Best Thanksgiving...Breakdown?

CaliFury

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I thought some would be interested in hearing the Best Ever Thanksgiving (Breakdown). Here goes: My wife and I decided to earn our turkey this Thanksgiving by doing the 5k Run to Feed the Hungry. We quickly did the run and followed up by washing the 66’ Fury Convertible to take to my family’s house for Thanksgiving Dinner. The Drive to my Aunt/Uncle’s house was nice in the cushy seats, and the 383 droning down the road. While driving on a country road I was pleased to find the adjustments to the transmission kickdown worked as I passed a slower vehicle like it was standing still. So yeah, all good, nice mid 60’s California blue bird day. I got to the location of the feast, and my family was very interested to see my new project…the convertible Fury. They each took turns taking the car for a spin with the top down to get fresh air while basking in the nostalgia of a classic 60’s Mopar! This is my first Mopar, but the thanksgiving conversation easily made its way to my Dad’s 66’ Formula S Barracuda which he never stopped talking about. My Dad passed 3yrs ago, but we all know how his Barracuda would “run circles” around my mom’s 289 Mustang. We all laughed and rejoiced.

The meal was awesome! We all ate too much…and then had desert! With the tryptophan kicking in and the football game winding down, my wife and I decided to say goodbyes and head home. It was dark and cool out so the top went up and the heater came on. The headlights seemed dim, but hey its an old car right?

We got about 2 miles down the road and EVERYTHING stopped working. EVERYTHING!!! No lights, no power brakes, no power steering, no engine running. NOTHING. It was like a movie where a UFO does screwy things with an automobile, the car dies, the occupants are abducted and anal probed. Fortunately there was no UFO in the area, so bums were secure, and we came to a stop at a busy intersection. I was a bit flummoxed! What the hell just happened??? I’ve had cars sputter and stop; engines blow while racing; transmissions slip, clutches explode; gears or drivelines fall out; fuses blow, wiring fry; tires go flat; and even coolant start spewing out. All of which can make a car inoperable. But this was new! No sound or smell whatsoever! Just Nothingness!

We had cell reception and called my family members to help give us a push out of the roadway and to a gas station parking lot. It was actually kind of nice. My sister, brother-in-law, niece, and uncle hung out while waiting for a tow truck. Additional impromptu family time ensued.

Still in the back of my head I kept thinking what the heck happened??? Maybe that new little voltage regulator I put on the fuel gauge had done it…nah, that only changes voltage for a couple gauges. Then the “Ohhhhhh” moment hit. Many of the same threads discussing how to bypass the points in the fuel gage lead to talk of an Ammeter Bypass as well. The quotes from the threads chimed back in my head “if you don’t bypass the ammeter you better carry walking shoes,” or “the ammeter is the Achilles heal of our classic Mopar’s.”

The next day I completed the under hood and under dash ammeter bypass. All I had to do was type in “Ammeter Bypass” in the C Bodies only Search Engine. Crimp, solder, tape, shrink wrap. The Fury fired right up no problem!!!

The only real hard part was to figure out what the prior owners had done to the stock wiring over 55 years. After that it was simple. So thanks to all who have been very helpful on this website! Also, any new Mopar owners please do the ammeter bypass. I got lucky. But it could’ve been in 115 degree heat with no cell service; or near our cabin with no cell, no heat, and in a blizzard. Happy Holidays All!
 
I thought some would be interested in hearing the Best Ever Thanksgiving (Breakdown). Here goes: My wife and I decided to earn our turkey this Thanksgiving by doing the 5k Run to Feed the Hungry. We quickly did the run and followed up by washing the 66’ Fury Convertible to take to my family’s house for Thanksgiving Dinner. The Drive to my Aunt/Uncle’s house was nice in the cushy seats, and the 383 droning down the road. While driving on a country road I was pleased to find the adjustments to the transmission kickdown worked as I passed a slower vehicle like it was standing still. So yeah, all good, nice mid 60’s California blue bird day. I got to the location of the feast, and my family was very interested to see my new project…the convertible Fury. They each took turns taking the car for a spin with the top down to get fresh air while basking in the nostalgia of a classic 60’s Mopar! This is my first Mopar, but the thanksgiving conversation easily made its way to my Dad’s 66’ Formula S Barracuda which he never stopped talking about. My Dad passed 3yrs ago, but we all know how his Barracuda would “run circles” around my mom’s 289 Mustang. We all laughed and rejoiced.

The meal was awesome! We all ate too much…and then had desert! With the tryptophan kicking in and the football game winding down, my wife and I decided to say goodbyes and head home. It was dark and cool out so the top went up and the heater came on. The headlights seemed dim, but hey its an old car right?

