My winter project is replacing both the main dash harness and the engine harness on my 67 roadster. I noticed very brittle wires at the starter, and the previous owner installed a stereo with amplifier, and the main harness appears sort of chopped up, which concerns me . My plan is to remove the after market radio and reconnect the factory am-fm. The engine harness seems to be pretty straight forward,but I must admit the main harness looks to be a bit of a challenge. Any expert opinions on what not to do would be greatly appreciated.
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Re: C2- Replacing Dash and Engine Harness
I replaced my dash harness last year. Here are a couple thoughts I can share.
1. Be sure to review the wiring diagram. It helped me to label all the wires on the new harness. This helped the process of connecting everything when I put it in.
2. Do not remove the old harness until you are ready to install the new harness. It should make it easier to install the new one. It may help to see if any creative wiring was done in the past. I know mine had some.
It was the first time I had done any wiring on my car, but It wasn't to bad. Just takes time working in a cramped space.
Hope this is a little help.
Ryan -
Re: C2- Replacing Dash and Engine Harness
Totally rewired my 66 last year. I would second the advice to get a wiring diagram - the new harness should be color coded to match the diagram exactly. I also labled each wire that I disconnected so that I had a point of reference with the old harness as to what went where, but mine was not chopped up too badly. It isn't really that difficult - just tedious and if you're a large person it will require some contortions. Good luck.Comment
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John; what wiring harness did you use?
John,
Did you get your wiring harness from Lectric Limited? If so, how does it compare with your original harness?
Thanks in advance,
GaryComment
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Re: John; what wiring harness did you use?
Gary, I bought all three harnesses in a package from Lectric Limited (they adverstise in the drive line) and got new fuse box, bulbs, fuses, spark plug wires, battery wires etc. Look very closely at their catalogue and web site, and determine exactly what you need. The package deal does not include 100% of everything. You can buy the individual harnesses or the package that includes all three as well as a bunch of other stuff. The new harness was very similar to the harness I removed but more importantly, I found the new harnesses were exactly color coded to the wiring diagram. I would definitely go with their product. The only other advice I would give is 1. be sure you've disconnected the battery when working on any part of the system - I managed to burn up an ammeter while working on connecting the horn relay, and 2. Take your time and be sure it's right. Most of the connections are pretty obvious, but I double checked everything I did, and when I finally powered up, everything worked as expected. It's also a good time to pull your dash, steering column etc., and do the firewall insulation, any guage work you need, heater box repairs etc. You don't want to have to do this again. Best of luck, and don't hesitate to email if I can help any other way.
JohnComment
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Re: C2- Replacing Dash and Engine Harness
Two years ago I completed a frame off of my '66 coupe and did the engine harness and the dash harness. I used Lectric Limited for both. I would say that both harnesses were excellent fits and very accurate to the wiring diagrams. Before I actually started removing the old ones and connecting the new ones, I laid the new one out next to the old one and made sure I understood all the mounting points and and wire routings. I then, as much as possible, removed segments of the old one and mounted the same segment of the new one before moving on to another segment. Many of the wires coming off the harness are "bunched" around the components they connect to so it will become clearer as you lay it out. But definitely pay close attention to how the old one is installed.
When I first started the car after the resto, I found out the hard way about mis-connecting the new engine harness. I had not correctly attached the horn realy wires and the resulting short melted most of the wires on the left side. I called up Lectric Limited (afer a suitable period of mourning) and ordered another one, prompting them to look at my customer record and ask why I needed another one. I told them of my mistake, and they were so surprised that I did not try to blame them for it that they gave me about a 40% discount on the new one, which helped ease the pain. Nice folks.Comment
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Re: C2- Replacing Dash and Engine Harness
I did all of the harnesses on my '66 roadster about a month ago and had ordered them all from Lectric Limited. The biggest mistake I made was tearing out the old wires before I got the new harnesses. BIG MISTAKE!!! Also, I would recommend pulling the instrument cluster, steering wheel and glove box. I also dropped the steering column and the pedal assembly. The final product was excellent...but I wouldn't want to do it again. Like others have said, the smaller you (and your hands) are the better. I had the most difficulty keeping all of the lights in the cluster from popping out as I was reinstalling the cluster. I also wish I had replaced the drivers side dash pad while I had it apart.Comment
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