Howdy!
I finally had to buy another wiring harness for my truck. One of the fuse box connections broke, shorted and caused a small fire in the cab. Just burnt, melted wires, no other damage. I went with the EZ Wire 12 circuit unit and it arrives today. I wanted to put off the rewire until I had the sheet metal off and could get a really good job done running wires to the rear end, but I have to do it now. I plan on using shrink tubing and fiberglass protective sleeve to protect my wires and give the whole rewire a clean look. As it was, the wiring under the dash looked like a handful of spaghetti with the POs splices, wire nuts, etc, so one other thing I aim for is cleaning that up and maybe fabbing a cover out of Kydex for the area under the dash in the driver area. I will post pictures and a good critique of the EZ Wire product. Plans also include a new NSS so I can finally get the reverse lights working (the only thing that's never worked,) and I bought a decent label maker with waterproof tape so I plan to label everything.
Take care,
Joe
Edit 1: 09NOV13 The kit came on 08NOV 13 and I inspected the contents. Approximately 14 gauge wire, and plenty of it. It's labeled and numbered about every 6 inches or so, but I don't count on the numbers or letters lasting too long, so I bought a decent label maker and some waterproof tape. Will label everything. Also bought some fiberglass impregnated tubing and shrink tubing to protect the wires. I will have to recycle most of the dash plugs, but I figured on that. Fuse panel is of lesser quality than I'd like, but it is serviceable. No more glass fuses, this panel uses the new-style blade fuses. Glass was getting tougher to find in the correct amperage.
Take care,
Joe
Rewiring diary edit 1 09NOV13
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mnkeeking
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Rewiring diary edit 1 09NOV13
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Last edited by mnkeeking on Sat Nov 09, 2013 9:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.
'68 F100 Flareside 460/C6
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sargentrs
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Re: Rewiring diary
Looking forward to your progress updates. I bought the 21 circuit EZ wire harness and it'll be good to see what issues you run into. Thanks!
Randy
1970 F100 Sport Custom Limited LWB, 302cid, 3 on the tree. NO A/C, NO P/S, NO P/B. Currently in 1000 pcs while rebuilding. Project thread: http://www.fordification.com/forum/view ... 22&t=59995 Plan: 351w, C4, LSD, pwr front disc, p/s, a/c, bucket seats, new interior and paint.
1987 F-150 XLT Lariat, 5.0/C6 auto.
1970 F100 Sport Custom Limited LWB, 302cid, 3 on the tree. NO A/C, NO P/S, NO P/B. Currently in 1000 pcs while rebuilding. Project thread: http://www.fordification.com/forum/view ... 22&t=59995 Plan: 351w, C4, LSD, pwr front disc, p/s, a/c, bucket seats, new interior and paint.
1987 F-150 XLT Lariat, 5.0/C6 auto.
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mnkeeking
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Re: Rewiring diary edit 2 09NOV13
Howdy!
Today I started the rewire project. Biggest problems I'm having now are that I work solo with no oversite which slows me down and can lead to problems, and I have to wrap my head around the fact that the kit is universal. So far I have four unused circuits and I've only unrolled two packs. It confuses me sometimes. The wire is very flexible but is easily skinned so care must be taken when routing through the dash and firewall. I'm sure there'll be some testing required as I'm running a one-wire alternator and an HEI dizzy with no external coil. My truck will start and run with just a 12 gauge ignition wire, and the kit has several "hot" wires. Could just be I'm at the start of the project and it sucks to have my truck look like a spaghetti factory blew up inside her. I advise keeping your old harness as intact as possible for a ready reference. Anyway, I got the fuse panel installed. It's about twice the size of the FoMoCo original. Like I said, I opened two packs and started sorting and running wires. One nice thing is they sell you enough wire to direct wire everything from the headlights to the taillights, just need pigtails at the ends in case it must be repaired. This kit was pretty cheap at $189 to my door and some of the hardware is sub-par. I need to buy two ceramic headlight sockets because the included sockets are cheap plastic. But when I went to the parts counter they were selling the same ones so I'll prolly have to internet some. Like Tbone posted to me earlier, the EZ Wire and Kwik Wire kits take more work on the installer's part, although I believe Kwik Wire sells a bump specific kit for about $100 than EZ, and Painless is the gold standard, I guess. So here are some pictures of the work I did today.
