I've got a 48 Chrysler coupe and it's got the old clothe wires needless to say the have seen better days...small fire yesterday...everything is o.k. got to it before anything major happened In light of another potential fire I would like to replace them with something a bit safer... 6 volt system...I don't have a lot of wiring experience so tech help is a must lol... Who would you guys use
Fires = bad. Start over and redo everything (you may luck out and get the dome light wiring to be good.) LOTS of wiring advice here, use the search function, and Rebel Wire is an Alliance member, check them out.
Tear that old rotten out put in a new harness and go to 12 volts.It ain't that hard and you'll be way ahead,won't have to worry about it.
Spend $150 and get a new wiring harness and be safe ! Read & follow the instructions BEFORE to take the wiring harness out of the box ! They are not as bad as you think they are . Remember if you buy cheap junk , that's what you will end up with ! Glenn with Rebal Wiring is a good one and you can get it right here on the HAMB ! Nice & easy to use . Fires **** and will take your car with it !
DC circuitry is all simple loops from plus to minus. You got a switch, and you got a load. No matter how complex, all circuits boil down to that. Plus, minus, switch, load. The catch being that "ground/minus" is a return path to the battery, thus completing the loop. Half the battle of replacement looms are the sockets. Trying to find new sockets that fit your old lenses is a h***le and usually involves modifying something with a knife or dremel. Fitting sockets isn't really electrical work, yet seem to be where many amateur electricians run off track. They give up and reuse an original socket which eventually causes problems. If you don't own a decent soldering gun and wire stripper, time to buy them. Solder gun, not a solder pencil. The #1 thing you can do for your new loom above all else is solder every connection. If you pull the plastic sleeve off a crimp connector, you can crimp then solder and make a much more durable connection. There are some high end specialty crimp products available today, but the guys using those at home are already hella-good at soldering. You're better off sticking to solder. Cheap crimps are a 3 year solution, solder is permanent. The secret to solder is flux. Apply to wires, a few seconds after it smokes off the wire will **** the solder up. Without flux you have to add so much more heat to wet the wire with solder that it burns the insulation and heat-tempers the wire making it brittle. Flux = professional results. Labels are your friend. Even with 12V, what you're doing is ultimately replacement mechanics more than custom. The factory already did all the engineering, don't reinvent the loom routing or try to customize the circuitry and it'll be nothing more than straight ahead detail work. More patience than knowledge required. good luck
If you go with a ready made harness (lot easier) convert the car to 12volt not hard and you will love it. If you stay with 6volt most pre-made harnesses won't work. They are made for 12volt and the wiring is smaller gauge. With 6volt wire needs to be bigger gauge. There are places that make 6volt harnesses , but they are high dollar. Look to spend around $150 to $200 in just supply's to wire the car with 6volt on your own.
if you are looking for a stock type wiring harness try Rhode Island Wiring service , they list 1948 Chrysler http://www.riwire.com/
48... If you are wanting to stay with the 6v system we now carry an 8 Circuit 6 volt harness that should work great for your Chrysler. Now might be a good time to think 12v. Either way we can help. PM me or give me a call at 618-395-8216 to get the Hamb discount. Glenn
If you want to make your own wiring harness, Bud Lang did a series of wiring how to's in early 70s R&C Magazine. A lot (if not all) of the information was reprinted in a '77 Hot Rod Magazine's ROD&CUSTOM special. The text has pictures and drawings of the various components used in a wiring, job with lines drawn to the places where the wires correctly connect. Also tells you what gauge wire to use for each circuit. Sort of a "wiring for dummies" type deal...that's probably why I was able to follow the directions successfully.
Might be time to look at joining PWHM too. http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/46-48chryslers/ Good luck and post pics of that thing!
I love the post war site,,,I have been a member for a while now...so much information...I think i'm going to convert to 12...boy i hate wiring lol..thanks again for all the info
IIRC, the wiring goes up the A pillar and then back along the roof to the trunk. If so, you will want to budget for a new headliner if it's as crusty/brittle as mine. The wiring takes a while due to the ends. Stuff that plugs in is pretty easy; stuff like the tail lights that have to reuse or replace the socket takes time! Since I got mine, I noticed that there really isn't a bulkhead plug or any real plugs for that matter. I haven't done the job, but I'd suggest pulling the dash and wiring that first, then installing it and routing the other stuff forward and back. There are a LOT of wires under the dash!
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