Looking for any directions that may help in my project. 59 chevy truck with a 99 gm 350 and trans. Anyone know of any good information on this type of conversion? Mainly dealing with electrical wiring of the truck. Thanks.
I'd go with American AutoWire, they are more expensive but it is oem quality and they are oem for general motors, they'll fix you right up.
Depends what you're doing with the engine...is it all complete with the injection and factory computer? or what? I like the original wiring for my old trucks, but they don't have much extra modern stuff in them, just an amp to play some music, and a heater. http://www.cl***icparts.com/1955-59-Wiring-Harness-Alternator/productinfo/52-028/ But again, it depends on what all you are installing in the truck....if you are adding lots of power accessories then you would be better off with a street rod type harness.
I am not planning on power windows or many up grades, just the engine and trans with the fuel injection etc. I am just concerned with all the other electrical systems communicating properly.
Fuel injection is generally a stand alone thing, it needs to get power and a crank (starter) signal, that's about it. You could use the original wiring for everything, and add a relay, actuated by the ignition circuit, to get "key on" power from the battery directly. Use the original temp and oil gages, with the correct old temp sender screwed into the engine. The ammeter may not be something you could make work easily unless you change to a shunt, but that will be an issue no matter what harness you use. Or you could put one of those ugly new fuse boxes in it like everyone else does.
For the most part the aftermarket has reallly stepped up to the plate by building some very good quality kits these days. I used to do my wiring from scratch but the kits have become so cost effective and easy that I don't do that any more. As mentioned, the American Autowire kit is a very good one, and we liked installing it. Rebel also makes a very nice kit, and somewhat less costly. I have one in my 27 and will have one in my current rpu project because it did everything I needed and saved me some money. Don
So the main engine/computer control system should be almost a stand alone system. I mainly need to supply the proper power as you described. The rest of the truck would then be on a different system if I understand what you are saying.
That's what I'm saying. The original truck wiring harness has mostly wiring for lights, horn, gages, and ignition. The wiring for most of that will be the same when you add the new engine. The reproduction harness has all the correct wiring for most of it, and if you get a street rod harness you won't need most of the stuff they include, yet you also will have to go to the trouble to terminate ALL the wires for the lights, gages, etc. I made the mistake of getting a Painless harness when I built my 55 belair, about 15 years ago. If I had to do it over I would probably get a reproduction harness, and add the circuits I need for the few accessories I've added. I realize I'm in the minority, most guys seem to like the aftermarket harnesses. Hopefully they'll explain why.
100% correct Different brands offer different options when it comes to a harness. Rebel is more basic while American autowire includes just about everything including headlight and dimmer switch and depending on kit ignition switch. If its a hot rod harness the mounting system is much neater then other brands. If you want an upgraded original style harness made for a 59 American Autowire makes that also http://cappshotrods.com/shop/american-autowire-cl***ic-update-series-55-59-chevy-truck/
Hey thanks everyone for the quick wiring lesson. I think I can sit down now and figure out what I need and start shopping around.
Well, I can see where a factory harness would be preferable if a person were doing a car where one might be available, but most of us are building cars that never really existed. That is where the American Autowire, Rebel, Painless, Ron Francis, etc kits come in. All my life I built my own wiring harnesses from scratch. I worked in the marine industry so it was easy and cheap for me to buy high grade wire and components from people like Ancor. Those parts were made for use in wet boats so they hold up very well in a car application. But when I retired I no longer could get the super deals I was getting and found it too expensive to use those parts any more, so I bought my first kit. By the time you tally up all the things that come in one of the kits it is way cheaper to buy one, plus there is the advantage of each wire being marked every few inches as to where it goes. Sure makes running wires easier when standing on your head under the dash. Don
I wired my truck from scratch using a fuse panel from a mid 80s Cutl***. Pretty simple setup but using a kit would have literally saved me hours of time and I would have ended up with a much cleaner installation. With the low price of the Rebel Wire kits, even if I wasn't a dealer, I would use one of their kits just to save the time. A basic 8 circuit kit is only $150.
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