Simple re-wiring

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Ashton

Ashton

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I've been having a lot of problems with wires shorting out lately in my 76 dart with a 360. I'm tired of doing half assed cut and clamp wiring to get by. I want to just redo all of the wiring as simple as possible since I have a birds nest of wires under my hood right now.

I've seen cars with very clean minimal wiring before and I just want to know if you guys have any tips for the simplest way to re wire the car. I've got an idea on how to do the ignition wiring. But headlights and turn signals and all that I could use some help. And any information on when and where I should use relays.

I'm also wanting to get rid of the old glass fuse box and wire in a new style fuse box so any help with this is appreciated. Thanks!
 
I'm not sure the word "simple" fits in with your question

There are many aftermarket harnesses, and there are a number of pitfalls with the original harness, quite a bit centered around the bulkhead connector

Painless, Francis, American Autowire, we've been down these threads before.

One complaint I have with some of the aftermarket stuff is that it's pointed more towards GM than Mopar, and some don't actually come with a complete diagram

THE BIG PROBLEM with factory wiring in these cars is

connectors............any connector. Connectors at the headlamps, the bulkhead connector, the fuse panel, or any of the switches.

especially the bulkhead connector

ammeter.......wiring is too small and again........bulkhead connectors, and the ammeter itself is poorly constructed, depending on year / model

headlight wiring is marginally small for modern hi wattage bulbs

under fused. The older the car, the more "under" fused these girls are.

Always a good read are the articles here, especially about the ammeter / bulkhead connector, and headlights


http://www.madelectrical.com/electrical-tech.shtml

especially this

http://www.madelectrical.com/electricaltech/amp-gauges.shtml

and this

http://www.madelectrical.com/electricaltech/brighter-headlights.shtml
 
I had no problem doing a painless kit in my 70 Duster ,I did install my own custom dash and gauges but the lights signal were esay . Doing it again I would still use Painless Just my opinion it was simple just take your time
 
if the under dash stuff is fine just replace the engine compartment harness... Use an M&H harness ONLY
 
What do any of these kits do about the connection at the firewall? I'm assuming that's the mentioned bulkhead connector? I'm going to be redoing the wiring in my '65 front to back and haven't seen the type of connection that's used.
 
If you are not too concerned about "restore correct" just eliminate the thing. I just fed wires right through it, so it "looks" half *** factory, but other guys make metal cover plates and use a grommet. If you do some "thinking" you can make the new harness so that if you have to, as in for painting, you can pull the connector body or cover plate off, and feed the entire harness back into the interior of the car
 
I used a Ron Francis kit. While it was a straight forward job, and simple to think "I just run this wire from the fuse panel to..." I don't know that simple describes it. It was pretty time consuming. I added relays into the headlight harness. I also changed to electronic ignition in the process.
C
 
Once I used the Ron Francis wiring kit, everything else I added was simply plug and play. Been happy with it ever since 1990...
 
@ 67dart273 I'm not really worried about the restore correct factor so running through the bulkhead or getting rid of it sounds appealing since I just read they have tendency to melt.
 
I used YO harnesses in the front end of the Demon. They look to be well made and are plug-for-plug compatible with the item at the location,e.g. fender mounted turn signals, lights, coil, A/C, etc. IMO pricey but worth it.

The problems I have had with Mopar bulkhead connectors is due to corrosion. Corrosion on the contacts causes the connector to heat up and melt the surrounding plastic. Spending time to clean up the connectors not only cuts down the heat, but also makes the lights brighter and the fan motor spins faster at any given speed setting on the switch. That's my 2¢ worth on melting bulkhead connectors.
 
Can any of you guys give some insight on why alternator and ignition switch are causing a parasitic drain? My alternator is new and it's charging battery at 14.5 volts when running. When Everithing is hooked up I have 11.65 volts drawing from the battery and the car is off. If I pull both the alternator and ignition switch wires from the cable I have a normal 0 volts. But they're both drawing power so car goes dead in 5 minutes after you shut it off.
 
