Any suggestions from you Nebraska/Iowa/Kansas HAMB guys for a good reasonable shop to wire my deuce roadster next fall? Nothing fancy just the basics. I'm finding it difficult to find someone who understands the extra effort necessary to take the job from just ok to a higher level of finish. I've wired dozens. If I wasn't so old I'd do it myself but standing on my head under the dash isn't my idea of fun. May end up doing it myself?
Hmm not off hand maybe @CTaulbert knows of someone? Seems like the best bet would be finding a guy who builds and wires his own cars that is the correct level of anal and would take on a side gig to wire yours. I’ll keep thinking and let ya know if someone comes to mind.
If steel , I find its so much easier to pull dash, even if there a dash tunnel & wire dash on bench & have the car 16 -24 inches under all four tires & pull running boards if fenders ,
32 I imagine. Why wouldn't you wire it with the body not fitted? I'd never have attempted this otherwise, and I hope I never encounter any problems! Chris
Time , Time , " Exhaust" These are used for Tight radius turns , You can use straight tube , & cut angles also , Will had more hours of fabrication & many more hours of welding Tig or Mig.. Not including grinding welds down and polishing,, Fabrication Exhaust donuts. Titanium ,stainless steel ,mild steel & aluminum.. @krylon32 all The Chassis that you have done , & if you know how to Tig, When coming to wiring on a scale 1 -10 , I feel the wiring would be a #4, skill level,,, simple wiring with Basic Power leads , Head , Turn , Brake etc. Shops around here , @ a shop , hourly Rate is commonly $175 -$250 Now !! Not just H -Rs , its all shops , D-D , Big Trucks , Machinery. I do not get how average person can afford. & as we get older Not be able to do your self any more for what ever the reason, Maybe always been this way , expensive I guess I just never paid attention ,I was able to do most all myself and what I did not know ,traded work with others. A few weeks ago , On highway , H O V sign's running along main Interstate , witch about 50 miles to Pentagon, its close to $50.00 "one way" & $50.00 on return for D-D'ers . I was thinking , " How much are the ones using Hov making a hour ?"" Plus 87 octane being $3.00-3,40 gal Diesel $3.20- $3.60 gal. HOV @ One time was free for motorcycles & 3 or more in a vehicle . I have lived same place for over 50 years
& over the Years , All cars I build , I buid in a way I can take apart with ease, One example one 32 , I turn down Knurling on door pins So I can remover doors, Firewall, I replaced all spots welds , rivets on legs ,ect , So I can take out with out lifting body , Steering column , Floor boards , Original seat, Gauge tunnel , Wiring with Weather pack connectors Ect . Roadster same way . I would pretty much finish , then change Something up drastically, I guess I will not have a finished ride!!
I just did a simple exhaust under a project deuce highboy. I've used donuts for years. For most of the years I built chassis I employed a part time certified tig welder to do the finish work after I did the fabrication. Never could tig worth a dam. I can do wiring, done dozens of 32's. It's just something at my age I no longer enjoy. But if a simple basic roadster wiring job is gonna cost $4-5K I'll get it done. These new wiring kits make it a lot easier than when I had to fabricate my own. Next is to find the right kit? Toll roads even in neighboring Kansas seem expensive. going and coming south of Wichita to OK City and back was around $30. Just filled up with 87 plus at $2.79
Tig , hit or mis , I tigged about 3 mouths ago, Takes little to get back in rhythm . My self , Not able to lay in a Vehicle like I wants did Head Under dash , legs over seat , getting a cramp, First kit I used was a S-W kit like 12 cir I think , I thought Kit was decent quality, well marked every few inches , good for one's using steering column with functions , ( not me) Another car I had was a Rons , half pre wire , other was screw terminals, My thoughts was kind of bulky, Then painless , did not use , A few other kits , Make sure read description of , Some are mis leading . Since most I have do are 50ish older ,& especially pre-war , I just make all, ( No function, Naked column) Switch's Hidden under dash walking by, Visible in seat. There a company in I Believe Michigan that's a supplier for the OEM the companies name Wire Barn, I use there wire It has like 3 letters It has like a ponder feel to it & very flexible 28 ga to like #2 ga thats reasonable. Some I used is cloth $$. I find best to set down , sketch out what power leads needed , location Before starting even with a kit , Kit laying out on a table separating wires to the front, middle and rear. Do not make finale until your sue where wire needed to go ,, Check each Circuit/ Connection as you go
I've contacted a couple shops here in Nebraska about wiring the roadster, neither returned my message. I'll be alright, I'll leave the hood, fenders, boards, doors and deck lid off, no seat or interior to work around. The dash insert is easy to remove. When I used to wire I was so dam anal about running the wires and keeping them in tight bundles. Always ran the front wires thru the frame etc. I'll [probably do all that again. My big issue is selection of a wiring package. So dam many opinions which is best. I want the best quality, best engineered, easiest to work with (kit) available. Cost isn't a big factor. I remember the kits I used in the past had such small writing on the wires I had to use a magnifying glass to read them so I could tag them with masking tape. If I find the right wiring kit I'll do this myself, may just take a little longer. Oh yea, I used to make my own wiring kits from bulk rolls of wire.
