Re-wiring the car. Who's wiring kit?

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Riddler

Riddler

Project EH-Body
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I've been looking into a bunch of wiring kits to rewire the car. So far I'm liking EZ Wiring but concerned it's designed for chevy.

Ron Francis has a lot of wire and some backward wiring.

Anyone else have any suggestions. I'm hoping to stay under $500. Please include some links and such.

Riddler
 
American Autowire here as well. Power Plus 20 street rod kit from ebay ($263+$20 shipping) in 2011.
 
they are all gonna be geared toward chevy stuff. dont let that scare you off. its really not that big of a deal to get around.
 
I agree with younggun here, except some offer their "attempt" to provide a "muscle car" version or even a Mopar muscle car version. I built some cars professionally in the mid '90s and used Painless. Very simple system and they had great customer tech support if you ran into a problem.

I checked around when I was looking for a system for my Cuda. I know a shop who prefers American Auto Wire, another that prefers Ron Francis and still another who uses Painless. When I call all three, I received BIG attitude (arrogance) from RF; so-so attitude from AAW, and Painless was just like they were in the '90s. Attitude and service are a big part of my decision (all else being fairly equal) so I went with Painless again. It's unused, still in the box, because I fell in love with the ISIS system (under new name for obvious reason) and what all it can do. Bought the ISIS system early on under a group buy. They've gone up over 50% since I've bought mine.

I do like the concept of building from the load back to the fuse block that RF has, but it's not that big of deal. If you are interested, I will sell my Painless kit (around 20 circuits I believe) for $250 plus shipping. It's a good kit and that is a pretty good price (last time I checked). If seriously interested, I'll find it (still packed from a move) and get more info for you, but it's pretty much a standard 20(?) circuit kit.


younggun2.0 said:
they are all gonna be geared toward chevy stuff. dont let that scare you off. its really not that big of a deal to get around.
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The speedway harness is the same as the EZ Wiring harness. Both have great reviews but neither have ground wires. I'd have to wire the grounds into the schematic.

I see that American Autowire does include the ground wires as well.

I'm planning to use the stock steering column, how hard is it to wire this up with these kits?

I'm leaning towards American Autowire Power Plus 20 or an EZ Wire kit. I might have to go to Ron Francis for the switches and knobs as they are more of what I'm looking for.

I'm also concerned mixing the old school Mopar with the new school Hemi. I'm sure I'll have to find connectors for a few things. Unless I'm over thinking this?

Any other suggestions or hints/tricks you can help with? I have knowledge of wiring cars but could always learn something new.

Riddler
 
just know going in that to do the harness the right way its going to cost a few hundred more on top of the kit itself. the less the kit comes with the more you'll need to buy.
 
http://infinitybox.com
The former isis. Have 85% done in my dart in 2 days only reason it's not finished is I have not put the dash in to hook up my switches. Ya it's expensive but so is everything else on the car so why cheap out now. Great customer support with many options on how to hook everything up. Example push button self canceling signal lights. This was great for me as my column was gutted and getting in and out with the cage makes it a lot easier as I don't have leaver sticking out.
 
I thought about using the infinitybox (ISIS) but it's just too rich for my blood. I can't justify the expense when I can rewire the entire car for much less leaving money in the budget for other needs/wants.

I think I might try the Painless setup CudaSRT8 has. Just waiting to hear from him on it. Then I'll buy the extra things needed, tools, heat shrink, wire loom, etc etc.

Anyone know of a place to buy connectors for the Hemi accessories? Like ALT, starter etc

Riddler
 
72BBSwinger said:
That's why I went with this one:
http://kwikwire.com/wire-harnesses/standard-harnesses/14-circuit-second-generation-wire-harness/
Has what I already had plus more, quality wire, kill switch and is compact. I also am going to an aftermarket tilt column that uses GM wiring with no key switch. I already knew I would be making almost everything so I didn't go over board on a harness.
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I guess I'm just a little different when it comes to the column. I have a wheel and hub for the mopar column and I'd like to keep and not put more money into buying another since I have everything needed to rebuild it.

I'm guessing I can cut off the stock connector and put on a GM column connector. Anyone ever done that?

Riddler
 
I'm guessing I can cut off the stock connector and put on a GM column connector. Anyone ever done that?
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been there done that.. couldn't be easier. even though some wires were different colors they were in the same order in both connectors.. :)

71DartTurnSigWiring.jpg
 
I am using the Ron Francis express for the mopar.

I will be using the stock column and cutting off the stock connectors.

I am getting ready to wire it ,seems like a quality kit.