We got about 2 miles down the road and EVERYTHING stopped working. EVERYTHING!!! No lights, no power brakes, no power steering, no engine running. NOTHING. It was like a movie where a UFO does screwy things with an automobile, the car dies, the occupants are abducted and anal probed. Fortunately there was no UFO in the area, so bums were secure, and we came to a stop at a busy intersection. I was a bit flummoxed! What the hell just happened??? I’ve had cars sputter and stop; engines blow while racing; transmissions slip, clutches explode; gears or drivelines fall out; fuses blow, wiring fry; tires go flat; and even coolant start spewing out. All of which can make a car inoperable. But this was new! No sound or smell whatsoever! Just Nothingness!

We had cell reception and called my family members to help give us a push out of the roadway and to a gas station parking lot. It was actually kind of nice. My sister, brother-in-law, niece, and uncle hung out while waiting for a tow truck. Additional impromptu family time ensued.

Still in the back of my head I kept thinking what the heck happened??? Maybe that new little voltage regulator I put on the fuel gauge had done it…nah, that only changes voltage for a couple gauges. Then the “Ohhhhhh” moment hit. Many of the same threads discussing how to bypass the points in the fuel gage lead to talk of an Ammeter Bypass as well. The quotes from the threads chimed back in my head “if you don’t bypass the ammeter you better carry walking shoes,” or “the ammeter is the Achilles heal of our classic Mopar’s.”

The next day I completed the under hood and under dash ammeter bypass. All I had to do was type in “Ammeter Bypass” in the C Bodies only Search Engine. Crimp, solder, tape, shrink wrap. The Fury fired right up no problem!!!

The only real hard part was to figure out what the prior owners had done to the stock wiring over 55 years. After that it was simple. So thanks to all who have been very helpful on this website! Also, any new Mopar owners please do the ammeter bypass. I got lucky. But it could’ve been in 115 degree heat with no cell service; or near our cabin with no cell, no heat, and in a blizzard. Happy Holidays All!

You also got lucky as sometimes when the ammeter "dies" it creates a short to ground and fries everything under the dash. Yours just went "open" and stopped working.

Dave
 
Best thanksgiving breakdown?
Wasn't me but I was involved about 40 years ago
I was at the new girlfriends house, dressed in a suit, when one of her friends wanted us to go for a cruise, well turns out he wanted to go cornfield running, seems like it was an old Impala, maybe an Olds, anyhow, he got stuck up to the axles in mud, and tried to rock it out, shifting from D to R without letting off the throttle, well it took about 5 times of doing that to shred the diff, or trans (who knows, but the wheels didn't spin anymore) and we all had a long chilly muddy walk home, with me in a suit
Maybe not the best thanksgiving breakdown, but memorable
 
Best thanksgiving breakdown?
Wasn't me but I was involved about 40 years ago
I was at the new girlfriends house, dressed in a suit, when one of her friends wanted us to go for a cruise, well turns out he wanted to go cornfield running, seems like it was an old Impala, maybe an Olds, anyhow, he got stuck up to the axles in mud, and tried to rock it out, shifting from D to R without letting off the throttle, well it took about 5 times of doing that to shred the diff, or trans (who knows, but the wheels didn't spin anymore) and we all had a long chilly muddy walk home, with me in a suit
Maybe not the best thanksgiving breakdown, but memorable

Oh man, that's great story! Glad you made it out of the mudbog. I was hoping a few folks would post their Holiday breakdown stories. Awesome!
 
Back in the 90's with my first 68 Chrysler I was headed from Abilene TX to Brenham TX to my brothers for Christmas. One of the guys I was in the service with was bumming a ride to Houston. About 1/2 way there we started to smell rubber burning. I pulled to the side of the road and got out with the car running. The first thing I noticed was that the AC pulley wasn't turning. I wisely confirmed it was the problem when I touched and burnt the end of my thumb. Fortunately the belt held out as we drove to the next town where there was a NAPA. My intention was to buy belts for a none AC car but that doesn't work because you need a idler pulley. While talking to the guys at NAPA the points out the door and says the garage you can see through the woods he just parted out an old Chrysler maybe he still has the compressor. We drove over and sure enough he had. He said he would install it for $75. While he was working on the car the guy that was bumming the ride treated me to dinner. I paid the mechanic $100 and said Merry Christmas.

