1952-59 Ford Rewiring question

I just ordered my Rebel Wiring harness from Glenn33, and now I started thinking that I may want to wait until I'm done with the engine and body work, paint job to actually rewire the whole thing. Is it better to wait until all that work is done or just do it now? So far most of the important stuff like lights work fine but nothing else electrical works at all.

 

I would wait so the wiring doesn't get painted and it won't be in your way .
This is how I do mine , body and paint work , drop the engine and trans in , re-wire the car , install the gl*** , then carpet , then interior .
Just my opinion .

Jim

 

Everybody has their own build sequence which works for them, so I won't try to tell you what to do, just the way I do things.

If this were my first build, I would avoid biting off more than I could chew. This is THE most common cause of projects being abandoned.

I would try to keep the car driveable as much as possible by doing the necessary repairs first, and putting off major changes like paint and upholstery until much, much later.

Wiring is a very common problem with our Fords and most, if not all, of our projects needed to be rewired.

You have picked a very good kit and I understand there is lots of tech support available from the maker. There is also very good technical support available from members of this Social Group.

Once you have your car running, which it sounds like you have done, put it in a place you can work on it uninterrupted for as long as necessary to complete the rewire.

Preferably, a place with phone service and internet access. This will allow you to get help while you are working on the car, not after you have quit work for the day and gone home.

Then, in a step-by-step manner, install the kit functionally. This means you do not have to run every wire as it will be when the car is finished, but get everything working as it should - even if the wires are too long and not neatly routed.

You can then drive your car with reliable electrics. When you redo the interior you can route the wires under the carpet and clean up the tie-wrapped bundles under the dash to make the installation even neater than original.

As a first-timer, I cannot over-stress the importance of doing your car one step at a time, not biting off more than you can chew. This is the kiss of project death. Avoid it at all cost.

Good luck...and don't hesitate to ask for help.

 

Thanks for the responses, I will definitely take head of your suggestions and warnings. Also don't worry about me asking for help, I will always ask you guys for help since I know very little and most of you know tons about these cars.

 

I guess I ***umed you had the car torn down already by your post , if not DON"T go and rip all the wiring out and then try re-wire the car . That is a huge mistake as the old wiring will help you out seeing how it was done before . The color of the old wires to the new harness will not be the same . That's OK too .
As stated before , if you car is running and drivable just keep it running . The best time to re-wire is when you are not going to be driving the car for a while , like the winter time as long as you have a heated garage ! Don't try to do this outside if possible . Also make sure you read the instructions over & over until you have them memorized ! Lay the harness out on the ground / floor / driveway the way it will go into your car . Also removing the front seat will make it much easier crawling up under the dash to re-wire that part . If you can remove the carpet easily and rear seat that is a plus also . It will make the re-wire much easier to do . Now if you are doing it outside , then just use your judgment on what you want to remove .
You will also need some good wire connectors , wire strippers and some shrink tube for the spots that might get wet . Also makes a much cleaner look too . The plastic zip ties are also good to have to keep your new harness tied up and neat . They are so much better that plastic tape !
If you have any questions , Glenn is very easy to talk to and will help you with any problems you might come across . He doesn't mind at all , really . He will stand behind his USA made wiring harness and any questions you might have about the process .
It really isn't hard at all , just read the instructions very well and you will have no problems doing it yourself . you will also have the pride to tell all your friends that you re-wired the car yourself !

Jim

 

Thanks for the advice Jim. As you suspected the car is still running and the exterior lights are still working along with the ignition. Those are pretty much the only electrical things working on the car. As for the time of year and place to do the work, I live in San Diego so there are only two seasons here "warm and warmer," the work space is either the common garage under my apartment building or the base hobby shop. Living in California on single military salary limits the places that you can live.

Anyway, I was thinking about it today at work and I probably will wait to place the wiring in the car so that I can complete the engine work and hopefully getting the metal work and paint job complete. I'm pretty sure that I may have to win a lottery to have these things done within the year but if not then patience is going to be my best friend.