Painless Wiring Kits

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Richie

Richie

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Hi everybody.

I'm betting some people in here have done an install of a Painless wiring kit. How "painless" is it?
 
I haven't personally done one but, a friend of mine did and needed three electrical motor inspectors to help him finish it. In short painful I think is more correct
 
I used a painless harness on my '57 D-100. It was great. Easy installation. Each wire is labeled the length of the wire to prevent mistakes. Buy/borrow a nice wire stripper and crimper. I have had zero problems and have been on the road 3 years.
 
A lot of people complain about the system not being "painless", but if you can read the instructions and know how to complete a circuit properly, then you will be all set.

It does NOT include everything you will need. You will need to supply your own grounds, you will need several extra connectors, and you will want a good set of wire-strippers and a good crimping tool (don't bother buying the cheap ones).

I installed the Painless full-chassis harness in my '73 dart and everything works as desired. It wasn't plug-n-play, but it was easy enough to do when you just take it one section at a time. The wires are all labeled and it is fairly easy to get everything in the general area where it belongs. The only issues not addressed in the Painless instructions are the headlight switch, wiper switch, and HVAC circuits. A member here [AbodyJoe] has drawn up some wiring schematics for some of those circuits which helped me out a lot.

The trick is to be patient and not rush the project. Lay everything out exactly where it needs to go, temporarily hook it up, test it, and then perform the final crimping and placement. This will save you hours of chasing your own tail.

Good luck, and remember, BE PATIENT! lol

-Mike
 
73SwingerBuild said:
A lot of people complain about the system not being "painless", but if you can read the instructions and know how to complete a circuit properly, then you will be all set.

It does NOT include everything you will need. You will need to supply your own grounds, you will need several extra connectors, and you will want a good set of wire-strippers and a good crimping tool (don't bother buying the cheap ones).

I installed the Painless full-chassis harness in my '73 dart and everything works as desired. It wasn't plug-n-play, but it was easy enough to do when you just take it one section at a time. The wires are all labeled and it is fairly easy to get everything in the general area where it belongs. The only issues not addressed in the Painless instructions are the headlight switch, wiper switch, and HVAC circuits. A member here [AbodyJoe] has drawn up some wiring schematics for some of those circuits which helped me out a lot.

The trick is to be patient and not rush the project. Lay everything out exactly where it needs to go, temporarily hook it up, test it, and then perform the final crimping and placement. This will save you hours of chasing your own tail.

Good luck, and remember, BE PATIENT! lol

-Mike
Click to expand...


I've got the tools for the job and have a bit of know how but have always been a big chicken when it comes to doing anything myself LOL. Switching carbs putting new fuel pumps on, that's simple stuff and what I'm use to but you can set a car on fire if you make boo boos with the wiring. I heard about it all being labeled though so that sounds promising and I have a friend who wired his 70 Chevy pickup all by himself and also worked as a mechanic at a Ford dealership back in the early 80s and I'm sure he could help if I beg :)
 
I will warn you now, I spread the work over a couple of month span to reduce the headaches. Whenever I got frustrated, I just walked away. This reduced the time spent fixing problems caused by rushing the project. I was also only able to wire my car at night after work, so it took me quite a while.

I wouldn't be afraid to start a fire. As long as you properly seal all of your connectors (use as much heat shrink as you can- Don't rely on electrical tape, since it inevitably comes undone), you'll be fine. Also make sure to properly address abrasive points where the wires pass through (i.e., firewall area and around the front grill/rear bumper). You want to make sure that the wires will not chafe and ground out.

Of course it always helps to have a friend who has done it before. I definitely didn't do all of my wiring alone haha.

-Mike
 
continue to shop the price is not painless, there are much better deals out there
 
I've have a customer that brought me an American Autowire set for his Challenger. It looks a lot easier to install than a Painless one. It costs a few more dollars but in the end he'll make up for that cost in labor savings I am sure.
 
73SwingerBuild said:
I will warn you now, I spread the work over a couple of month span to reduce the headaches. Whenever I got frustrated, I just walked away. This reduced the time spent fixing problems caused by rushing the project. I was also only able to wire my car at night after work, so it took me quite a while.

I wouldn't be afraid to start a fire. As long as you properly seal all of your connectors (use as much heat shrink as you can- Don't rely on electrical tape, since it inevitably comes undone), you'll be fine. Also make sure to properly address abrasive points where the wires pass through (i.e., firewall area and around the front grill/rear bumper). You want to make sure that the wires will not chafe and ground out.

Of course it always helps to have a friend who has done it before. I definitely didn't do all of my wiring alone haha.

-Mike
Click to expand...

Taking your time is always great advice.
 
I used the Ron Francis kit because it was a "Mopar" kit. Let me tell you the directions for wiring the ignition and the turn signal cam had Chevy and Ford represented but no Mopar reference! Not a big deal as I just called tech support. The tech support was actually very helpful.

The Ron Francis kit came with the Headlight switch. But, I had to supply the wiring for the Heater, Windshield Wiper, Dome Light and Reverse Lights. I think from what I have read the American Autowire may be a little more compreshensive.

I enjoyed wiring the car. I bought wratchet crimpers, good wire strippers, zip ties, wire loom (not the plastic stuff!) and good heat shrink. I also removed all of the plastic from the terminals. The reason I did this is becasue I hate how that plastic looks. With the plastic removed I could also see if I had a nice mechancial connection (yes sometimes I would redo the connection!). Then I used a small piece of heat shrink to cover the connection.

Once you get started it really isn't that bad. The RF directions were pretty good. It was 1 step at a time and don't move on until you've completed that step. I didn't turn the car over until step 3. I almost had a heart attack when it didn't turn over. Then I realized I forgot to push in the clutch! I guess I wired the clutch safety switch correctly! lol!

Good luck with whatever kit you choose!
 
We stripped out every inch of wire from head lights to tail lights on the Duster and replaced with a Painless kit. Very nice kit comes with wires grouped in to sections, Do one section at a time and the key is to be patient dont rush it. If you do run into a problem,walk away and come back to it.Painless does have a good customer service # also.

If I not mistaken they have a member on board here too


Bob / Bryce
 
Think about your eventual plan for the car before ordering a kit. Many people make upgrades like electronic ignition, ammeter bypass, relays for fans and headlights. You might find a kit for a later model closer to your goal. I made a custom engine bay wiring for 2 of my 3 60's Mopars, using 1995 relay boxes. Cheaper than the wire kits, but a lot of work.
 
Biggest gripe I have with any of the aftermarket kits is what I keep hearing over and over

"Had great telephone support."

If these people would take just one day to update their destructions, and put a PROPER wiring diagram in, it would save a LOT of so called phone support. Is that what I want to hear when I'm broke down on the side of the road? Call phone support?

For the price the Painless/ Francis stuff costs, it should have EXCELLENT Mopar based documentation already. They've been in business for some time now, and have had time to work out the FAQs!!!!
 
67Dart273 said:
Biggest gripe I have with any of the aftermarket kits is what I keep hearing over and over

"Had great telephone support."

If these people would take just one day to update their destructions, and put a PROPER wiring diagram in, it would save a LOT of so called phone support. Is that what I want to hear when I'm broke down on the side of the road? Call phone support?

For the price the Painless/ Francis stuff costs, it should have EXCELLENT Mopar based documentation already. They've been in business for some time now, and have had time to work out the FAQs!!!!
Click to expand...


Your right it wouldn't take much to update the instructions. It would save them a lot of phone calls. I think I called 3 times. What stinks is their tech support is open regular business hours when most people are Not working of their cars!
 
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