Do you make your own wiring harness and why?!? with poll!

Wow.. I still remember the day when I figured out how to wire a Bosch Relay...

 

When I started wiring there was no other option. If you wanted a hotrod, you had to figure it out with the help of others. By the time Ron Francis started I had figured most of it out. The prices kept me doing it myself. We always saved the electrical switches and wiring when we parted out a donor car. I still have some pigeon holed.

Another reason is I want it my way. I want an early Ford starter button. (not a universal button...a Ford button) I don't want those ugly aftermarket turn signal switches. The universal-fit-all dash switches look like crap. Kits reduce wiring to the lowest common denominator. One wire alternators and electric fans. Great for a first timer but a waste of money if you want to get creative.

The cars that I build are really pretty simple. I went through the street rod stage with electronic FI and PWs but that is all behind me now. I'm back to the old time stuff that I cut my teeth on. I actually enjoy it.

 

Most of the cars we build are so basic it is easier to build from scratch than to use a more complicated commercial harness. I like think I am a little creative.

 

I have done some simple wiring systems. like for a Model A or few circuits..but for the advanced stuff i would buy a kit that is already set up to do the job.

dont mind doing repairs or upgrades, or following along with what was there before.
Just know my limitations when it comes to designing a complete harness

 

We build and wire our own. Still not satisfied as every single one you do, there is always something you can learn and do better the next one. Sucks being a perfectionist. I plan on completely rewiring my roadster next year.

 

Ron Francis makes some real nice stuff and I've never had any complaints about anything I've got from them. The tips in the catalog are priceless. Anybody who doesn't have a Ron Francis catalog should get a copy for that reason, if nothing else.

 

haha, that's how we learn though. I've done that quite a few times and been like DAMN, I forgot to include that wire!!

 

The only reason I did it myself is because I wanted it all to look old (authentic). Cloth covered wire, glass fuses, melamine-ish fuse block, no phillips head screws or snap-together connectors allowed. Nobody sold a "kit" with all that in it. Doing it myself probably cost me three times what a kit would have cost though.

 

Have done it both ways (have wired about 50 cars) but generally if I'm doing a customer car I use a kit. Why you ask? Because I can then give them the wiring diagrams that come with the kit and that along with the color coded wires that are marked with the circuit make it easy if they or another shop has to trouble shoot it down the road should the need arise. I used to do my own and draw a computer diagram for them but it just took way too long and therefore cost the customer more money.

 

I did my own on my little lakes modified roadster, the basic car part was pretty straight forward. I used some black fabric "conduit" to pull of the wires thru and trying to make every thing look good was the biggest effort. Now when I did the electronic injection part of the wiring job that was a real pain. Lots of wires and trying to make it look neat. When I got done I looked at it and can see lots of places that I would do things different, but that is the way things go when you do it yourself.

Rex

 

Well, I'm first of all a big dummy and don't know shit about electronics except it can hurt you. Not only that but I have a tuff time telling one color from another. I used a Painless kit and it went pretty well. My only problem was a faulty new alternator that would occassionally spike. After a few 50A fuses and an optima battery that damned near blew up, (swelled like a stuffed pig and I smelled the acid), I had it tested and fixed. I blew a turn signal fuse a while back and that has been the only issue since the repaired alternator. I still need to clean up the spagetti under the dash.

 

Did mine, all of them. Not really that bad. Been in electronics a wile and if you find 6 colors of wire your in. Make your self a color code and do all the same. napa has cheap fuse blocks, connectors and wire.

 

I like to do as much stuff as I can. Being an electronic technician, it is just second nature to me. I also like the fact that I am selecting the components and wire and am not relying on a company to do the work for me. I built my panel and mounted it under the dash, then ran the wires one at a time in paths. Wire ties work better for me than covering the wires. Never had a minutes trouble out of any wiring I have ever done. Problem with the kits are one size does not fit all. Next car I build is going to be a simple fenderless track roadster or modified "bobber" truck. I may use one of the Rebel wiring kits in it just to see how they are. I like the simplistic straight forward approach of them.

 

When I started I never had money for "sore bought" parts so the wiring question never even came up - it was a foregone conclusion. Somewhere in all that I discovered that I like working on cars - wiring is just another part of that. It's nice to make them how YOU want them. I've only ever worked on a few kit wiring packages (other people's not mine) they always left me dissapointed or worse.