Take care,
Joe
Today I started the rewire project. Biggest problems I'm having now are that I work solo with no oversite which slows me down and can lead to problems, and I have to wrap my head around the fact that the kit is universal. So far I have four unused circuits and I've only unrolled two packs. It confuses me sometimes. The wire is very flexible but is easily skinned so care must be taken when routing through the dash and firewall. I'm sure there'll be some testing required as I'm running a one-wire alternator and an HEI dizzy with no external coil. My truck will start and run with just a 12 gauge ignition wire, and the kit has several "hot" wires. Could just be I'm at the start of the project and it sucks to have my truck look like a spaghetti factory blew up inside her. I advise keeping your old harness as intact as possible for a ready reference. Anyway, I got the fuse panel installed. It's about twice the size of the FoMoCo original. Like I said, I opened two packs and started sorting and running wires. One nice thing is they sell you enough wire to direct wire everything from the headlights to the taillights, just need pigtails at the ends in case it must be repaired. This kit was pretty cheap at $189 to my door and some of the hardware is sub-par. I need to buy two ceramic headlight sockets because the included sockets are cheap plastic. But when I went to the parts counter they were selling the same ones so I'll prolly have to internet some. Like Tbone posted to me earlier, the EZ Wire and Kwik Wire kits take more work on the installer's part, although I believe Kwik Wire sells a bump specific kit for about $100 than EZ, and Painless is the gold standard, I guess. So here are some pictures of the work I did today.
Take care,
Joe
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'68 F100 Flareside 460/C6
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sargentrs
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Re: Rewiring diary edit 1 09NOV13
I really appreciate you posting your write up! I'll be following in your footsteps next spring and it's a tremendous help. When you find your light sockets, be sure a post up what you wound up with and where you got 'em please. Great work so far and good luck!
Randy
1970 F100 Sport Custom Limited LWB, 302cid, 3 on the tree. NO A/C, NO P/S, NO P/B. Currently in 1000 pcs while rebuilding. Project thread: http://www.fordification.com/forum/view ... 22&t=59995 Plan: 351w, C4, LSD, pwr front disc, p/s, a/c, bucket seats, new interior and paint.
1987 F-150 XLT Lariat, 5.0/C6 auto.
1970 F100 Sport Custom Limited LWB, 302cid, 3 on the tree. NO A/C, NO P/S, NO P/B. Currently in 1000 pcs while rebuilding. Project thread: http://www.fordification.com/forum/view ... 22&t=59995 Plan: 351w, C4, LSD, pwr front disc, p/s, a/c, bucket seats, new interior and paint.
1987 F-150 XLT Lariat, 5.0/C6 auto.
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mnkeeking
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Re: Rewiring diary edit 3 10NOV13
Howdy!
Edit 3 of the rewiring diary. I didn't accomplish as much as I wanted today. I spent a good deal of the day removing the black, sticky goo that was once the electric tape the PO used everywhere so I could label the old harness' wires near the connectors I have to recycle. Acetone and a rag work well to remove the black sticky goo from wires and fingers. I have several issues with the EZ Wire harness I bought. First is, although the kit is "universal" it comes wired with plugs for a GM column-style ignition, turn, and emergency switches. This can be confusing. Second, the instructions are less than helpful. They do contain a Ford wire color to EZ Wire color for an ignition switch and steering column, but if your wire colors aren't OEM you're on your own. Third, they use the term, "packs," to describe the four bundles of wire that come in the kit, which if fine, but as the kit is half-way set up for a GM product, the packs have mismatched wires in them. This means you have to pull each wire and reroute it to your application. This may not sound like a big deal or just what you'd do anyway, but the packs use the same color wire in each pack. After you reroute to fit you end up with two or three same color wires in the same run, which can be confusing. That is what I did for the last part of the day. I did manage to get a few runs in, sleeved in fiberglass. It's the red, large wire looking thing in the pictures.
So far, I'm still very pleased with the kit. My complaints of it are minor, the chief being the instructions should be disregarded unless you are close to OEM. Best advice of today? Take a bunch of pictures with your little shop cheapo digital camera so you can reference them often, which you probably will either do or wish you could. Also, if you were interested in the fiberglass sleeving, so far I've found 0 gauge works well with up to three wires, and 3/8" works well with four wires. The red stuff is pretty thin-walled, but will work well for heat protection under the hood. For runs to the rear, the speedo cable, and NSS wiring I have some much thicker-walled stuff, black in color, that I bought at Marshall's. Haven't worked with it yet, but will report.
