Wiring cars is for young people

I decided I wanted the fuse block and all the wiring in the trunk. So after 8 hours saturday I have quite a bit done, but when I tried to get out of bed this morning, my back didn't want to straighten!

You have to stand and bend over to do all the work, instead of lay on the floor for under the dash.

Am I whining too much? I feel pretty good now, but it's time for bed and another week at the salt mines...



A lot of wires have to go to the instruments and turn-signal points up front.

 

I am dreading re-wiring my car. under the dash is going to be hell.

 

Don't feel bad I have been working on the wiring on my A for over a month. I just cant bring myself to finish the project. I HATE WIRING!!!

 

my dad is bored at home with me being at college. he told me today that hes rewireing my car...for fun!!

 

Err....Why not build the dash harness as a sub-assembly on the workbench, and plug it in to the main harness?

 

I've been doing wiring for something like 30 years---in my job and as a side-business. Let me tell ya: it's not for wimps! I'm with Flingdingo, I always pre-build harnesses on the bench---easier to do and looks better. You can't beleive how many Ron Frances and Painless kits I've fixed after guys "modified" them! Wiring guy are sick in the head!!

 

I'm definitely sick then. I love wiring... But I come from a family of electricians and I'm an electronics tech originally and I design, guess what? Computer wiring systems. I just like working on cars better!

 

I enjoy doing the wiring also. I get pretty inventive sometimes adding relays to control higher amp devices. And like lolife I get quite a back ache nowadays after spendign a weekend out in the ship bending over or getting into contorted positions while working on stuff. Actually look forward to going to word and getting some rest!

 

A little advice here, if the seat is in the car, take it out. Get a good foam pad to lay on and add fill up any low areas wells with some material to make it level before laying down the pad. Spend some time now making a comfy place to lay on while working under the dash and save many hours of pain later. I have learned lots of tricks in my old age to make jobs easier. Wish I had done it in the past and I wouldnt be in the shape im in now.

 

My dash is out of the car and it,s getting prewired on the kitchen table. Lucked out.

 

TAKE THE ADVIL BEFORE YOU START!!! LOL Also, it helps if you can pre paint the underside of the dash white. Lots more light.

 

What I do now is, and people will say WTF? is take the frontseat out and lay down my old single mattress and get to work in comfort..work awhile, nap awhile....

 

my 28 roadster is hell to work on the wiring. it has a stock seat riser, 32 dash and a stock gas tank. theres about 3 inches of room behind the dash to get to anything, including fuses. I'm seriously thinking about changing the wiring to run under the seat.

 

Do you use Molex connectors? Combine all the #10 wires, or just keep the wires in the groups they are in already (like Painless has wires in groups)?

My plans were just to use Molex on the Instrument cluster and turnsignal (steering column) wiring.

Sounds like a better idea though!

 

HAHAHAHAHA!! Boy I can relate. I spent two months leaning into the trunk of my 54 wiring up the air suspension and chasing down leaks. I aggravated an older injury and it took me two months to stop hurting. Of course if my belly wasnt so big it would not have been so bad.

 

When I rewired my Merc I took the front and rear seats out. Made it easy to lie in there and be comfortable while rewiring under the dash.

 

Great advice, Thanks! After 4 decades of of ruining myself doing it the hard way, I appreciate this 'cuz I've been procrastinating on my wiring job.

 

I enjoy the wiring, thats what I do after work a couple nights a week. I get to be artistic and take my time.

Lincolnlog, where in AZ are you?

 

I just run single dummy wires through the places harness needs to go and mark turnouts for sub-bundles with tape. If possible, remove big clump-builders like instrument clusters, build harness inside in comfort, and just suffer a bit during actual installation of the completed object.
For early Ford i use the bring-dash-inside technique, for work I've done on 1960's stuff I use extra plug blocks and such cut out of junk as organizational tools.

 

I like wiring...but, I disagree with you. wiring is not neccecarily for young people...it's for small people. I look like a gorilla in a linen closet under a dashboard. and since I solder and heat shrink everything, the cloud of cuss words fills the rest of the car.
sssss. ow. fuck...OW SHIT!
crashing under dash...dammit! ahhhh! ARGH NIPPLE! NIPPLE ON FIRE!
shuffling...sitting up...waist band! shake it out. NOT THERE! dancing OH GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME!
ahhhh.
where was I?

hehehe...you all know you've been there.

 

I have a permanent ding in the back of my head that is an exact impression of my '48 Ford's clutch pedal...I could draw a 100% correct '48 wiring diagram off the top of my head...I learned about wiring the hard way, by following every possible wrong way to its fiery conclusion...

 

I plan to wire my car in the very near future, I have the dash out and will paint the back white. The shifter is out and so is the steering wheel. I can run the wires to the headlight switch and ignition switch ( 57 Ford) with the dash out. I will wire the guage panel on the kitchen table, old guys have to plan ahead.

 

It's easier to work in the kitchen and eat in the car than other way around...

 

Reproduction 48 Chevy tail-lights...

So anyway, I take the left one and hook my 1 amp battery trickle-charger to it to find which wire does what. OK, black wire for turn-signal, green wire for tail light.

I wonder why they didn't use the green wire for turn-signal?? Seems more appropriate...

Wire the whole mess together, get it nicely dressed-out, oh baby, it looks good. OK, let's test it again.

Shit.

The right turn-signal wire lights the tail-light, and the right tail-light wire lights the turn-signal! Check my work, all is cool. Left turn signal works, but the tail-light doesn't.

OK, remove the lens. Touch the left bulb--tail-light comes on, tap it with finger light goes out. Check bulb--wobbles in the socket like some fucking foreigner put it together. Shit.

Check the right light. Yep, the wires are backwards from the left. Tried seeing if you can just flip the innards--nope. Shit.

Guess I'll start over again tomorrow after I get another left light.

Oh my aching back... Beer time.

 

I love doing wiring! My favorite part of a car build. The only problems I have now days is reading the markings on the wires(when using a kit with labeled wires) Man, my eyes don't focus down that far! I'm doing a '40 ford right now,the dash is out,steering column is out,no seat, this is sweet! Normal Norman

 

Call me crazy, but I enjoy wiring. I look at it as an oportunity to sort out the rat's nest that the factory leaves for you. The worst electrical work to do is sorting out someone elses scotch-loc infested abortion. After working on late-model electrical systems, a 50's car is a snap.

 

For Chripst sakes, i can wire THREE old cars with what's in that picture!

 

Hey! Painless trunk mount kit gives you a ton of wire!

I know what you're saying, but I just haven't dressed it yet. When I get done dressing it out, I expect to have a half-ton of wire on the garage floor, and wondering if I forgot something.

Sort of like completing an engine rebuild, and finding a set of rod bearings in a sealed package--Doh!

 

Just goofing on you. I'm still using leftover Painless wire from 3 years ago. It's part of why i like it. Quality leftovers

 

I enjoyed wiring my car cause i knew it was almost done then.