Wiring

[firerod63]

Anybody h ave a good line on a good, easy to install, cheap wiring harness? Mine still has the original harness, and I'm having the typical electrical bugs that comes from a 47 year old harness. Stuff like burnt out lights that aren't burnt out. I looked at Painless and Ron Francis, but those are a little steep I think. Any input is helpful. Thanks.

[Max]

I have an EZWire harness - 21 circuit. Very straighforward, modern fuse panel (blade type), plenty of extra circuits. You can look them up online, I bought mine at a swap meet and was leftover kit that someone was selling and didn't use.

[Hawkrod]

Anybody h ave a good line on a good, easy to install, cheap wiring harness? Mine still has the original harness, and I'm having the typical electrical bugs that comes from a 47 year old harness. Stuff like burnt out lights that aren't burnt out. I looked at Painless and Ron Francis, but those are a little steep I think. Any input is helpful. Thanks.

I have to say, I think most people in your boat are missing the bigger issue. It is rarely the wiring harness at fault on our old trucks. If it has been butchered then, yes, the harness can be blamed but most often the failures "like burnt out lights that aren't burnt out" are caused by components that are not included with the new harness. Very likely it is simple stuff like switches and grounds that cause 99% of the problems. Replacing the harness does not always fix the problem. If your harness has a couple of cut wires but no major damage then repair is likely easier than replacement. Because these trucks are so simple, I take the entire harness out and lay it on the ground. First I identify any damage. Cut the tape back where the damage exists, does it extend into the harness? If not, repair the damage and retape that point. Fix all the damaged spots and reinstall the harness. It has never taken me more than 8 hours to do an entire truck harness. It is very rare that the wire is failing (wet/humid climates may have this issue) and so cleaning all the connectors and repairing any modifications usually restores a harness to good working order easily. Most corner light issues are either bad connections in the bulb socket or the ground or a bad turn signal switch (which you can easily bypass to test the circuit). Replacement of the harness is usually an unneccesary expense that does not get you much. BTW, one of the big issues in a harness is bad connectors at the fuses. I like to clean any rusty or corroded connectors and then tin them with solder. Clean well to remove any rosin and they will last for years that way. Hawkrod

[Jerry D]

Should you decide to go with a new harness, Summit Racing is offering $100 rebate from Painless until the end of July.

Jerry D

[ICEMAN6166]

Anybody h ave a good line on a good, easy to install, cheap wiring harness? Mine still has the original harness, and I'm having the typical electrical bugs that comes from a 47 year old harness. Stuff like burnt out lights that aren't burnt out. I looked at Painless and Ron Francis, but those are a little steep I think. Any input is helpful. Thanks.

I have to say, I think most people in your boat are missing the bigger issue. It is rarely the wiring harness at fault on our old trucks. If it has been butchered then, yes, the harness can be blamed but most often the failures "like burnt out lights that aren't burnt out" are caused by components that are not included with the new harness. Very likely it is simple stuff like switches and grounds that cause 99% of the problems. Replacing the harness does not always fix the problem. If your harness has a couple of cut wires but no major damage then repair is likely easier than replacement. Because these trucks are so simple, I take the entire harness out and lay it on the ground. First I identify any damage. Cut the tape back where the damage exists, does it extend into the harness? If not, repair the damage and retape that point. Fix all the damaged spots and reinstall the harness. It has never taken me more than 8 hours to do an entire truck harness. It is very rare that the wire is failing (wet/humid climates may have this issue) and so cleaning all the connectors and repairing any modifications usually restores a harness to good working order easily. Most corner light issues are either bad connections in the bulb socket or the ground or a bad turn signal switch (which you can easily bypass to test the circuit). Replacement of the harness is usually an unneccesary expense that does not get you much. BTW, one of the big issues in a harness is bad connectors at the fuses. I like to clean any rusty or corroded connectors and then tin them with solder. Clean well to remove any rosin and they will last for years that way. Hawkrod

i agree with this 100% and will add only that you must look for hard spots in the wires if its not flexible (talking about the wire not the outer insulation) then corrosion has attacked in that spot and it must be repaired. it is quite common in long runs of thin wire-tailllight and headlight but can happen anywhere.

since i have 47 zillion miles of wire and harness i have saved from various fords i have parted out i would rather replace a piece or section than spend $ on a whole new harness.

