VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - GENERAL Electrical - 6 volt Electrolock Disassembly?

I removed the armored cable from the top of the coil on my '35 Master in order to replace the coil. The insulation on the wire housed in the cable (ignition key assembly to the coil) is frayed and should probably be replaced. I need to get to the area of the electrolock where the wire is. Does anyone know how to take the key assembly apart? I'm speaking of the electrolock assembly, Parts Book section 2.188. Thus far I have the key tumblers out and I've taken the two major halves of it apart but I can't seem to get access to the wire at the base of the iginition assembly.
Please help before I destroy it completely!

Coachhill,
Since you have the electrolox opened up. You will have to remove the brown plastic pc which should be easy to remove as nothing is holding it in, then at the bottom is the 2nd brown plastic contact part with the wire attached, that is pressed in. Take the two terminal screws out and tap gently on brass terminals or press them into the electrolox sleeve and that should give you clear access to the wire. I just rechecked one that I have taken apart a few minutes ago. This should work.

Thanks for the advice Walt. I wasn't sure if the brass contacts could be used to drive out the plastic base. I also received an email photo from another VCCA'er that shows dimples in the outside of the housing that pinch the contact base in the housing. He suggested using a tiny Dremel bit to grind these down to free up the base.
Thanks much for your help!

Iam also replaceing the wire in my 1936 electrolock armored cable. With following the instructions in this post I now have mine apart, pretty easy to do. I want to know if there is anything special about this wire, is it a heat resistant type or just a regular cloth covered wire. Also what gauge is this wire?
The reason I am asking is, before I owned the car the electrolock was repaired, and was repaired with a plasctic coded wire. While at the anniversary meet in flint, it was hot and while in line for the field check it just cut out and couldn't start it back up. What happened was the plastic on the wire melted off and grounded out againts the armored cable.
What do you suggest on a wire type? I want to avoid this happening again. Thanks, Ken

You can use 14 gauge cloth covered wire if you like.

Thanks Skip,
Sounds good, I just wanted to make sure that there was nothing special about this wire. As long as I have it apart is there anything else that I should check for before I put it back together? The only thing that I found was, it was a little dirty like black greese stuff on the inside. any extended help would be greatly appreachated. Thanks again, Ken

Solder your new wire to the end of the old one before you pull it out. This will pull the new wire through as the old wire comes out. Sometimes trying to feed a wire through a small conduit can be a challenge. This eliminates that challenge.

There is an excellent article on wiring by Mike Mavrigan in the July 2011 "Hotrod & Restoration" magazine.

One of the things he mentions is the different types of insulation. The PVC coating on most the wire we use melts when subject to high heat. Another coating called crosslinked polyethylene is designed to handle the higher temperatures. That is probably what you should use if you are using modern wire to replace the original. It tends to get pretty hot inside that narrow metal housing!

Of course, if you have cloth coated wire you won't have to worry about that. The original wire is 14 gauge, so that's what you should use to replace it whatever type wire you use.

Thanks all of you for all the info. I ordered the correct wire today. Thanks again, Ken