I found that I needed another male/female plug for the column and called them to ask about what they recommended , they said they would send out the plug at no charge and I got it in two days, so that was impressive. Great customer service

http://www.ronfrancis.com/prodinfo.asp?number=XP-777
 
blown71duster said:
I am using the Ron Francis express for the mopar.

I will be using the stock column and cutting off the stock connectors.

I am getting ready to wire it ,seems like a quality kit.

I found that I needed another male/female plug for the column and called them to ask about what they recommended , they said they would send out the plug at no charge and I got it in two days, so that was impressive. Great customer service

http://www.ronfrancis.com/prodinfo.asp?number=XP-777
Click to expand...

I'm not debating the quality and service of R.F. wiring kits. They are however are double the cost. I am thinking about buying their wiper switch, headlight switch and door pulls. They look like great quality and such.

Riddler
 
I didn't buy the GM column to make wiring easier lol! I bought it because it is a nice damn column and only set me back $115 lol! My main reason for the column was I wanted tilt, no key and make my own mount so I can set the height perfectly to my liking and not hack up my cherry original to sell complete since it is a floor shift column.
 
I have the Ron Francis in one of my cars,which was made specifically for my car.Joe,if you call them and tell them your engine needs(plugs and whatever else).They will build a fuse panel and harness # just for your car?It will make it much easier for you to rewire the car yourself.JMO..Spend wisely :D
 
I have the RF kit with a few extra relays from them for fans, fuel, headlights. I like the quality for sure, the American auto wire stuff I would use too... I moved all the stuff under the dash (since I have no heater/AC) or in the pass kick panel, and my ECU's are in the glovebox.
 

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I like the Ron Francis and looks like American auto wire is the same, because you can attach the wires as needed to the fuse panel , gives it a cleaner look.
Also the R.F. box has an option to switch some circuits from hot with ignition on to hot at all times with a change of the fuse position, without re-wiring.
I talked to a guy with a hot rod that liked that feature.

I have used the painless before and it is a pre-wired fuse panel .

The one thing I didn't like was the fact that I have all the wiring for the ignition that I really don't need, lot of extra you are paying for, and its not cheap.

Looks to be priced about the same as American auto and does come with their headlight switch.
 
This im my advice...... take it or leave it, its what i did in my car and made my install super easy.

#1 Take your entire stock harness out and put it in a box. forget about it. dont try to duplicate anything the factory did.

#2 Use the chevy wiper switch and hi/low beam switch. they fit in the factory dash and wiper switch hole. this allows you to use the chevy plugs that come with the kits. (your original plugs are most likely shot and thats why your replacing them)

#3 No matter what steering column you end up using. cut the factory plug off and use a molex style plug or another to your liking. they are better quality and just make everything easier.

#4 if you have the dash mounted ignition CAREFULLY take apart the factory plug and you can reuse it.


My install went pretty smoothly and once it was done it was completely done. everything worked the first time. Take your time and treat every connection as the most critical connection in the system. if its not perfect take it apart and do it again. trust me you dont want to have to chase down eletrical problems.
 
Riddler,

I also looked into all the major harnesses out there. I happen to be in the store one day and saw a Hot Rod Deluex Mag that had a big section on which harness is right for you. After reading it and seeing a lot of what I had already found, there was one that stood out Coach Controls. I have never heard of these guys. So I called them and they were very courteous and helpful. They have a lot of knowledge for all cars. The thing I liked most was that if I had any question I could call and since I was doing a custom install with all aftermarket stuff they were very helpful in helping me decide what was best for me. The fuse box is a little big and I couldn't find a place on the inside firewall to mount it. so like a lot of customs it is going in the trunk with the battery. This kit comes all the wires labeled for all the circuits. It includes a great big laminated drawing showing all the wiring and components and where they will connect to. While talking with them for about an hour I found out that relays are the way to go now a days. This kit provides that plus if you want to LED's no conversions needed it all right there. This kit can easily be used for stock applications in fact its probably better than stock. The price was a little cheaper than Painless and R/F but mine was a custom also. R/F was going to be my choice before I saw Coach's product. Give them a call and see if they are what you are looking for in a wire harness. This of course is just my thoughts and I am well pleased the product.
Here is the link to their web site. http://coachcontrols.com/

PwrCntr_NoCover500.JPG

Relays offer an efficient and reliable means of switching high currents with minimal power loss. Auto manufacturers and professional car builders recognize this and have been using relays instead of bulky switches to improve the quality and reliability of automotive electrical systems for decades. The Power Center utilizes high quality relays to distribute power to various vehicle loads. This means no more time-consuming mounting and wiring add-on relays. The heavy duty ignition and headlight switches required by other manufacturers are not necessary with this kit. Even daytime running lights are provided as a standard safety feature!

TAZZ
 
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