If you own a classic MoreDoor or any classic or vintage or antique car, you are BOUND to run into wiring issues sooner or later. The wires and electrical stuff tend to wear down over the years of use and eventually fail. I've been tinkering with cars to various degrees for many years. The one thing that has AND continues to intimidate me is electrical work. I've repaired a couple wrecks, done significant suspension work, revived interiors, swapped various types of motors and a transmission or two, and dabbled in body work...DABBLED...but it still counts. When electrical needs to be done, which I HAVE done too, I tend to freeze up and ask others for help, haha. It is REALLY not that difficult, but I just don't care for it. I can't seem to keep straight the number of grounds needed, when and where to use relays AND what type, or what size wire to use. Several years back when redoing my squarebody C10, I got fed up with the spaghetti of wiring under the dash. It was HORRIBLE. SO HORRIBLE, that I decided to jump off the cliff and rewire the truck from headlights to taillights. There was ABSOLUTELY no desire in my automotive heart to EVER rewire a car from scratch. In fact, I avoided upgrading radios over the years just cause I dreaded the wiring. The wiring headache in my squarebody was enough for me to take the plunge! It set in immediately once reassembly started, however, that I was about to tackle my most disliked and avoided task of being an automotive enthusiast. I IMMEDIATELY regretted my decision BUT it was too late!
I ended up going with an 18 circuit harness from Rebel Wire. All the wiring harnesses that were available were very comparable as far as I could see. The main reason I went with them is cause they were(are) a Tennessee business. They had SUPER great tech support and helped me probably a half dozen times with my simplest electrical questions. I made notes and sketches right on the directions (great idea by the way for future reference). My experience ended up being not so bad. PLUS, the truck runs and drives and all the components work without issue! Well, I still haven't wired up the wipers, haha. The next complete rewire that is foresee is my dad’s ’36 Ford pickup, but it should be a cinch and probably half the circuits of my squarebody. You can bet though; I’ll be using Rebel Wire! ALSO, I’ll print out this Hotrod article to keep with my notes and to refer to doing the rewire. It's a great write up with VERY helpful information.
My dad and brother often start my Impala when I’m not around. As it turns out, it wouldn’t start last weekend so I tinkered with it this weekend. Turn the key. Nothing. The battery tests fine, but the solenoid wires look sketchy. Wiring issues are just part of owning a classic or antique car, right!? I guarantee I will NOT be doing a complete rewire on this one!
Feel free to leave your wiring tips and tricks in the comments section below!
I ended up going with an 18 circuit harness from Rebel Wire. All the wiring harnesses that were available were very comparable as far as I could see. The main reason I went with them is cause they were(are) a Tennessee business. They had SUPER great tech support and helped me probably a half dozen times with my simplest electrical questions. I made notes and sketches right on the directions (great idea by the way for future reference). My experience ended up being not so bad. PLUS, the truck runs and drives and all the components work without issue! Well, I still haven't wired up the wipers, haha. The next complete rewire that is foresee is my dad’s ’36 Ford pickup, but it should be a cinch and probably half the circuits of my squarebody. You can bet though; I’ll be using Rebel Wire! ALSO, I’ll print out this Hotrod article to keep with my notes and to refer to doing the rewire. It's a great write up with VERY helpful information.
My dad and brother often start my Impala when I’m not around. As it turns out, it wouldn’t start last weekend so I tinkered with it this weekend. Turn the key. Nothing. The battery tests fine, but the solenoid wires look sketchy. Wiring issues are just part of owning a classic or antique car, right!? I guarantee I will NOT be doing a complete rewire on this one!
Feel free to leave your wiring tips and tricks in the comments section below!
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