I will be doing some re-wiring in my 50 Merc in a month or two. None of the lights work on the car, no horns, no gauges, etc. So I figure I have two options. I know at least one vendor who offers wiring sets for the front, dash, and body of the car. Total price is around $600. The up side is the wiring matches the factory original wiring, but I am not going back original on the car so that is not especially important to me. The other up side is the wires will be easy to replace this way since a given existing wire can be replaced by the new wire that matches it. This seems like a good idea. The other option is getting a universal wiring kit from Painless. The up side is more modern wiring with more modern fuses. Cost is about half of the factory replacement kit, and since I am putting in a new steering column with turn indicator switch, the Painless set seems easier in that respect due to the GM column wiring connector Ultimately, I want a nice, clean wiring set-up in the car where everything works as designed. What other options are there? What experience do you guys have that I need to consider? Any help will be appreciated. Paul
you going to stay with 6V dc or go to 12? The guage of the wire will change based on this. From what I see in your info, you are going to 12 and therefore I would do a universal kit. Don't get the one with 18 circuits unless you expect to have power seats/windows.....
Thanks, Many. I believe I will do exactly that no matter which way I go with wiring I purchase. The idea of ripping all the wires out and hoping to get new wires everywhere they need to go is SO NOT my plan. I guess what i am asking is if one wiring kit, either factory replacement or universal is so much better than the other that it MUST be the way to go.
There is a guy on ebay selling lots of colors/gauges cheap. I think he was in Oregon or Washington Cut the wrapping off of the bundles of wire and replace one at a time. I often re-use Henrys terminals. Use heat shrink for a factory appearance. Remove the horrible plastic junk if you use these, http://www.ebay.com/itm/100-Wire-Ri...ideo_Connectors_Terminals&hash=item2ec7eafbbd
Yes. Good call. I will be going with 12 v., and no, I won't be doing power seats. Unless I find a set somewhere that would go in the car. That's another topic, but my car has the factory bench seat front and back. a split seat set-up with console would be a nice upgrade if I can make it look at home in the car. I don't want it to look like a franken-interior.
I've done a rebel and an Amercian Autowire... AA Kicked but and was so freakin easy, especially because it came with the ignition, headlights, hi/lo beam switch all together. Plug and play basically... so I ordered another for my other car.
On another thread Mike Britton said "I think the greatest sense of accomplishment is what I learned about fundamental automotive wiring, more than the job itself. For instance, I had the old girl idling on the driveway, headlights on bright, hazard lights blinking away, and bumping the horn once in awhile for about 15 minutes. I know enough now to be confident that if there was a problem with my wiring, it would have happened by now. The really cool part of this is that if some thing shorts, or fails later, I know how to repair that problem." http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=777562
It's not nearly as complicated as you may think. If your original harness is still functioning then you are one step ahead of the game because you can follow the original routing. I've done to complete rewires in the past 5 years, and both times I've used an Ez wire kit. I didn't even bother to look for OEM for either vehicle because from the research it did they still aren't perfect. They still tend to run long, and there are still tweaks you have to make. Plus saving a little bit of time isn't worth 400+ bucks to me. How clean the setup end up being is more about your install than the kit itself. Most of your time will be spent plotting the layout and then cleaning up the wires once they are run.
If you do decide to do your own wiring, make sure that your wiring diagram is accurate. I am doing my 55 Nash Rambler (just to get it started and driveable for now). When I looked at the wiring diagram it uses numbers for circuits. But it is far from accurate. Example: #6 circuit for the most part is correct. It is the ignition run wire, which just about everyone knows it goes to one side of the coil. But this factory manual also show it continuing from other side of coil to points. So, my point is that even OEM diagrams are far from correct, and if this is the case, the wiring harness guys might even be making the same mistakes.
