10/10/12
Daytona Electrics

After the interior was done on the Daytona Spyder, we found a couple of electrical issues to deal with. The headlights and horn were not working, and all the usual checks behind the dashboard turned up nothing wrong, I had to bring the car to the shop from the upholsterer’s for a closer look.

Unfortunately, with electrical problems, you have to start from one end of a circuit and work your way back. As we’ve seen with old car electrics in the last couple weeks, you never know what can cause an electrical issue. On the headlights, after checking out the fuses, and relays, I narrowed down the problem to within the steering column. Further checking led me to the switch inside the light stalk. When I took the switch apart, I found a cold solder joint that decided to let go. Even though it was an easy repair once I found the problem it took me a while to find it!

The horn issue was a little easier to diagnose, although a little sneaky. The horn operates from a ground source at the horn button, and is completed through a carbon brush at the steering column. After isolating the problem to the carbon brush portion, I disassembled the unit to find a broken spring! There was just enough space for the brush to lose contact with the wiring, causing a bad connection.

It was pretty satisfying for me to solve these two issues and the repairs were easy, and it was good for our upholsterer since neither of these problems were his fault when he restored the interior!

Reminder: If you have a Ferrari related project, car, or idea you’d like to explore, I’d love to talk to you. I can also help if you’re thinking of buying or selling. This website represents what I love to do, and now it’s how I make a living, so if you’d like to do something together, let me know. It all begins with an e-mail!

Previous Restoration Day
Next Restoration Day
Home page