Howdy folks! The odyssey of my Big Green ‘70 XR7 continues. I have been busy moving into a new house with a pool, and haven’t had as much time to address a lot of things on this pig. For those of you playing at home, I got this car last October from a friend of mine, redid the entire top end because the heads were warped, it had been sitting for roughly 15 years. A 40 over 351c, absolute hawg of a cam, and the right amount of project for me.
The latest issue I’ve been tackling was staying in the Stone Age with a set of points. Before this car was mine, I replaced them about 15 years ago, and simple cleaning and readjusting wasn’t cutting it. This car was running like absolute hot garbage, we’re talking couldn’t pull a string out of a cat’s ass if it’s life depended on it, hot garbage. Well I finally overcame severe laziness and tossed those points and that have been staring at me on my workbench, and what do you know, this thing runs like the beast I remember! Guys at the local parts store possibly gave me a windsor water pump, and I’ve got a pesky oil pan leak but other than this thing marking it’s territory all over my garage floor, I’m pretty happy.
Okay, now that we are up to speed, let’s get to a few weeks ago when I took this thing to my local American Legion post about a mile away to show the car off to some friends. Great time, cruised home, one of my buddies texted me said I don’t have brake lights. Fiddlesticks.
Whenever I had a free .0271 seconds, I busted out the handy dandy multimeter, and tested my brake light switch. It has continuity. Great!
I decided to finally turn my attention to that sequential box. Keep in mind this thing is a ‘70 so it has that solid state circuit board. It looked like it had been sitting in about 3 ft of water in the Atlantic off of Miami for about 16 years, so unplugged those red and black connectors, took off that California Vapor canister bracket doodle, and got the box out. Cleaned it up, went to town on the circuit bored with some contact cleaner, and let me tell you, it was crusty! Chucked it back in, called the 21 year old roommate that calls me Dad out to the garage, and Viola! Brakelights… Well, one.
Now keep in mind I remember this car having everything that worked, and as I’ve mentioned in other threads, the left turn signal will sequence, but the right three lights will also flash in unison, not sequenced. Depress the brake, and the left turn signal just pauses. Three lights all at once.
Well, I really want to get that fancy dancy circuit board and I’ll just put some cool guy LED 1157s in this thing, but a used circuit board for 50 bucks right now is a more attractive alternative than the $180 one.
This morning that used circuit board showed up from wccc, and while I was out doing normal work stuff and rescuing some other people with their automotive woes, finally got around this afternoon to popping it in. Called the assistant out to the garage so she can use her right foot skills, and the same malady on the field stands. One brake light, and that left directional causing all 6 brake lights to flash and a half haphazard sequential but not sequential pattern.
Sonofabeesting!!! 
Somehow I got a wild hair up my tookis, and decided to check out some cans. Not those ones, gentlemen! The Flasher cans. Well, because I am idiot, and don’t Ford too well, I called an audible. Pulled the cans off, hit the prongs with contact cleaner, switched them around. Nothing, nada. Insert G-Rated expletive here. Since this turn signal issue has beleaguered me for the past year, I did order replacement turn signal switch, but the original 1970 switch was still in a box in my workbench, so I went and grabbed it, disconnected the new one in the car, put the old switch back on, andddd…
Nothing.
KFD, the cans? Yes Forum User, you’re right! Remembered those were switched around, and cleaned. You can almost hear that lightbulb above me switching on!
With much haste, swapped those around, and Like Saul and the waiter asking for the spoon to taste the soup post credits of Coming To America, ahh-haa, we got directionals, sequential ones at that, AND BOTH BRAKE LIGHTS!!!
Now that right brake light is still being a little bit flaky, and I have a feeling it has something to do with that lovely replacement turn signal switch, let me figure out that rivet thing that will apply a better amount of pressure, but for right now, the sequentials work, and Tito Puente is still playing every time I open up that sequential box from that crusty circuit board, but I do have that nice pretty replacement that’s not as crusty waiting in the wings.
Sorry for a long read for a simple fix, I’ll toss a few pictures of that emerald beercan sitting next to the pool to make it worth your time.
BEFORE YOU REPLACE TURN SIGNAL SWITCHES AND SEQUENTIAL CIRCUIT BOARDS, CLEAN THE CONTACTS ON THE FLASHER CANS BEHIND THE RADIO!!!
And now, on to figure out if the oil drain plug, or a harmonic balancer/seal fitment is causing an oil leak, and figuring out why my water pump IS STILL LEAKING!!!