On my '69, my dash lights seem dim and the windshield wipers operate very slowly. Any possibility that I'm not getting enough voltage? If so, any fixes would be appreciated...

 

You really ought to use a volt meter to get readings at the battery and the light switch to see what kind of voltage is being supplied to the systems. Once you know what the voltage is at the battery, the power supply at the light switch should be the same. Check all the battery cable connections for corrosion, including the ground.

 

Thanks for the info...I'm a little naive when it comes to electronic stuff. Isn't there a voltage regulator in the engine bay? Would that have anything to do with supplying voltage to the rest of the car? Battery is two weeks old and I wouldn't even know where to connect the volt meter on the switches.

Thanks again!

 

OP

50+ year old cars with original wiring and switches things start to "fade" so to speak. Assuming yours is in good shape you may have a ground to instrument cluster that is not great. You could just use a alligator clip lead to ground under your dash and then to your dash gauge panel to see if that improves the brightness and if it does install a more secure secondary ground to the cluster

Also if your car is stock with external mechanical Voltage Regulator you should consider swapping to a solid state one from Tuff Stuff. Also installing a headlight relay harness to remove the "load" of headlights from the headlight switch will greatly improve the brightness of dash lights and head lights. I bought and installed this harness from Speedway. Plug & Play, no cutting of any stock wires.

To do any of this you do need an understanding of how to use a volt meter and where and what parts of the electrical system to check. If not you need to find a local mechanic who works on these old cars AND also has electrical skills to deal with this kind of stuff

headlight relay harness
https://www.speedwaymotors.com/Searc...light%20Relays

voltage regulator
https://www.speedwaymotors.com/Tuff-...or,410515.html

 

Very helpful...Thanks you for the info!!!

 

If you would like help in using DMM, please ask. The only dumb question is the one not asked.

 

The headlight switch has a dimmer (rheostat) for the dash lights. Did you try turning the **** clockwise and counterclockwise? If no change in either direction, the switch is bad. Also, the wiper switch has more than one speed. I know these are obvious things, but I had to ask.

 

After you check the other stuff that's been suggested, all good, by the way, you might need new instrument cluster bulbs. 50 year old ones can get seriously blackened inside.