Take a test lamp, unhook the ground cable and hook the battery in series with the test lamp to ground.

Start pulling fuses one by one.

You have a modern stereo/ radio with "memory keep alive?" How about a separate high power amp?

If pulling the fuses doesn't drop the load, unhook the main alternator output stud. You might have a leaky diode, or the internal radio capacitor (condenser) may be leaky

What do you mean by "ignition switch wire?"
 
67Dart273 said:
Take a test lamp, unhook the ground cable and hook the battery in series with the test lamp to ground.

Start pulling fuses one by one.

You have a modern stereo/ radio with "memory keep alive?" How about a separate high power amp?

If pulling the fuses doesn't drop the load, unhook the main alternator output stud. You might have a leaky diode, or the internal radio capacitor (condenser) may be leaky

What do you mean by "ignition switch wire?"
Click to expand...

Check the circuits that should be cold when the switch is off by pulling the fuse. Bridge the fuse clamps in the box with the leads of a volt meter or LVCT (aka multi-meter). If you get a reading when logic tells you there should be no power, dig in.

IMHO the worst offenders are alarm systems, followed by electronically tuned radios that save station selections and have a clock function.
 
coming from knowing very little about automotive electrical work i went with Ron francis. I found it easier then i expected. I was a bit worried that i would get lost in a rat nest but it was very straight forward and very simple to install. There were a few stop and think moments but i believe it was mainly i would work a weekend on the wiring then not go back to it for a month. So my brain had to refigure what i was up to last.

I called ron francis tech line twice and it was an immediate response with no hassle about anything. Once was about the steering column wiring and turned out i should of been smarter and tested the wires (stupidity on my part) The aftermarket signal switch wires were different colors.
The other time was about the hazard lights and clutch neutral safety. If i would of read the back page of one of the instructions i would have sorted out the neutral safety and the hazard lights just needed to sort out terminals.

I personally would not try another company since i am extremly happy with ron francis. All the wires are labelled and easy to trace and does not take a rocket scientist to sort it out. Just need to know how to solder, splice, shrink tube and attach terminals.

Follow the instructions and do not look at a service manual, unless sorting out wire colors at a light or switch. Mounting the fuse box took some thinking, but after that it was like riding a tricycle.
 
67Dart273 said:
What do you mean by "ignition switch wire?"
Click to expand...

Well there's a red wire running from my positive cable through the fire wall. My only guess is ignition switch. It may not be to factory settings the PO did a lot of shoddy wiring jobs on this car.
 
"SIMPLE"





Andrew
 

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Ashton said:
Well there's a red wire running from my positive cable through the fire wall. My only guess is ignition switch. It may not be to factory settings the PO did a lot of shoddy wiring jobs on this car.
Click to expand...

My first guess would be "not" ignition, and part of the "shoddy" part. I would be "finding out" what it does.


Don't know if I mentioned, there's always the possibility that the ignition switch is bad..............try pulling the connector off and see if it drops the battery draw.
 
Lookup my post "modernized engine wiring", but it isn't "simple". Think long-term what accessories you might add - electric fuel pump, fan, high intensity lights, and make provisions for all.
 
Ashton, I didnt mean to shut down your thread, it just seemed humorous to me.
Listen to what Bill had to say. First make a plan for the car as if there were no budget. List all of electric items you could dream of putting on the car and their amp requirements. then go looking for a power panel that fits the size + 10% of your build electrically. Its not simple but if your are methodical its doable. Ask me how I know.
Andrew
 
I have wired 3 cars with the system from EZ Wire. About $150 each. It is a project to get it all routed and wired correctly. But the results are worth it!

On two of the cars I just ran the wires through the bulkhead connector giving them the appearance of having a functional connector.

On the third car I actually used new pins and rewired the bulkhead connector. It was a lot more work and money to do it this way.

I am getting ready to start rewiring my '66 Dart and I am going to have the wires go through the bulkhead connector without the pins. This way will be cheaper and less work while giving superior performance, IMO.

Good luck,
Mike
 
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