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EFV-8 Club Forum / General Ford Discussion / 41 Convertible Top Wiring Routing

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Posted By Discussion Topic: 41 Convertible Top Wiring Routing     ford1941 02-06-2011 @ 10:06 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 44 Joined: Jul 2010 I am running new wiring for my convertible top motors/screws in my 1941 Convertible. This is the wiring that runs from the top switch to the left and right top motors. Does anyone know exactly how this wiring is routed from under the dash back to the top motors? I am not sure exactly where to run / locate the wiring. Thanks, Scott supereal 02-07-2011 @ 9:18 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 Spread out your wiring to determine how the motors are fed. If there is one long, and one short wire, the main loom goes down the left side. If the wires are of equal length, it goes down the center next to the tunnel. Due to variations in repro looms, there doesn't seem to be an "official" routing. In any case it stays inside the car. ford1941 02-07-2011 @ 11:33 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 44 Joined: Jul 2010 Thanks for the info. My wires are of different lengths, so I was planning to go down the driver side, under the floor mat, I guess, and then under the wood at the base of the back seat. Does that make sense? To get the wiring from under the dash to the floor, would you suggest running the wiring under the cowl panel along the side or somewhere else? Is some form of tape used to secure the wiring to the floor? I'm trying to be as concourse-correct as possible. Thanks again!! 42ford 02-07-2011 @ 4:18 PM reply profile send p.m. New Member Posts: 104 Joined: Oct 2009 you are correct. If you look at the wood board that is vertical under the front of the rear seat, you will see a notch in it. That notch is for the wires. Look at page 103 of the 41 Body Parts book. All the parts of the top are illustrated there. ford1941 02-08-2011 @ 5:35 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 44 Joined: Jul 2010 Thanks again. I figured there would need to be a notch in the wood, as I saw no other place to route the wiring. My old wood was so rotted, you could not see any notch (I actually looked very closely). I have been looking at p. 103 of the 1941 body parts book, I just could not tell from the picture exactly where the wire ran, and if it was above or below the floorboards. If you have any more insights, let me know. Thanks!! 42ford 02-08-2011 @ 6:47 AM reply profile send p.m. New Member Posts: 104 Joined: Oct 2009 All the wiring stays whithin the body of the car. tbirdhandyman 02-28-2011 @ 2:23 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 51 Joined: Oct 2009 ford41: The notch for the wire loom is 6" from the driver's side end. After locating and installing all of the original motors and parts for my '41 Mercury, I operated the top up and down about 36 times to get everything lined up correctly. The very first time that I attempted to raise the top to go on a tour, the motors bogged down and would not raise the top. You know that you have to remove the back seat and the inside quarter panels to unhook the screw jacks from the top assembly. I hope you are luckier that I was. If I had known about the hyd units that are now availiable to costom replace the screw jacks, I would have gone that route. I have the factory wire loom, so it was not a case of too small wires. I also ran a #12 ground from the Battery to the motors. Anyway, I now have a NOS top switch if anyone needs one. Robert E. Tbirdhandyman supereal 02-28-2011 @ 3:46 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 There was a good reason that the jack screw top was used for only a year. After the unlameted demise of the vacuum powered top in the '40, the all electric was attempted, but more often than not, the motors went out of sync and locked up the top, probably as the rain began. The original '42-'48 system had its flaws, too. It used brake fluid, and the reservoir collected moisture which, when frozen, ruined the pump. We have installed a good aftermarket system, well hidden behind the spare tire, under the top well. It tends to be a bit slow, but uses auto tranmission fluid, and has been trouble free to date. For appearance, the stock pump can be left in place, and no one will know the difference. We have worked on several retractible hardtops, and always wondered if the Ford engineers forgot the '41s sync problems. 42ford 03-01-2011 @ 4:43 PM reply profile send p.m. New Member Posts: 104 Joined: Oct 2009 The 42 conv also had a set of electric motors. They are much different from the 41 though

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