would cause heat and melt the harness. Inspect everything, the old and the "new", before installing. Also, the fusable link should have saved the harness. It might have been removed at some time.

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Chuck Rivers, Webmaster

I would get your alternator tested at your local parts store and a new voltage regulator, a transistorized one too while your changing everything. I'd hate for you to fix the wiring but have a possibly faulty alternator ruin everything a second time.

Sandee I just saw this post and I'll be completely stripping a 1964 Dart 170 in the next several days. I will be rewiring the car for racing so since you'll be needing some things, I'll remove it as carefully as I can. Just e-mail me an address and I'lll box it up and send it along. I was gonna pitch it anyway. Regards RICK:o

Maybe I got it right this time. E-mail is B1N2J3@sbcglobal.net RICK

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If you can't be good, at least be colorful

I used to be afraid to tackle anything electrical on my cars until I had a close call on my 68 440-powered Barracuda. Turned on the ignition one morning and saw smoke coming up throught vents in the dash. Scared me. Quickly pulled loose battery cables and went to the source...under the dash. I found that both wires leading to the ammeter contact points were melted. My solution at the time was do gently disconnect them, and solder them together, and then opting for an aftermarket voltmeter. On our old cars, I've learned that many hands are likely to have been under the hood and dash. I bought one of those manuals they sell on CD's for the car, printed the electrical diagrams out, and since I didn't have a copier that would enlarge them, used a large magnifying glass to help me identify each circuit. From there, following the legend on each, I duplicated most of the wiring with new stuff. As the wires get older in our cars, heat and the elements tend to denegrate their integrity. After getting the Barracuda back running, I've had the opportunity to replace the wiring in several other cars, and now I've actually grown used to it, and enjoy it. Most important lesson learned by me to date has been stated a couple of times earlier: make lots of diagrams and take lots of pictures! As an aside, take it from me, replace/install fusible links where the factory called for them. They did it for a reason. Finally: I've found many a fault in the bulkhead connectors. Corrosion took its toll many times. Make sure that all grounds are clean. When you make connections (other than those you solder) use dialectric grease liberally to prevent further deterioration. Just some thoughts.

One more thing I reccomend highly is to put a self resetting breaker in the before the power gets to anything besides the starter. I had the same dash fire on my ammeter gauge. Since then i've had teh breaker as extra insurance.