Ok guys Ive been up to my eyballs in wiring all weekend and have started stringing the coupe. I know, Im a masochist !! I started by grabbing an EZ wiring wiring kit that has color coded/labeled wires coz believe me, the one job Im hopeless at is wiring. Hated it with a p***ion. Now I realise, that after a little reading and research, most of that hate was based upon my **** workmanship and ignorance....oh well, live and learn. By splitting the job into smaller projects and taking my time Ive managed to retain some sanity too. I started off by mounted the fuse box to 1/4" aliminium plate under the cowl on the p*** side (your drivers side lol) and then started running wires to their respective locations. Also eliminated the wire from the kit that I didnt need ie fast gl***, AC etc. So far Ive managed wire the rear section ie tail lites, brake lights, license plate lamp, rear indicators, fuel pump and brake lite switch. Tonite I routed and heat shrunk/fitted the wires to the alternator, coil, temp and oil pressure senders, the headlites, fan and L&R indicators. I ran the heat shrunk wiring on the inside of the frame rail out of sight and under the A X member at the front to keep it looking clean. Next Im gonna mount the MSD box under the dash out of sight along with the boost retard. Looks like im also going to convert the Mallory DP dissy with a Crane optical trigger kit which I believe is a bolt in deal. Grounding it all out is going to take some creativity for good grounds. The gl*** body has an internal steel cage which Ive grounded some components to. The cage will also be grounded to the frame front and rear with cables. The engine will be grounded to the frame at the bellhousing and the battery will be grounded to the frame as well from the -ve post. I may also run a ground cable from the battery -ve to the starter motor. The last thing I want is to have electrical gremlins esp with all new wiring. What a PITA that would be.... Anyone have anything to add based on their experiences on what Ive described above ?? Rat
Wiring is the job in building a hot rod that I dread also,,,, With the gl*** body you can have enough grounds!HRP
I'm in the middle of splicing the wiring for my (non-trad) AMX with an EFI 4.0L and am finding that it's actually enjoyable. That could be because I'm a big nerd at heart, but more likely because I went out and got the factory service manuals - with complete and mostly accurate wiring diagrams - for both the donor Jeep Cherokee and the donee AMX. Biggest thing is to take your time and understand exactly what it is you're doing and what functions each wire serves. I've never worked with painless, but if everything's color-coded and they provide a complete chart, you should be good to go. As far as splicing, I've never seen a good tutorial here. Maybe I should take some pictures and make a tech post out of it. BTW, good lookin' Deuce. d
Rat, sounds like your makin' progress. I am currently wiring a 32 also. I ended up making an aliminum plate also, and it runs from side to side, mounted to the cowl supports. At first, I did it just to avoid drilling a couple holes in the firewall, but it has proven to be good in several ways; it allowed me to route the different looms in the general direction they are going, and it keeps everything neat looking. Kinda funny, as I mounted the ignition module behind the panel to keep it away from the engine heat and elements. Here is a pic of the panel, but its a crummy pic from a POS digital camera. Greg
Blu oval fan.... Looks like your using a kit too.....which wiring loom did u go with? How did u ground your ride? Got some more pix ? Rat
One thing that I can't stress enough is to have sufficient ground even on steel cars...!!! Use High quality grounding strap or multiple #2-4 awg cable with crimp on connectors. If you dont have a BIG Gauge crimper..., just place it in a VISE and Squeze the connector until it is holding the Cable firmly...!!! After that just follow the instructions and you'll find wiring much easier...!
Rat...sorry, been too busy with work and havent been on here for a few days. I went with the EZ wiring kit. For ground wires, a grounding bus is planned for the front and back which will be grounded to the frame and body (and of course the engine). A buddy of mine is supposed to "hook me up" with some welding cable that I might use. As for pics, theres some on my website...www.gregsprobegt.20megsfree.com. It has been taken over by 32' Ford pics, and I cant change domain names. The 32 pics are on "Photo Pages" 3 and 4. Good luck, Greg
The Jalopy Journal
