I have a 41 Chevy truck on a 73 Nova frame with the 350 Nova engine, so the wiring is from a Nova I believe (bought the truck this way from a HAMBer). Since the brake lights don't work I tried to find the problem. There was a nest of wires underneath the dash, some going nowhere, wires just hanging, etc. The truck has no radio, heater, or anything but the gauges. Wires were soldered together to form connections. Anyway, after cleaning up some connections, now one headlight works on low beam and the other on high beam, none together (which they did before I tried to fix the brake lights). And the brakes lights still don't work!! I read a basic wiring book on how to diagnose electrical problems in a car. I also printed out some basic wiring config's from the HAMB. Now I am pissed and want to take everything out and start fresh. I want to do it myself to learn and to save money. I don't know anything about electrical systems. I also am not very mechanical and since I live in a condominium I can't really do much in terms of messy repairs and noise (neighbors would Sh*t). My question is, how hard is it to install a wiring kit like Rebel wiring or EZ Wiring for someone who is an idiot? Thanks for any advice. I really don't have anyone to ask these types of questions. Can someone do it using only the wiring kit's instructions?
I think you would have to be a complete ingnoramace not to be able to install a pre-made kit in just a weekend. It will give you hands on ability to troubleshoot it down the road and give you a better working knowledge of your electrical system. Also sounds like whatever you do that you would be way ahead to trash the spagetti bowl you now have under the dash. Honestly, you will be very surprised at how easy these kits are....IF...you follow directions. Good luck....
I did the ez wiring harness kit in my 46 chevy truck and it was fairly easy. The hardest part is just organizing the wires and doing a clean looking install. They have color kits or black wiring. I bought the black wiring one. All wires are labeled at different lengths going down them so it is easy. Most old wiring harnesses get cracked and brittle over time and I hate tracing wires through a rats nest of cut and taped wires. For cheap money and a little time you will be much happier.
****ster, have you ever installed one of these kits? I agree, rip it all out and start fresh, but don't expect it to be a weekend project. There's more to it than expected, especially if you have mix and match pieces in your car. I just finished doing this to my '54. I tried to rewire it from scratch without using a harness, and everything worked fine, but it would shock me everytime I opened the door from the inside. After literally years of trouble shooting, I found out that it was from a metal screw holding a term block. The screw was about 1/4" too long and was touching another part of the body, creating a short. I ripped it all out and went with a painless harness. No regrets, but they are definitely not "plug and play" for cars that are not stock. Definitely do-able, but be ready for a little work and time to do it right. You'll still have a birds nest under the dash that you'll have to organize somehow. Good luck!
I agree with ****ster 27 It is not that dificult. I used a ron frances kit on my 57 chev. Each wire was labled as to where it went. They also will help you trouble shoot if there is a problem. Like anything else when all else fails read the instructions, If still dont work follow the instructions. I speek fron experance dirt t
Big mac, I know you are not aware of it but anyone that knows me know I have been wiring cars for more years than I care to remember. And I do think with the simple setup he has that it can be done in a weekend. I didn't say it would look great as that can be done after everything is connected properly. I don't see were mix-n-match pieces will make a difference, example...a brake light switch is a brake light switch, one wire in and one wire out. Follow directions and it can be done easily.
I guess that makes me the complete ignoramace you speak of. I'm pretty picky about doing it clean and right, but one weekend was barely enough for me to lay out the wiring and have it all ran cleanly and neatly. I ran into an issue with my turn signal switch not matching up with the wires on the harness, too. Turns out it was a switch out of a late '60s GM truck and had a funky set up. Anyway, from the sounds of it, this guys not a professional wiring guy like yourself, and like me will probably be stumped a few times by the simple things. So, when you gonna be in SLC to finish my wiring job?
BTW, Tortm****, make sure you GROUND EVERYTHING PROPERLY. A ****py ground can screw up all your hardwork!
I have installed the Ron Francis kits they are pretty basic & easy .Just call them & tell them what you have & they will put it together from head to tail
Ron Francis kit worked good for me, Just follow the directions to the letter and you'll have no problems.
Just FYI, Absolutly nothing wrong with that. I'm a Heavy Truck Tech, and am probably doing wiring 10-15 hours a week. The Shop I work in Has a NO ****, NO Crimp, and absolutly NO Scotch Lock connectors policy. Everything is soldered and heat shrinked. We Even Build Battery Cables the same way instead of buying the cheap Pre-Made **** or using the "two bolt clamp" type. Most professional shops are the same. Drew
i have done 2-3 cars from nothing, 2 its a snap kits, and one painless kit, both were very easy and took me about 10-15 hours on each one. If you take your time, don't skimp on the connections and grounds, everything should work just fine when your done. Having all the wires labeled as well, makes it a ton easier.
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