160 wires in one harness Blended with 42 wires in the other. Every single one was cut, then lengthened, shortened, moved, repined, or ****ed . Two things that were never meant to go together working in perfect harmony. There's no one diagram for this stuff. There is a diagram for one and then the other and they are blended. And when it's finished you will not be able to see the wires let alone tell that it didnt grow that way. Trust me , if I can do this so can you. Wiring a hot rod is easy
I have a Better Idea! just give me the Merc & your Problems will be over Just my 3.5 cents I rewired my own car like somebody else said
Fifteen some odd wires under the Rambler hood that need to be replaced. (Not counting spark plug wiring). Now that is pretty simple compared to the electronic marvels made today! Yes you can do the wiring yourself.
Thanks guys. I contacted rebel wire today. I'll be looking at their products closely over the next few days and weeks.
Let me know if I can help with an American Autowire Kit http://cappshotrods.com/product-category/electrical/customstreet-rod-harnesses/ Great product and easy to install. Also comes with so much more than the other kits. And made in the USA
I've done quite a few cars and trucks both ways - 1 wire at a time and a pre made harness. I've also done complete custom harnesses back in the "old days" before there were good pre made harnesses available. The decision which way to go for me is determined by the condition of the existing fuse block and wires. The new premade harnesses are way better than they used to be. Having each wire labeled every 4 inches or so is the norm and the fuse blocks are as good as OEM now. You have to also consider the time it's going to take. It does not take very many patches into an old harness to make a pre wired harness the better route in my opinion. I end up using some of the original connectors and just solder the harness to them. $600 is WAY too much. I am currently rewiring and entire car with a 12 circuit "standard" from E-Z Wiring - http://www.ezwiring.com/wiring_harness.html
I always did wiring from scratch and at my job I can get the supplies at employee cost, which is pretty good. But the last few cars we have done were done using various wiring kits, and I will probably never do one from scratch again, due to a lot of reasons. Here is my take on the wiring kits I have personally used: American Autowire. My Son did his rpu with a Highway 21 (I think) kit. It was superb........expensive but superb. Comes with a lot of the parts you need and they are all very high quality. The one advantage was being able to unplug every wire from the fuse block and do one at a time. Personally, I think AA puts out the Rolls Royce of kits. Painless: We did my other Son's T bucket with a Painless kit and found it hard to understand. The directions ****ed and although my Sons and I have done tons of car and boat rewire jobs we had to put our heads together a few times and flip a coin to determine how some circuits were meant to go. Would not buy another one. Rebel Wiring: I did my 27 with a 9 + 3 kit and it was fine. Nothing spectacular, but the wires were all marked well, the directions were very good, and the price is extremely low, compared to the AA kits. I have had no wiring problems since installing it, and will probably buy another one for my rpu project. I just don't need one the cost or quality of the AA kit and the Rebel will do all the things I need done. It is a good value for a very small initial outlay, and the support provided by the factory is top notch, if you need phone help. Regardless of the kit you buy, that price only puts you about half way there. You will still have a good amount of money in things like wire terminal ends, **** connectors, wire ties, clamps, etc. As for those harnesses that are exact duplicates of what the factory installed originally, on some cars they might be worth every penny, especially if it is a new car with lots of accessories. Those are some of my opinions on the various kits we have used. Don
Mike Britton here. After doing my 47, I wouldn't hesitate to go to American Auto Wire and buy the harness for that car. You will be surprised how straightforward a modern harness will be to install, and I can guarantee it's going to be less h***le than trying to live with a 63 year old 6V system running on 12V. Smaller, cleaner wire with plastic insulation instead of cloth, and modern fuses. You will save time and energy you can devote to other things on your build. Traditional is fine, but there are three things that trump it; Safety, Dependability, and Comfort.
Well, you know what your are talking about, and I enjoy your posts, but the replies I got from them sure didn't make me feel comfortable at all. The more I think about wiring the less I want to do on the project. I should just block it out of my mind, finish the car and worry about it after the paint and upholstery is done. Bob
If you're going to a GM column and 12v. I'd get the 20 ckt. GM Speedway kit. At around $160 it's a fantastic kit, and a great price. Comes complete with plug for GM column, headlight switch with plug, and dimmer with plug. All wires marked continuosly along the length, and plenty of connectors, extra ground wires, etc. It's probably a Painless kit, but not sure who builds them for Speedway.
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