64 Dart 270 Rewire Questions

I've put it off for a while, but my 64 Dart is in desperate need of rewiring. The fuseblock is mostly melted with only one fuse in it. The previous owner had someone do something to the wiring, in which they bypassed the fuseblock for the most part, shoddily spliced and taped wires together, etc.

Recently, my turn signals went out. Only my left one would blink, the other would come on and stay on. While in my local Advance Auto Parts, I had them look up a flasher that would fit, and I popped it in. Turned the key to test it... nothing. Neither one would flash. Oh well, I took it out and put my old one back in... still nothing. So now I have no turn signals, all I did was swap out the flasher unit.

Yesterday it rained and I used my wipers. Today it was raining, I cranked my car and went to turn on my wipers and got nothing. The switch clicked on/off but the wipers didn't move.

This was what pushed me over the edge and I purchased a Ron Francis Express kit for 61-75 mopars. I have plans to later on add Vintage Air and potentially power locks, and I'm running an aftermarket stereo, so I figured this was the best bet. Just bumper to bumper replace everything since it's all such a mess, and eliminate the bulkhead connector.

Does anyone have any tips for this? I've looked at the factory wiring that I have, I've looked at the diagrams, etc. Should I run any heat shielding on the wiring that's in the engine bay? Has anyone done this and have recommendations? I intend to run stock gauges, so what's that going to look like for wiring? I would think it's just running the positive/negative to the circuit board, wiring up the cigarette lighter, and then wiring the individual gauges to their appropriate sending units, but that's just my guess.

I do intend to, at some point, change my ammeter to a voltmeter, what's the conversion process for that. The ammeter just isn't precise. I will be adding more electronics, a higher output alternator, and electronic ignition in the near future, and want to be as ready as possible for that.


Thanks for any and all help, y'all know a whole lot more than me when it comes to this. I have some electrical knowledge but I expect these cars have their secrets

First, get the wiring diagrams and FSM for your car, try mymopar.com to start with. You're not trying to reinvent the wheel here, the factory system is a good STARTING POINT.
Then do a search for the MAD ammeter bypass.
Then decide if you're going with electronic ignition and voltage regulator; and if you're upgrading the alternator, upgrade the wiring for that, too.
And don't skimp on your grounds.
Decide if you're upgrading your headlights to a relay system.
A relay box won't be a bad idea if you're planning on future updates/additions ie stereo, door locks...
Then sit down with a paper and pencil and draw it all out with the additions you have decided to make, and have all the extra parts IN HAND before you start.
It all begins here, an evening or three with just you, a beer and the "Search" button. Good Luck.

I would save the original harness in case you need to use any of the factory specialized connectors ends. When I redid my B body I used a better through the dash connection for the heavy Alt/Amp flow, the factory bulkhead connector is a weak point for this.
Good luck!

66 Valiant wagon said:

I would save the original harness in case you need to use any of the factory specialized connectors ends. When I redid my B body I used a better through the dash connection for the heavy Alt/Amp flow, the factory bulkhead connector is a weak point for this.
Good luck!

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Yeah I’d heard the bulkhead connector was a weak point, apparently only rated for a something like 35 amps, which was adequate at the time, but far too low now.

I’ll look at better connectors to go through the firewall.

I definitely plan on keeping the old harness. The engine bay one is in good-enough condition, it’s then trunk and underdash that are messed up. But i figure replace it all at once and so I have a reliable building point going forward. But that old harness will stick around for reference and just in case i need it