Lots of choices for wiring kits. I've used Rebel kits for my '39 p/u and '54 Ranch Wagon with no issues. Good tech support as well. AND USA made. JMO Edit: Plus I believe Rebel is an Alliance vendor.
Put the fuse panel and other assorted stuff in the trunk behind the seat. I've wired a couple roadsters that way and it works great. I use Coach Controls Roadster 18-circuit Kits for the simple stuff. They offer a "long wire" option on all their kits and I've never had a problem putting the panel in the trunk, even on full-size cars. Mount everything on a 1/4-inch sheet of ABS on your work bench and go from there! Ship the car to CA and I'll do it for ya! Here's one example that I did on Joe Kugel's AMBR Roadster from 2022...
I've had good results with an American Autowire kit. https://americanautowire.com/?gad_s...1V_1-vZjGnBdTBtEQ1ayXoUdsbjG7_gBoCnm8QAvD_BwE
Ouch: The one shop that did respond wanted $3000 up front plus the cost of the wiring materials. With the balance when the job is finished. Wouldn't say what he thought the end balance would be. I'm getting more enthused about doing the job myself.
If he charges $150, that's 20 hours just to start with. Assuming ignition, gauges, and lights, 20 hours to do a quality job of wiring a basic roadster seems generous for a shop that should know what they're doing.
I also vote for American Autowire although A customer brought in a basic kit from Speedway that I could swear was AA manufacture. I usually figure 40 hours for a basic hot rod job. Give or take depending on add ons.
I wired my dash on the bench and put some plugs ends on the harness. Now when the dash is mounted I have 2 plugs to plug in, I am to old and fat to lay upside down under the dash.
Going to depend on what you plan on running in the car. If it’s a simple build the a 12 circuit setup is the way to go. Speedway sells the EZ Wire kits. Easy to lay out, has a checklist you can go buy for all the major circuits. When you start adding stereos, AC, and other bells an whistles then it becomes more extensive.
Don't overcomplicate it; a basic hot rod doesn't need multiple circuits, fancy panels, and wires of many colors.
I'm a gambler and sometimes a bit conservative. I'm wondering if the 12 circuit wiring kit that Speedway sells for about $150 is worth a dam or not?
I wired one into a Model A once. While it worked OK, I felt the wires were on the small side; but then again so are most kits. Also re-arranged how the wires that exited the panel for better routing.
This one? Simple 12 Circuit Wiring Harness Kit with 12v Fuse Block It has 332 reviews, the majority of which are 4 or 5 stars. A lot of people seem to like it. I've used Painless and really like them. I have this one on the shelf for my roadster. Painless Performance 10308 18 Circuit Modular Wiring Harness There's a price difference of less than $100 currently. What I like about the Painless harness in this case over the Speedway is that the circuits aren't pre-terminated at the fuse block. That will save you a bunch of time rather than having to re-organize the preassembled harness as provided by Speedway.
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