Post date: Jul 14, 2016 3:28:14 AM
Well, we now have a better idea of what's wrong with Lola. Unluckily for us, it might not be that easy to fix. Evidently in Valiants made before a '73 redesign, the ammeter measured the amps from the battery, and unfortunately for us, our meter only goes up to 40 and we have a 60 amp alternator. In other words, the alternator seems to be burning out the ammeter which is causing a small electrical fire. The solutions for this are limited and we tried unplugging the ammeter but that seemed to keep the whole car off. Hopefully we'll be able to find a temporary fix tomorrow when we bring it into the shop. We'll know more when a professional gets a good look at it but for now it's taped up so there's no exposed wire.
~ LH
Dad's Post Script
When we fired up Lola to start car show prep and also take her for a ride, Shaelyn noticed a very small puff of smoke come up from the dash - "Like a mouse was smoking a cigarette". Couldn't find any problems, so we took Lola for a ride over to see Dot (Lisa's Mom). Lola ran great, but the slight smoke persisted and Shaelyn noticed a bad smell.
Not good.
Spent an anxious night researching this on the internet and it might be something that requires rewiring a portion of Lola's electrical system. Also swung by Sloops Garage and got an appointment for Lola tomorrow. Swatted a couple phone calls with Paul Smith (Lola's previous owner) to get his input.
Worried, but keeping mu fingers crossed.
More later.