I've got a 71 convertible.. not numbers matching, and no need to keep anything, anywhere near stock.

It needs a lot of rewiring, and when I pulled the passenger dash panel, can see that I will *not* be the first to mess with the wires.. (tape, wire nuts, dead ends, etc..)

Would I be better off updating things myself? There honestly isn't a ton of things in the car to begin with..

Are there any harness kits out there that are more of an upgrade, rather than a stock replacement?

If not, are there any good resources on this topic?

 

I use Painless Wiring for all my cars, zero complaints.

 

you either repair or replace the main inside harness, you will have to decide.
correct repairs will remove the small electrical contact for each damaged wire.
and installing new proper wire, and reuse the original metal connector tab.
electricians will just normally splice wires together.
my deciding factor was how fatigued is the wire how does it appear,
dry and with cracks instead of bending? how many cutoff wire and connectors.
the final factor was the Fuse Box, my original was a rusted pile junk.
I choose a newer GM 79 replacement corvette harness,
to avoid some of the open Gnd issues with 69 harness.
I am just finishing my 79 wiring harness into a 69, let me know if you have questions,
this LED me to my latest project of installing LED indicators in place of the Fiber optic cables.
repair if at all possible, complete replacement is a major job.


good luck

 

I guess you could say I upgraded mine- went w/ larger gauge wire-better grounds and added lots of relays. Soldered and shrink wrapped the connections- and used Delphi Waterproof connectors.
I upgraded to blade fuses- and used the type that light when they blow.

I'm adding a lot of electrical stuff so-

First replaced the wimpy battery cables- when w/ 1/0 and ran two pos lines- one to the starter and one directly to the upgraded alternator.

I also ran a pos and neg 4 gu w/ terminal blocks to power everything from the power windows/power doorlocks/ heated seats/ ECU /vintage Air/electric parking brake..etc...

Plus a dedicated power wire on the front crossmember to power the upgraded lights/electric headlight motors/electric fans and horns.

Also upgraded all the chassis/motor grounds as well.

I relocated the fusebox- and am basically just using the factory wires to control the relays- from the headlights/horns/electric headlight motors. I have several banks of relays spread through out the car- under the hood/storage compartment and behind the dash

I also converted the lighting to LED -replaced the flashers and running sequential light flash modules from Speedway Motors.

DSCN5030 by Richard Hayes, on Flickr

DSCN5172 by Richard Hayes, on Flickr

DSCN5177 by Richard Hayes, on Flickr

This is all that's left of the factory wire under the hood- using these wires to control the relays-

DSCN5033 by Richard Hayes, on Flickr


Relays w/ fuses under the hood
DSCN5160 by Richard Hayes, on Flickr

DSCN5162 by Richard Hayes, on Flickr



DSCN5169 by Richard Hayes, on Flickr

all upgraded 12GU wire-
DSCN5143 by Richard Hayes, on Flickr

DSCN5096 by Richard Hayes, on Flickr

DSCN5079 by Richard Hayes, on Flickr

DSCN4921 by Richard Hayes, on Flickr

DSCN5038 by Richard Hayes, on Flickr

 

Are you planning late mod features such as auto down windows? Auto on/Delay off headlights? I'd say upgrade to a newer blade style fuse panel as suggested above to allow for many more options-especially ones not currently offered by anybody else. You should make a list of all your accessories and their amp draw to determine what you'll require for a charging system first.

 

That is similar to what I was thinking about.

Although every time I see the dash with everything disconnected it seems like a huge mess.

I imagine I could do a lot of it before tearing into the car (make my own sub-harnesses) with lots of extra length, and cut and correct once its torn down.

Awesome inspiration, than you.

 

I replaced mine with an aftermarket harness it sucked during the install, but absolutely worth it in the end.

 

Delphi Waterproof connectors..actually Delphi Weatherpac connectors. I bought mine originally from Waytek, Inc. They are expensive since you have to buy quantities that are more than you want. A more economical approach is to buy them on eBay..individuals buy the connectors in quantity...say from Waytek...and then package them in smaller units. I bought a 400+ kit from a eBay vendor that also included the crimpers...you must buy the crimpers. Once you get all set up you can make some really good quality connectors that look factory. Those cheap Molex connectors at electronics store don't work out that well.

My 70 interior firewall harness had been buggered by bubba...custom car alarm, custom stereo, etc made it difficult to trace the wiring out...I gave up and bought a new Lectric Limited harness. About $512 I think.

Next I "connectorized' the driver's side vertical dash and the center instrument console. For example, when I install the driver's side vertical dash, all the electrical components on that dash are connected to the interior firewall harness by connectors. No laying on my back trying to put all those tiny light bulbs in. Since I'm installing a Vintage Air system with a mass of air vent hoses behind the dash and center console, I lengthened the wire runs from the dash and center console to the firewall harness so I can have ample wire runs to work around the hose maze.

 

I just started from the back- worked my way towards the interior...then front to the interior-and then started connecting!!!

I had a parts car that was able to pull wire from when I wanted a specific color- and got a lot of my wire from Summit as eBay seems to be a hit or miss.

Here's one vendor I found in the UK- that has some really neat stuff-my favorite is the relay/fuse modules- as you are able to configure how you need them-and stack them together.


http://www.autoelectricsupplies.co.uk/



Hey Hal-

Delphi connectors are expensive - but then so is redoing wires when they corrode or don't make a good connection!!!



I also use some connectors for my engine - off the BMW parts car- they (BMW) also use some really nice connectors and tape. Can find the cloth tape on eBay.



DSCN2752-1.jpg~original by Richard Hayes, on Flickr

Finished!!!

DSCN5168 by Richard Hayes, on Flickr

 

I would suggest that you should FIRST get a good wiring diagram for your car's model year and compare what is under your dash to it. That way you will find out what wiring is cut and what is just spliced into.

If you can repair your existing wiring, you will save one heckuva lot of trouble. There is nothing wrong with splicing wiring, as long as it is done properly. And wiring up under the 'protected' dash area is unlikely to be damaged from environmental issues like engine compartment wiring would be.

Once you have assessed the damage, you will have better knowledge to help you make the decision to 'repair' or 'replace'. IMO, the under-dash wiring would have to be really screwed-up to justify replacing it completely.