That was the last $100 that was in my checking account till the next payday, but I was glad to pay him and bless him with the $25 tip.
 
not a thanksgiving breakdown but an ammeter one...when i first got my 77 dodge motorhome i didnt know of a dump station in the area so took it to the local sewage treatment plant...you pulled between 2 walls on a long dished concrete ramp designed to contain any "spillage" from the tractor trailer sized cesspool trucks that dumped there and pumped into a grating...they sorta hosed things down between trucks but it was less than pristine...and thats where it died...needless to say i wasnt crawling under the vehicle and fortunately figured it out under the dash...all with other trucks waiting in line...fun day
 
Thank you @CaliFury for posting this story. I read @cbarge 's thread about this mod after seeing your thread. I shall be carrying out the "ammeter bypass" before spring rolls around. Since I've owned my Fury (a year) I've been working through what I thought were fairly obvious items, leaking fluids, blown bulbs, replacing belts, hoses and all that stuff but I had no idea until I read your tale that the ammeter was an "Achilles Heel". Good to know.
 
I thought some would be interested in hearing the Best Ever Thanksgiving (Breakdown). Here goes: My wife and I decided to earn our turkey this Thanksgiving by doing the 5k Run to Feed the Hungry. We quickly did the run and followed up by washing the 66’ Fury Convertible to take to my family’s house for Thanksgiving Dinner. The Drive to my Aunt/Uncle’s house was nice in the cushy seats, and the 383 droning down the road. While driving on a country road I was pleased to find the adjustments to the transmission kickdown worked as I passed a slower vehicle like it was standing still. So yeah, all good, nice mid 60’s California blue bird day. I got to the location of the feast, and my family was very interested to see my new project…the convertible Fury. They each took turns taking the car for a spin with the top down to get fresh air while basking in the nostalgia of a classic 60’s Mopar! This is my first Mopar, but the thanksgiving conversation easily made its way to my Dad’s 66’ Formula S Barracuda which he never stopped talking about. My Dad passed 3yrs ago, but we all know how his Barracuda would “run circles” around my mom’s 289 Mustang. We all laughed and rejoiced.

The meal was awesome! We all ate too much…and then had desert! With the tryptophan kicking in and the football game winding down, my wife and I decided to say goodbyes and head home. It was dark and cool out so the top went up and the heater came on. The headlights seemed dim, but hey its an old car right?

We got about 2 miles down the road and EVERYTHING stopped working. EVERYTHING!!! No lights, no power brakes, no power steering, no engine running. NOTHING. It was like a movie where a UFO does screwy things with an automobile, the car dies, the occupants are abducted and anal probed. Fortunately there was no UFO in the area, so bums were secure, and we came to a stop at a busy intersection. I was a bit flummoxed! What the hell just happened??? I’ve had cars sputter and stop; engines blow while racing; transmissions slip, clutches explode; gears or drivelines fall out; fuses blow, wiring fry; tires go flat; and even coolant start spewing out. All of which can make a car inoperable. But this was new! No sound or smell whatsoever! Just Nothingness!

We had cell reception and called my family members to help give us a push out of the roadway and to a gas station parking lot. It was actually kind of nice. My sister, brother-in-law, niece, and uncle hung out while waiting for a tow truck. Additional impromptu family time ensued.

Still in the back of my head I kept thinking what the heck happened??? Maybe that new little voltage regulator I put on the fuel gauge had done it…nah, that only changes voltage for a couple gauges. Then the “Ohhhhhh” moment hit. Many of the same threads discussing how to bypass the points in the fuel gage lead to talk of an Ammeter Bypass as well. The quotes from the threads chimed back in my head “if you don’t bypass the ammeter you better carry walking shoes,” or “the ammeter is the Achilles heal of our classic Mopar’s.”

The next day I completed the under hood and under dash ammeter bypass. All I had to do was type in “Ammeter Bypass” in the C Bodies only Search Engine. Crimp, solder, tape, shrink wrap. The Fury fired right up no problem!!!

The only real hard part was to figure out what the prior owners had done to the stock wiring over 55 years. After that it was simple. So thanks to all who have been very helpful on this website! Also, any new Mopar owners please do the ammeter bypass. I got lucky. But it could’ve been in 115 degree heat with no cell service; or near our cabin with no cell, no heat, and in a blizzard. Happy Holidays All!
I completed the "underhood ammeter bypass" today and as it was an unusually mild day with salt free roads I got a chance to try it out with a quick 10 mile trip around town. Performed flawlessly. I'll get to the "bulkhead bypass" in the spring.
 
I completed the "underhood ammeter bypass" today and as it was an unusually mild day with salt free roads I got a chance to try it out with a quick 10 mile trip around town. Performed flawlessly. I'll get to the "bulkhead bypass" in the spring.
Glad to hear it helped out someone! Hopefully you will have flawless cruising time in 2022!
 
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