How many of you guys do your own Hot Rod wiring?

A good kit is the only way to go. Trimming it out nicely will test your skills plenty. I consider the wiring job part of the rough in assembly. You'll need to install any brackets, mounting tabs or holes then. The trim out comes about dead last.

 

Im currently working on a flip down fuse box for my fuse panel. Mine goes into a pocket im making at the bottom of the original A tank , thats been converted into a dash and a place for all electronics
I purchased a Wire Harness from Glen33 Rebel Wire, very nice and very well layed out. Should make it a snap, or at least easier.

cant wait for things to warm up a bit so i can get at laying it all out

 

I agree the all-black wiring looks nicer, and the coloured wiring is easier to deal with. A simple compromise would be use a coloured kit and splice in black near the ends if that bugs you so much. Underdash would remain easy to see, underhood a nice basic black.
When I wire a car, I get to be an artist. That's why I enjoy it!

 

My 26 roadster had a 16 circuit kit, no wipers, no heater, no lighter, no signals, no flashers, no horn, no radio and made no sense. rewired with 4 light fuses, head, tail, stop and dash.
I use GM color on all my jobs unless the customer wants something weird. Think about each harness and try to include all the wires you need the first time, bundle ,tie rap or tape and avoid hot stuff. Good Luck, it ain't Rocket Science

 

Hey Randy, I recently scored a couple small first-aid metal boxes. Perfect to mount underdash and keep your fusebox in.

 

I have wired every hot rod I have ever built ( and some others for pay) from scratch. I always make a schematic of how I wired it that stays with the car. I actually find this to be much easier than using an "over the counter" harness. On all the 30s era cars I have done, I have wired the dash completely while it is on the bench and used a junction block at one end to hook the dash wiring to the rest of the car. This makes it easy to remove the dash if necessary at a later time. My current Lincoln project came with a Painless Wiring kit but I didn't use it. I opened the box, looked at all that wire, and wondered what part of that harness was painless!

 

....Wired my first hotrod with a wiring kit,....then got help from a friend that builds rods for a living for the next two....He sure taught me a lot....there a lot of things the kit does'nt explained.....

 

The switch can be found in the passenger side kick panel of a Ford Focus, good insurance.

 

kit & prayer

 

We rewired ours from 6V to 12 v using Ron Francis wiring harness.
They have good tech people to help with questions.

Bob

 

I am an electrician by trade,car wiring can be a pain.The painless wiring can be a little pricey but the ease of installation is worth it.the wires are marked every foot or so.they make modular switch panels and fuse blocks with relays that plug right in.I have wired street rods and race cars with their products

 

I always do my own wiring, buy a good fuse block then use the correct gauge wire for each circuit. Don't forget if you wire your own, to use a wire that insulated with a material that won't burn if a short occurs. Also I fuse all main circuits with the large size fuses like GM uses 40- 50 amp.

 

sounds awesome..Thanks for the idea..I'll have to check that out.

My hole has an odd angle to it, not pefectly square, due to the outside curve of the cowel and how close it is to the steering column drop.

Chances are im going to need to make this "box" myself as a custom fit thing..

what are the dimensions of these boxes?

 

I've used kits most the time. Tried a E-Z wiring kit for a friend's gasser project that used a GM steering column and it worked well, but had issues with lots of extra wiring that just didn'ty go anywhere on either end. Once we cut loose all the wire ties that came on it I discovered the spare wires that could be deleted.
I used a NW Autowire hotrod kit on my Austin gasser and love it! It was clean, simple, and came with complete wiring diagrams for wiring your own car beyond the harnesses. The quality and price was great at under $100 for a 12 ckt kit.
Whenever I do another kit with harnesses I'll leave them grouped at the fuse block, but cut all the factoryy ties beyond the block to get them smoothed out and looking cleaner. It's a pain trying to make them look good if you don't.

 

I guess I'm one of the oddballs that actually enjoys wiring. I always wired my projects from scratch, but once I bought a project that included a universal type wiring harness - I'll never go the 'from scratch' route again unless it's a very basic setup (lights, charging and starting) Wiring harnesses like Rebel wire, 'it's a snap' or the Mr. Roadster kits Speedway sells are a real bargain for what all you get and the time they save.

 

Kit for sure. I have done it both ways and I have also lost my homemade wiring diagram. At least the kits have a # and a description of what it is. Just makes good sense.

 

Its like 6x8" or so. Try a camping / fishing place, or even Walmart. Metal, with snap latches.
You could paint it to blend in.

 

Got up Saturday to go f o a ride and my 29 has no power when turn key. Friend of my father in law said there was an inertia switch that had a button to reset. So far have not found the switch. It must be hidden?

 

I have been wiring cars since I started building hot rods,I made my fuse panels and used rolls of wire and I have used most of the kits on the market and for the past 10 years I have used the American Auto Wire kits,everything you could possibly need is in that box and enough wire to almost wire to cars.

We have wired more than 18 cars and counting,the color instructions are easy to read. HRP

 

....or it might have a dead battery. Do the headlights work?

 

Inertia switch on a hotrod? I could see if a newer harness/ computer was swapped in. They usually cut off the fuel power when you have an accident. When I got crashed into driving my wife's OT Mercury, it tripped the switch. This one was located in the trunk. It would crank, but not start.

 

How much wire would go up to the dash in a normal Model A Ford? Would it fit inside a 1x2 section of steel tube? Just thinking ahead that these tubes on either side of the firewall feet could serve double duty as wire chases. Bob

 

A inertia switch is a smart addition to any car with an electric fuel pump that doesn't already have one. The factory Ford switches are easy to find, remove and install in any vehicle.

 

I wire my own. I buy a basic kit with a fuse box simply because you can't buy all the wire and colors for what you can buy the kit for, and the wires are labeled every 6 to 8". Very handy

I then modify the routing to suit my needs as I am a firm believer in relays and a lot of good grounding blocks for each area of the vehicle which are always clearly labeled.

 

My first wiring job was in a 1931 Tudor Sedan and it was pretty easy. I used a Painless kit because it was new in the box of parts I got with the car. My brother and I recently rewired a lot of our father's street rod and added back up camera, power lifted trunk, door poppers, etc. It wasn't too bad as long as you keep track of the wiring and learn how relays function.

 

Battery is good, used a screw driver across solenoid and starter works, lights shine bright, ignition switch tested with voltage meter. This was a drag roadster in the late 80's, so understand the importance of it having an inertia switch. Was told it was in hard to reach spot, and it was a white button. But friend of my late father in law couldn't remember where. Didn't think there were that many places to put one.

 

Thanks Bob, I am removing pieces of interior to see what's behind? A lot of wires.

 

Buy a vw fuse box and different colored wire, shrink wrap and go....no turn signals of course, that's not traditional

 

also look for a dislodged clutch switch or neutral safety switch, can cause the same starting prob.

 

I work it out in my head ahead of time and wire it once is bolted together. Its the easiest for me. But I don't mind crawling under one.