1964 lost all electrical power while driving

[Myj156]

Any advice about losing all electrical power while I was driving? The whole car shut off, I couldn't start it anymore. Car smelled like burnt electrical, the interior filled with some smoke. Any ideas, I would like to here

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[Ward 57]

Bad high load short somewhere. Don't know if Ford put in fuseable links after the battery at the time of the build. Time to put on you're Sherlock Holmes hat. Could be a big job but finding the cause should be your first priority then asses the damage down the line.

 

[REDTOY]

For all it's worth, the exact same thing happened to me in my 67 Mustang at night and I lost all power and could smell smoke and it happened right after I pressed the high beam foot switch which at least gave me somewhere to start looking. Turns out that when I was hitting the foot switch or had my foot near it, the carpet was pulling on the main wiring harness that would cause it to rub against a very sharp metal piece on the steering column so it would cut through the harness and cause a short. I found it by following the harness with my hand and I happened to cut myself on the metal piece, pure luck but sometimes lucky is better than good I guess. Took 3 days to find!
Good luck.

 

[Ward 57]

For all it's worth, the exact same thing happened to me in my 67 Mustang at night and I lost all power and could smell smoke and it happened right after I pressed the high beam foot switch which at least gave me somewhere to start looking. Turns out that when I was hitting the foot switch or had my foot near it, the carpet was pulling on the main wiring harness that would cause it to rub against a very sharp metal piece on the steering column so it would cut through the harness and cause a short. I found it by following the harness with my hand and I happened to cut myself on the metal piece, pure luck but sometimes lucky is better than good I guess. Took 3 days to find!
Good luck.

Now that's what I'm talking about. Sherlock Holmes investigation. These cars can be a mind game but when you figured it out yourself instead of paying close to $100/hr for somebody else to diagnose is just money in the bank not only the sense of self satisfaction and worthy of a stiff drink afterwards. .

 

[Jay Fitzpatrick]

my 57 engine stopped and I smelled burning wires and it would not start again. It was my Coil Resistor. I replaced it and got back on the road

 

[Myj156]

Thx everyone for your insight. I forgot to mention that all my power loss happen right after I turned on my defrost and put it in heat, high mode