[Max]

My original harness was spliced quite a bit under the dash. I looked at replacing components of it but decided on a new one after many of the wires seemed worn and brittle.

Skip's done a good write-up on how he's fixed and upgraded his original wiring harness.

[Michelle]

I have to echo what both Hawk and Ice had to say. I have rebuilt a number of old Fords in my life time and I have never replaced a wiring harness. I have always repaired the original ones or replaced bad sections with one from a junk yard. As Hawk mentioned, the wiring in these trucks were a picture of simplicity, they are easy to follow and repair. If I am in any doubt about a section of wiring I use an ohm meter to check the circuitry and measure resistance. While redoing my Ranger I only found three wires that were cut. It was a very easy repair.

[slickmainer]

mine is coated in paint so i can't tell what is good and what is bad

[mikewirth]

I can agree with both sides of the argument. If the truck is stock without the addition of modern electrical items, i.e. gauges, sound systems, alarms, etc. then a good original harness checked properly and completly would be the way to go. However, if newer accessories are in use on the vehicle, I would spend the money for a new harness that has all the circuits with relays and fuses to do the job right. I have been witness to a couple completed projects that have suffered from electrical fire because of overloaded wiring instead of springing for a new harness costs were cut and the old one re-used.

[ICEMAN6166]

the headlight wiring i usually upgrade to the relays.

taillight wiring is easily replaced very cheaply with a roll of trailer light wire.

most fires are caused by using too large a fuse/breaker for the circuit.

[GDG]

About all I could rescue from my 64 was the heater and wiper harness, the rest of it was cut, cracked, burnt and bare!! I used an EZ 12 circuit, it made a clean system. Matching the 71 strg col harness was a head scratcher though!!
Doug

[Paul Merrell]

I replaced my wiring from a different truck and checked all the wires. The old fuse block was bad because someone put alumium foil around the fuse and they also had solder a wire on the outside of the fuse.

[douglloyd]

good points on both sides.
But I vote replace.

It's old wire, and it ain't getting any newer. New stuff is flexible, works fine and looks better, unless you want EVERYTHING to look original for a resto. May as well go shopping for a tartop battery too.

Something that no one mentioned yet is that the OEM harness is a PITA to troubleshoot. Tracing a lead visually is not possible. Strip off some of that old wrapping, then grab hold of something clean or light colored. - not clean anymore. The harness was wrapped to reduce chafing, sure, but the main advantage was that it could be installed quickly on the assembly line.

I yoinked all mine out of a '66 longbed, and replaced it with a Painless kit. It was pretty well farmerized long before i got it. With help from this forum, I was able to get everything working soon. Each wire is labeled for tracing and i learned a lot about the Ford electrical system, simple or not depending upon your comfort and skill level.

So look at the overall condition of the old stuff, add up what works and what doesn't, calculate how important it is to you whether these things work or not. My stuff has to work because my trucks work - hard.

Doug

[Riverside Racer]

Take a look at the system from Enos in California. Says they run about $150.

http://www.enoscustom.com/blackbox.html

My cousin Chappy swears by it. Being able to terminate both ends of the wire is priceless.

I'll be getting one for my 64 Galaxie soon.

[firerod63]

Thanks for all the input. While repairing the existing harness would deffinitely be a lot cheaper, my harness has been, unfortunately, bastardized severely over the years prior to my ownership. That's why I asked if anyone knew of cheap systems, like the Enos System (which I have never heard of before this). Anyway, thanks again for all the input!

[charliemccraney]

That looks pretty nice. Is $149 for a kit, including wire or only the fuse panel?

[Riverside Racer]

Check out the order form. On it they offer prewired kits as an option. Can't be too much more.