Alright, so I am busy buying parts from the profits from selling another car and am looking a wiring kits but there seem to be a lot of options. I don't want to go overboard and get too much but don't want to cheap out and have issues later. The project is a '57 Pontiac. Electrically there is no major upgrades besides an electric fan and maybe a/c somewhere down the road. No power windows, no power locks, no huge overdone audio, etc... I've looked at Ron Francis kits, specifically the Retro series and the Painless kits but am looking for sime real world advice/experience.
You'll find a lot of opinions on this one. I used a Painless kit many moons ago. It was far less than Painless. They have improved over the years I'm told. Check out the Rebel kits that Glenn33 has listed in the classifieds.
just looking for a basic kit? a Haywire Pro T or Painless 7 circuit would be best also a Haywire 12 circuit if you need the space in the fuse block the haywire kits aren't that bad though have one in mine and we sell them at work haven't had any complaints yet
You can do a search on the HAMB about wiring kits and Glenn33 always comes out on top.He's a HAMBer,has a great product,and he's a good guy.
I have used the EZ wire kit on two cars. Works great and I have had no problems. Was easy to install as each wire is labelled every couple of inches with the function it that it does.
ive used a lot of centech in the past, but here lately i have used alot of haywire. prolly 25 or so of each kit, no problems from either. but a basic knowledge of auto wiring is a plus. i used a painless fuse box in my buick, and auto wiring knowledge with this kit is a must. but much cleaner under dash
Not to take away from EZ wire....but Id like to also mention, Glenns wiring kit is also labeled every couple inches.....very easy install....check his website out and support a HAMBer!
Once again Rebel wire. First time I ever replaced a wiring harness from scratch. I have done direct stock replacements but his was a great price, its clearly marked and has instructions for Chevy, Ford, Dodge. I used mine in my F1 and it fired up no probs.
I just put a Painless kit in my 58 Apache. I have no complaints, it was very well organized and the manual was fantastic. It's the first wiring kit I've used so i have nothing to compare it to, but I was really impressed.
If your worried about putting in your first kit I would suggest using an American Autowire kit. Top notch quality and the best directions out there.Plus they come with all the switches.Try the Highway series.
Thanks for all the great comments guys.... Your project would be a great candidate for our 9+3 harness. it will give you everything you need for your lights, motor, guages, radio, and heater, plus it has 3 open circuits for the A/C or other options. As mentioned, we marke each wire every 6" then bundle them for easy routing. We use only American made SXL wire and hand build each kit in TN.... I give all HAMBers a 10% discount, but you do have to call me in the evenings at 618-395-8216 to get it. Glenn
A few tips from a near-newby at this. More is not better; only buy what you need to power what you intend to run. Do get a kit with the wiring labeled every few inches. Don't be afraid to unbundle wires that the mfg. bundled. They're trying to help, but it may not suit your situation. Mount the block and string the wires to their final resting place and test the circuit before you start cutting anything. Painless recommends using a battery charger for checkout. I just bought a fuse holder, and a fist full of 10A fuses and used the battery directly; worked fine. They are right about limiting the current available until you're sure you have it right. Above all, don't let it psych you out because it's not really that hard. Just take your time and only cut wires late in the process....my $.02....slide
Thanks for all the input! I'm not afraid to do it myself, just don't want deal with the headaches and hassles of poor quality crap. Been there, done that! Glenns kits look good and the price is right compared to everyone else. Thanks all for pointing me in a good direction!
I have had real good results with Ron Francis kits,and have had real helpful phone advice when changing stuff later on...which I thought was just the kind of supplier you need on projects like hot rods.
Just installed a Rebel Kit a couple weeks ago. I absolutely HATE wiring but this kit in addition to the "How to wire your Street Rod" book made it fairly easy. AND the guys were very helpful when I had questions.
I have used a number of the kits and found that Ron Francis is a nice easy kit if your doing alot of circuits and kinda over kill on a simple hotrod.( not cheap) Painless is far from painless and really just a GM wire harness I didn't like it much, enos (spelling ) good but don't think they are selling anymore, ez wire not a bad kit if you have done it or know what your doing. (BenD great idea on the book help) I have been making my own on the last couple and is a easy task. The panel is cheap and so are most of the goodies needed, the wire is gonna kill you if your only doing one ride. What's nice about doing your own is that you can us the cloth coated wire and don't have the writing on the wire , a plus for some and a minus for others. The book BenD is very helpful to understand whats what on wiring I had to order some more wire for my project and found it shot up 50%, so I'm thinking about the Rebel Kit from Glenn for the roadster. I would like to more about thoes kits
Ive used EZ wiring a couple of times with no problems. I have a friend that is going through a nightmare with his Painless kit (possibly self inflicted). Kwik wire has a really high quality nice looking kit but it is a bit pricey.
I like the Enos panel and wire set. You do have to run the wires and make all your own connections however. Used them in my last 3 cars.
Hey Texas Hardcore (previous post) I am wearing a Blanco County Classic Car show 2008 t shirt right now. Small world. IMPORTANT: On whatever wiring kit you use, always crimp then solder then heat shrink wrap every connection, yes it takes twice as long, but you might as well just leave your old rats nest in if you don't. ALMOST EVERY ELECTRICAL PROBLEM that comes into the shop is from those bright colored plastic coated crimped only connections. Yes, they even supply these with kits. Crazy. Those hardware colored crimps are for emergency side of the road use only, solder now, or when you are broken down on the side of the road you can use more colored plastic sleeved crimps. Do it once, do it right. Save the yourself the aggravation. Wil www.sakowskimotors.com
My pick: http://www.ronfrancis.com/ Is it expensive: Not really. I mean, compare it to burning down your car with something you had to 'wing' to figure out. Yeah...
The Jalopy Journal
