My car is old and basic with no fuse-box, a 14 circuit harness did the trick and I have leftover circuits. Go forward a few years and wiring got more complex. I bought a new HL switch and dimmer with the harness. Really the only things I bought outside of connection items were rear GM tail light sockets, new parking light sockets and a dome light socket. Harness kits force you to wire the car THEIR way. I did refer to the factory schematic for a few things that puzzled me. I would have gone for a factory harness except the no fuse box thing was a deal breaker for me. Could I have spliced one in? Maybe...
I used 3 speedway kits, everything included, extra long wires marked every 6 in. very good instructions and very good price. Check them out.
Agreed. Really liked the large and laminated wiring diagram. Customer service, had a tech question, called about an hour after their closing time [me PST, them EST] and left a message, got a call back 5 minutes after I had hung up. Like the people and the product.
So, I just came from Coach Controls. I met the owner, Curt Rodden, who took the time to talk to me about his company and show me his products. Walk in customers are a rarity for him. He asked me about my projects and how his kits would work for me. I asked him if he was familiar with the HAMB and he is, but I don't believe he was aware of the number of active members here. All in all, a very pleasant experience.
Rebel Wire is your best bet. Wired several hot rods in the past with the Rebel wiring kit successfully. If I can successfully wire a car with the Rebel Wiring Kit , anybody can!!
Another thumbs up for the Rebel wiring kit. I wired my C10 with the 9+3 kit and did a friends truck later with the same kit. Pretty easy, high quality and great tech support. I won't hesitate to use them again.
My preference is to create my own electrical system circuit-by-circuit, one wire or relay at a time. That way I can route only the wires I need, in the lengths and gauges I need. I like being able to tell at a glance that a (gl***) fuse is blown. I like having the option to attach terminal ends of my choice. This gives me an intimate understanding of the way any given accessory works and forces me to understand how much current it draws and it gives me leeway on how to wire certain circuits. For example, if I am using an electric fuel pump I will run the "hot" lead to my tach off the hot lead going to my fuel pump. That way if I start my car and the tach is not functioning I know at a glance to it that I forgot to turn on the fuel pump (or the hidden theft deterrent pump switch). Another example, I like my power windows and radio to be armed whether the key is on or not, so I don't have to insert the ignition key to lower the windows or listen to the radio. My champ car is being hand wired, using gl*** fuses:
Another vote for EZ wire. Spent four hours today trying to chase down a short. Called the tech line about ten times. Every time the tech was helpful and pleasant. Finally figured out that it’s a faulty 1157 socket. Snowman ⛄️
I used a Painless 18 circuit (overkill, I know) on my Model A. Very easy to install, wires are all labeled and were very long. I used loom tape and split wire loom to keep it protected and looking good once I got it all routed. I only had two issues with Painless. They do not offer a fuse block cover. I went with a sealed beam style LED headlight and the Painless kit requires a seperate LED relay/harness for LED use. There was no mention of it until I opened my kit and went through the manual. The relay/harness cost almost as much as the whole kit
I've done a lot of modern kits in numerous cars for my own, and others. The kits with 20-21 ckts. are more than almost any car needs, but I buy them because it allows the owner to dedicate circuits easier, so should there be a problem someday it's easier to isolate than when things are bundled as they were many decades ago. I really don't care if my wiring is not exactly as it was in the 30's. My engine isn't a 1930's either, so I like the convenience of having more and divided circuits. I usually still end up with 6-8 spares, but on occasion some of those also get used eventually as I add something in the future. And these larger circuit wiring kits almost always are cheaper than smaller 12 circuit kits, and have more/better features too.
In terms of lighting, I prefer the brightness of LEDs for safety over something old, dim, and traditional. With LED options now, most wouldn't even notice when the car is off.
Some old lights are almost impossible to find as incandescent, or in many cases our cars are so old they never had park lights, or turn signals, so something period correct in appearance has to be fitted to the body to work. That often ends up not being a traditional incandescent bulb simply because the vast majority of options are LED now. I adapted the headlamp reflectors on my '39 to accept 1157 repair sockets for the front park light/turn signals, but in the rear my little pod taillights just weren't easy to get a larger 1157 socket into the reflector, so I bought a pair of Harley Davidson motorcycle adapter lights that after t******* the flanges a bit fit perfectly into my taillight pods. Of course they aren't incandescent, but they still have original gl*** red lenses, and look original.
