Hiding the wires in engine bay

-
P

photorep

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 11, 2011
Messages
201
Reaction score
12
Location
los angeles
In a few weeks when the '74 Scamp comes back from paint I want to start hiding the wires in the engine bay. In the searches I've done, I have found that people say run the headlights etc in the fenders. Anyone have pictures or advice on doing this? Also, when relocating the battery to the trunk, how do you run the wires....under the car or in the car?? If underneath, how are they protected.
Thanks
 
The big gauge #4 welding wire or whatever you use from the trunk to the distribution in the engine bay ( ie. A big insulated bolt off a piece of plastic) can be put in a 3/8 emt run from trunk to bay along a frame rail. Its Ez to bend in over a round corner. Pot the enss so no water gets in there. With the lug in the motor, you can still jump the battery from there. Might get a ground in there too, but ground battery to chassis back there and run good strap to motor.
 
Nice.
Can't tell where the components are mounted.
 
Idaho said:
Nice.
Can't tell where the components are mounted.
Click to expand...


sorry bout the crappy pics. the fuse box is mounted under the dash above the driver side kick panel. the mount with the starter relay, voltage reg. and junction blocks is above the passenger kick panel. the msd box and coil is on inside of firewall above passenger foot well.
 
I did the same as Younggun but used pex tubing (because I install it for a living) and clamped it along the top inner edge of the inner fenderwell,steve
 
Remember this, always run a ground wire from a trunk mounted battery to the engine directly. Do not use the chassis for your ground cable. Also run at least #1 ga or 1/0. Welding cable should never be used in a car as it does not meet the insulation temp and spec of car wiring. It may be cheaper but not a good idea. I have done a lot of research on this and the best source is the Ron Francis catalog. It is an encyclopedia of do's and dont's. Not much on the web site but the catalog is a bible for wiring. PM me if you need some cable. I am running battery cables inside the car on my 69 Dart. Your Valiant looks great, like the way you did the wiring under the fenders. Is that conduit?
 
I must be old. I've been wrapping mine in tape for about forty years now. Works well for me.:D
 
younggun2.0 said:
sorry bout the crappy pics. the fuse box is mounted under the dash above the driver side kick panel. the mount with the starter relay, voltage reg. and junction blocks is above the passenger kick panel. the msd box and coil is on inside of firewall above passenger foot well.
Click to expand...

Your wiring is like art. It's so nice I think my project just got expanded. :)
What kind of fuse box did you use? Did you buy a wiring kit?
 
Hey young gun...tell me about the relay and fuse block you used. Did you create those or are they commercially available? Your work is great.
 
Idaho said:
Your wiring is like art. It's so nice I think my project just got expanded. :)
What kind of fuse box did you use? Did you buy a wiring kit?
Click to expand...

I used a painless wiring harness. It was a universal street rod kit. It took me 2 months to wire the car and I had zero prior experience. Best advice I got is buy a good set coroners.
 
photorep said:
Hey young gun...tell me about the relay and fuse block you used. Did you create those or are they commercially available? Your work is great.
Click to expand...

If your asking about the carbon fiber mounts I made those. The fuse block is a universal kit from painless.
 
Not hidden, but clean and simple is to run engine bay wires inside smooth PVC wiring sheath, like I did. Easier to keep clean than split loom and looks slick. It is kind of like heat shrink, but doesn't shrink. Look for "PVC-105", as I recall, made by Alpha or SPC. Mercedes used similar in my 85 300D, for both wires and vacuum tubing.
 
It's Alpha Wire pvc tubing, here's a pic from their website, but I'd like to see it installed. I'm getting ready to do my engine bay this winter.

PVC_105.ashx
 
I am rewiring a car right now that had this done. What a mess. They used a painless harness integrated with the factory harness.

What is so cool about Hiding the harness? I think it is a stupid Idea. If anything I would want it easily accessible.

The one I am doing now burned up due to this stupidity. To each his own I guess. Just more income for those who have to fix these messes in future repair bills.
 
All of that work is extremely nice. You have a lot of attention to detail. I have only one question. All my life I have heard and read that the shorter the coil wire the better. I guess that could be offset if you have a really LOW resistance coil wire. How did you handle that? I have to admit, I would pull my hair out wiring something like that. I never have been good at electrical. .....and I have my whole rat rod to wire up. I am dreading it.
VERY nice work. ......and you are how old?

younggun2.0 said:












Click to expand...
 
What is so cool about Hiding the harness? I think it is a stupid Idea. If anything I would want it easily accessible.
Click to expand...

its clean looking with no wires. if done right the only thing really hidden is the wires. anything you need to get to and replace should be easily reached. not all that difficult to have the best of both worlds.
 
I like how the green car is done because all of the components ARE readily accessible. What is gonna happen to the wires in the conduit? Maybe get damaged in an accident? That could happen with them in the stock location. Other than something of that nature, they will never need attention. I do agree with you that I have seen some botched jobs doing this in the past, but I disagree that the green car is a bad example. It is obvious he put a lot of thought and work into it. I commend him for doing something different and actually getting it right. You stop and think about how the factories are doing it now. Less wires. Less vacuum hoses. Neater electrical junction and box packaging. Remember the late 70s? Need I say more?

Oldmanmopar said:
I am rewiring a car right now that had this done. What a mess. They used a painless harness integrated with the factory harness.

What is so cool about Hiding the harness? I think it is a stupid Idea. If anything I would want it easily accessible.

The one I am doing now burned up due to this stupidity. To each his own I guess. Just more income for those who have to fix these messes in future repair bills.
Click to expand...
 
Check out a site called delcity.com ... they have some of the coolest electrical / wire wrappings I've ever seen with great prices and excellent customer service.
 
blewbyoutobad said:
Remember this, always run a ground wire from a trunk mounted battery to the engine directly. Do not use the chassis for your ground cable. .................... Welding cable should never be used in a car as it does not meet the insulation temp and spec of car wiring..........
Click to expand...

I don't agree. Much of the battery cable you see for auto use is low temp, plastic, thermoplastic, PVC insulation, some of the worst there is for high temp use. Yet they use it.

And on chassis ground, there are many of us who have and do use the body, especially in a unibody, as the ground. If properly done, works just fine.

So far as conduit, ???? If the harness is properly fused, and of course original ones WEREN'T, crash damage should be limited by fusing.

Rob so far as the long coil wire, I've seen some ridiculous OEM coil wires. My old ranger, and others I've seen had the coil mounted WAY off on the side of the fender.

Only downside I can think off is increased radio interference, LOL something you are now dealing with.
 
RustyRatRod said:
All of that work is extremely nice. You have a lot of attention to detail. I have only one question. All my life I have heard and read that the shorter the coil wire the better. I guess that could be offset if you have a really LOW resistance coil wire. How did you handle that? I have to admit, I would pull my hair out wiring something like that. I never have been good at electrical. .....and I have my whole rat rod to wire up. I am dreading it.
VERY nice work. ......and you are how old?
Click to expand...

Well thank you very much. This was my first wire job ever. Before this most I had ever done was wire a car stereo. I studied allot and got allot of advise on this site. I ran the msd coil bulkhead thru the firewall and have had zero problems thus far. The wiring job took me 2 months to complete and is one of the jobs I take the most pride in. I am 30 years old by the way but when I drive the dart I FEEL 18 again. Thanks again for the kind words.
 
Well you deserve it. Wanna come do my Coronet? lol
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top