'73 Duster Budget Barebones Re-Wire!

[Ratty73Duster]

First off, I'll admit; I am absolutely terrible when it comes to wiring! My '73 Duster is a factory /6 auto car, and the previous owner butchered the wiring pretty bad, from front to back the factory harness is pretty far gone. I reckon it'd be a good learning experience to start from the ground up and re-wire the car. The goal is a ratty, sleeper-type car, with a small block stroker.

I'll be doing away with the A/C, but would like to have a radio, heat, etc. I don't plan on adding much, in the way of extra electrical components. Just the necessities.

At the moment, I'm considering Speedway's 12-circuit universal hot rod harness right now, the reviews are very positive, and at $149.99, it seems a very budget-friendly option. Everything's labeled, and I believe it to be pretty complete, for what it is. It advertises pretty much every circuit I could think of using. I guess my question is, would this work for what I'm trying to do? Should I go with the 22-circuit instead, just to be safe? It's going to be a tough project, but I plan on doing it right, and I'm hoping to learn a lot in the process.

The only issue I can think of right now is that the harness doesn't include a circuit for an electric fuel pump. Seems like I could use the electric choke circuit with a relay, and run an electric pump, but I'm not 100%.

Here's the link:
12-Circuit Mini-Fuse Universal Hot Rod Wiring Harness Kit

What do you guys think? Thanks for reading!

 

[RustyRatRod]

Doing away with ac or not, here's "what I would do". Get a harness that supports AC. That way, if you EVER decide to do it, it'll be there. Also, if you ever sell the car, that could be a selling point. If the new prospective owner knows it has the AC harness already there and they want to add it, it will be less of a headache. The cost between the two is not that bad. I scored big time on Speedway for the harness for my rat truck project. 89 bucks on clearance for a 22 circuit harness and it came with all the switches, too. Lights, wipers and vintage style universal turn signal switch. I just knew I would get an email saying it was a mistake, but it was sittin on the front porch a few days later. I think somebody was on crack.

 

[Ratty73Duster]

Doing away with ac or not, here's "what I would do". Get a harness that supports AC. That way, if you EVER decide to do it, it'll be there. Also, if you ever sell the car, that could be a selling point. If the new prospective owner knows it has the AC harness already there and they want to add it, it will be less of a headache. The cost between the two is not that bad. I scored big time on Speedway for the harness for my rat truck project. 89 bucks on clearance for a 22 circuit harness and it came with all the switches, too. Lights, wipers and vintage style universal turn signal switch. I just knew I would get an email saying it was a mistake, but it was sittin on the front porch a few days later. I think somebody was on crack.

Yeah, that's a steal! It would be nice to have the option, and you bring up a good point about selling the car. I'm hoping that with the way everything is clearly labeled, it won't be too much of a headache to get it done. I'm pretty intimidated by wires, but I'm hoping this will be a perfect opportunity to learn. Having the extra circuits would be really nice, too. I appreciate it!

 

[RustyRatRod]

Yeah, that's a steal! It would be nice to have the option, and you bring up a good point about selling the car. I'm hoping that with the way everything is clearly labeled, it won't be too much of a headache to get it done. I'm pretty intimidated by wires, but I'm hoping this will be a perfect opportunity to learn. Having the extra circuits would be really nice, too. I appreciate it!

It's very simple. The key is take your time. I've done quite a few of them. When you cut your wires, make SURE they are run like you want them and cut them LONG. There have been a few instances, I've not cut at all. It's really easy to make a neat coil and stash it anywhere. The extra resistance amounts to nothing on low amp circuits like lights and you always have some extra wire if you ever make changes.

 

[Mattax]

I think you get what you pay for.
My suggestion is to begin with the design of the circuits best suited to you goals.
Once you understand the basic design that Chrysler used, you can then decide if that's appropriate for your goal and needs.
Opinion on universal wiring harness
There are other design strategies which are better for certain situations and goals.
The factory strategy is simple, although sometimes it was done a little too cheaply (thinner wires or weaker connections).
OTH if you're planning on EFI or some other high demand electric additions, the design needs to be altered.
The thing is that wiring for two or more design strategies can't be mixed.

Then invest in the appropriate wire, connectors and boxes.
Engine compartment wiring should be sized and insulated for hot conditions subject to oil, fuel, and dampness.
Not a good place to use general purpose automotive wire. Marine wire, SXL, and TXL are all good options.
If you are keeping original switches, gages, etc then you will need to have the proper terminations for each of them. If the terminals (metal part crimped to the wire) are not secure to the connector housing (sometimes called insulator), Murphy guarentees some will not make good contact when you push them onto the switches etc.
Sources for Chrysler type wire terminals
You could still go with a kit, but with more background and understanding you'll know if what you are buying will do what you want and hold up over time.
Some sort of open barrel crimper will also be necessary.

You may decide that the easist thing to do is work off the factory harness. Tack it on a large plywood board, strip off the harness tape, cut, splice, replace and remove as needed.
That lets you go one by one, you'll know what you're removing, replacing, changing.
a couple examples here WIRING NIGHTMARE