We get wire cheap via surplus - opens up lots of options.

 

I've always made my own. I don't have a lot of electronics in my cars so it is nice and simple...... I have iginition, fan, guages, lights, and a heater.

 

I have made my own for years and installed most (Ron Franise,Enos,Painless,E-Z wire,Rebel Wire etc)of the Kits on the market. Years ago you had to make your own or take one out of a car truck jeep then the aftermarket ones came out and were $$$$. These days they have kits that make it easier then ever and affortable for the Home hotrodder. If you needed to go out and buy all the goodies to do a harness your going to be about the same. Lets face it if you don't wire stuff all the time it can Freak some folks out. New kits have labeled wire, easy instruction and bundled groupes (Rear section,Engine,dash etc) to make it easier. My last Kit was a Rebel Wire and did it in a Sat afternoon with lots of distractions.

 

Used to do all mine myself but now with the many kits out there its foolish to even waste my time.. I still enjoy it but i just get a nice kit and go for it..
Dave

 

I always draw a diagram and do it myself. I'm planning to rewire my '52 Dodge sometime soon. It's kinda like changing your oil. Sure it's cheaper and faster to have someone else do it, but for some reason I just like doing it myself...

 

Have always made my own. I just wire up a functional circuit for every thing i need and do them one at a time.
Ex:
I want igntion so i wire the ignition to the switch and make the car run. I then want headlights, ok wire them up ( use a relay dimmer etc if you wish) and then brake lights etc.
Have a problem later ? What dont work? Find that circuit and repair..

 

wiring harnesses and electronics are all voodoo and trickery to me.

I bought a kit for my WCC bike, "made" the harness for my 67 Shovel, need my 50 chevy truck re-wired, (hope to get H.A.M.B.er John Cougar to do it someday)
and will buy a harness for the '29 Dodge.

 

Built and installed plenty of harnesses for cars and planes, so wiring is pretty straight forward for me. Which is good, coz there's a lot of car stuff I have no clue about.

One thing I hate is the head on the floor and my legs in the air under dash stuff, so I use a pegboard to lay out my looms first. For the dash I use another one unless its welded in (chevy) then I use a plywood template with everything mounted on it in the correct location. You get a nice clean loom and no divers.

 

hey guys im putting a 5.3 in my old truck and need help , iknow someone has built a stand alone wire harness for these im also running the 4le60 trans if you can help i would be very happy , thanks please email me at craderh@cox.net or on the hamb.

 

What I want for my car is pretty straight forward, just modern dependable wiring. I'll probably buy a painless kit. Nothing fancy.

 

I've been wiring cars since the early 60's. back then- there were no kits. Just glass fuses, blocks & rolls of wire. I had a cart all made up w/ the various spools of wire so I could build looms. Today- I use kits now.
I have enough projects to keep busy with- other than scratch building a harness. Not "fun" for me.
My kit of choice is Ron Francis. I've used them all (except Rebel) but I keep going back to the Rf kits. Probably the most flexible kits out there. I like the fact the fuse panel is not pre-terminated. Want a/c or whatever later in a hot rod- you wind up coiling the un-used wires at the panel. The RF kit- you can leave the extras in the box- where they belong.

 

I voted that I do it myself, but I do start with a kit due to the cost factors already mentioned. I add, move or remove circuits as desired. It won't resemble anything off the shelf when I get done.

 

We did our own. Not many circuits, so we just went for it. Turned out good and all worked first crack.

 

Always make my own. Learned from 70s Rod & Custom magazine series called Rod Wiring Simplified, by Bud Lang. Others have told me the info in that series is somewhat incorrect, but I do not care, because the diagrams ALWAYS work for me.

 

its just cheaper and easier to buy the kit and modify it

 

You'll be hard pressed to beat the price of a EZ or a Rebel harness by doing your own. Using the PROPER grade automotive wire, and the nice color selection that the aftermarket kits come in, (not to mention the aftermarket kits are the standard colors and labelled constantly.) it'd be hard to stay under the $100-$150 price range of a good aftermarket harness.

I would never run a used electrical component, INCLUDING fuse panels. IMO it's like buying used toilet paper. It sometimes it works well enough, but it certainly has the potental to become a huge shitty mess. You can eliminate or move circuits in the aftermarket kits to do whatever you want and still have the option down the line to add electrical parts.

 

I wonder who the other guy is that voted to farm it out to a professional?