I used speedway and I was happy with it. Well marked, good instructions. Only thing was I had to extend a lot of wires to place the fuse panel under the seat but not their fault as it’s intended to be under the dash in the kit. But I don’t really like the plastic mounting of the fuse block, all in all I would order again.
Just completed wiring a very traditional 32 Roadster - running a 302 CI flathead, 39 trans, etc.. The car is running a 12-volt vintage style alternator, Harman-Collins dual-coil, etc.. We used a Ron Francis Express series fuse panel (see below). While the car is very traditional, there are many changes from how a 32 was originally wired - so I like to completely wire the car "my way" - using various aspects of the wiring panel and new items (like turn signals) in the process: 1) Grounds: Original early Fords used "ch***is grounds" - which was/is the source of a lot of issues as you're relying on clean connections between all the various components to p*** the ground circuit to the electrical device. This also means you have to clean any paint/powder coating away to provide a connection (think headlights, tail-lights, etc). I run separate ground circuits to everything that needs them - period. Panels like below do not have provisions to handle the ground side of the equation - so I added a 12 position terminal-block ground bar to have a place to bring all the various grounds too. The bar mounts right below the Ron Francis panel. Terminal Blocks: electrical connectors | McMaster-Carr 2) Electrical Panel Mount: It is mounted under the dash - in this case on the Driver's side. It may or may not be easier to mount it on the P***enger's side - depending on your electrical needs, layout, preferences, etc.. 3) Using Relays for High Amp Circuits: You'll have at least one high-amp circuit - like your headlights. Higher amp circuits are tough on switches - so use a relay instead of just the switch to handle them. I put the headlights through one of the relays on the board. Instead of the headlight switch going to the headlights themselves, the output side controls a normally open relay circuit to provide power to the headlights. This provides both a fuse and a relay for protection. If any of you are using "non traditional" electric fans, heaters and sometimes horns, these should also go through relays. 4) Wiring - No Magical Kit for Some Items: It you buy a "kit" with all the wires, chances are there are some wires/circuits you won't use and others that you need that are not part of the kit. Example: I wanted to run two 12V power wires - to each of the two coils on the ignition. Do you think anybody is going to have that "out of the box". Given my usage of the relay for the headlights - that would not be part of a wiring kit either - so it is on me to figure out all the wire locations, lengths and routings. 5) "Traditional" Turn Signals - Using Brake Lights: Chances are that if you're going to add a traditional turn-signal unit - it will be a retro-type unit that clamps to the steering column. Given that most hotrods use a two-circuit rear light, that means that one of the circuits has to be "tricked" into being a turn-signal. What these retro turn-signal units do is use the brake light circuit as a turn signal flasher. This makes things a bit more complex than one might imagine as a lot of the wiring that would have just gone to run the brake lights, now has to go through the turn-signal unit. Again, does your wiring harness "kit" account for this? It is a completely different wiring setup to use a retro turn-signal switch on the steering column - than supporting a modern steering column setup that was designed for turn signals and has 3+ circuits (and light/bulb filaments) in the rear of the car. 6) 32 Ford Specific: Original wiring harnesses brought all wires to the rear of the car - down the Driver's side of the frame. (I know, not many wires). If you use this side of the frame to bring everything to the rear, then up-front things tend to get a bit "congested". You have all the **** on the Driver's side --> clutch/brake pedals, usually brake switches, dimmer switch, maybe your battery box, maybe starter solenoids, etc.. I run ALL the wires going to the rear of the car down the P***enger's side of the car and bring a shielded loom through the original speedometer hole in the firewall. This makes things a lot less cluttered on the "busy" side of the frame. Hope this helps some of you guys . . . just some things to think about if you're wiring a car - especially one that has some "upgrades" from the original system. B&S
The wires aren't all tied down as of yet (under the dash) - that is for the owner to do. LOL. I will take some pics before it leaves the shop - might help the next guy.
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