Mystery Wires


IHC in the early to mid-fifties.

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Post Sat Apr 20, 2019 6:11 pm

Mystery Wires

This is more of a curiosity than a problem, while cleaning up loose wires and bad connections in my wiring harness inside the cab today I came across a group of 5 or six wires hanging out of a hole in the steering column. they have bullet connector ends and with the key on there was not power to any of them. The other thing I noticed is they seemed to go up the column not down. Normally I'd think that they may have been for turn signals but there doesn't seem to be a place by the steering wheel for a turn signal stalk. Did IH offer turn signals as an option in 56 or is there some other explanation?
56 S120 4x4,

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Post Sat Apr 20, 2019 6:34 pm

Re: Mystery Wires

Mike, They did have a steering column that had a turn signal lever internally. I had one.
Attachments
sterring column close.jpg
steering column.jpg
1956 S-102 Short Bed BD240

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Post Sat Apr 20, 2019 7:04 pm

Re: Mystery Wires

That explains it, thanks!
56 S120 4x4,

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Post Sat Apr 20, 2019 9:35 pm

Re: Mystery Wires

That steering column looks like a later Saginaw GM unit. Look under the dash below the gauges. That mess does not look like IHC OEM.
Google. Saginaw steering column wire diagram and there will be colour code for the signal wiring. The wiring is the same for the fixed and tilt. NAPA sell a replacement signal switch.
Parts for the self cancelling turn signals may be missing from the upper section
Flaming River, Borgeson and Ididit have parts. I have bought, sold, parted out and rebuilt maybe 100 of the Saginaw steering columns. IHC used the Saginaw column in Scout and later pickups.
Attachments
SAGINAW TILT2.jpg
1977 Chevy Van tilt modified to fit a 1940 ford.
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Post Sat Apr 20, 2019 11:31 pm

Re: Mystery Wires

That steering column in my picture is a IH OEM steering column. I am so amazed sometimes by people who think they have seen everything. If they have not seen one it doesn’t exist.
1956 S-102 Short Bed BD240

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Post Sun Apr 21, 2019 4:02 am

Re: Mystery Wires

he said: "I am so amazed sometimes by people who think they have seen everything. If they have not seen one it doesn’t exist." What are you trying to say? There is a possibility your steering column might have been a Saginaw.
Saginaw steering columns were used by more companies than GM. Rolls Royce used some Saginaw steering components. BMW used a GM four speed automatic in one of their all wheel drive cars. I had a 1908 Ford F100 that had a Saginaw steering column. My farmer friend has two swathers by two different manufacturers. Both have Saginaw steering columns and Saginaw hydraulic pumps.
Last edited by nikkinutshop on Sun Apr 21, 2019 2:12 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Thinking risks being controversial and possibly being offensive

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Post Sun Apr 21, 2019 10:50 am

Re: Mystery Wires

Mike heres a drawing I made in the early nineties, Factory blinker system
Attachments
Scan0006.jpg
Scan0005.jpg

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Post Sun Apr 21, 2019 7:11 pm

Re: Mystery Wires

Thanks! This sort of puts the pieces of the puzzle together. My front parking lights have double filament sockets that I thought someone must have
swapped in when they installed aftermarket turn signals, now I'm thinking they were that way from the factory. I wonder what the first year was that all IHC trucks came from the factory with turn signals installed? A little research shows that they became mandatory in 1958.
56 S120 4x4,
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Post Sun Apr 21, 2019 10:11 pm

Re: Mystery Wires

Integral turn signals were available, if not standard, on S series, but they don't show up in the parts books. The A series parts book shows the column shown in K Sever's to be "Ross design w/o remote control." The one I'm more familiar with has a hump in it and is shown as the "Ainsworth design."

Here's the Ainsworth design.

P1060920.JPG

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