Take care,
Joe
Edit 3 of the rewiring diary. I didn't accomplish as much as I wanted today. I spent a good deal of the day removing the black, sticky goo that was once the electric tape the PO used everywhere so I could label the old harness' wires near the connectors I have to recycle. Acetone and a rag work well to remove the black sticky goo from wires and fingers. I have several issues with the EZ Wire harness I bought. First is, although the kit is "universal" it comes wired with plugs for a GM column-style ignition, turn, and emergency switches. This can be confusing. Second, the instructions are less than helpful. They do contain a Ford wire color to EZ Wire color for an ignition switch and steering column, but if your wire colors aren't OEM you're on your own. Third, they use the term, "packs," to describe the four bundles of wire that come in the kit, which if fine, but as the kit is half-way set up for a GM product, the packs have mismatched wires in them. This means you have to pull each wire and reroute it to your application. This may not sound like a big deal or just what you'd do anyway, but the packs use the same color wire in each pack. After you reroute to fit you end up with two or three same color wires in the same run, which can be confusing. That is what I did for the last part of the day. I did manage to get a few runs in, sleeved in fiberglass. It's the red, large wire looking thing in the pictures.
So far, I'm still very pleased with the kit. My complaints of it are minor, the chief being the instructions should be disregarded unless you are close to OEM. Best advice of today? Take a bunch of pictures with your little shop cheapo digital camera so you can reference them often, which you probably will either do or wish you could. Also, if you were interested in the fiberglass sleeving, so far I've found 0 gauge works well with up to three wires, and 3/8" works well with four wires. The red stuff is pretty thin-walled, but will work well for heat protection under the hood. For runs to the rear, the speedo cable, and NSS wiring I have some much thicker-walled stuff, black in color, that I bought at Marshall's. Haven't worked with it yet, but will report.
Take care,
Joe
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'68 F100 Flareside 460/C6
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tbone6
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Re: Rewiring diary edit 1 09NOV13
Looks like a good start. Glad you are happy with the EZ kit. The kwik wire says it is for the ford f-100, but it is generic. Take your time (as much as possible) and keep it neat. Great write up so far. 
t6
1972 F100
1972 F100
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sargentrs
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Re: Rewiring diary edit 1 09NOV13
If you don't mind, can you post a link to that fiberglass sleeving?
Randy
1970 F100 Sport Custom Limited LWB, 302cid, 3 on the tree. NO A/C, NO P/S, NO P/B. Currently in 1000 pcs while rebuilding. Project thread: http://www.fordification.com/forum/view ... 22&t=59995 Plan: 351w, C4, LSD, pwr front disc, p/s, a/c, bucket seats, new interior and paint.
1987 F-150 XLT Lariat, 5.0/C6 auto.
1970 F100 Sport Custom Limited LWB, 302cid, 3 on the tree. NO A/C, NO P/S, NO P/B. Currently in 1000 pcs while rebuilding. Project thread: http://www.fordification.com/forum/view ... 22&t=59995 Plan: 351w, C4, LSD, pwr front disc, p/s, a/c, bucket seats, new interior and paint.
1987 F-150 XLT Lariat, 5.0/C6 auto.
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mnkeeking
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Re: Rewiring diary edit 1 09NOV13
Howdy all!
Edit 4 has arrived. Got my truck started today, and the headlight wiring run. I temporarily spliced the small, old headlight harness to each headlight, but will go back and upgrade with ceramic headlight plugs and marker light wiring. Another critique I have is the 12 circuit harness is lacking in marker light wiring for the front and no wires are included to wire reverse lights into your NSS. I had to call the seller and ask where they thought some of their wires should go. Might be me, but I didn't feel like I was treated very well. Tech guy spoke condescendingly to me when all I asked was how to route the wires as mine is not the typical setup. Anyway, as he was of nearly no use, (he told me to leave some wires out that I need and make others I don't,) I just old-schooled it and wired the ignition up as it used to be. Worked great.
I do need some help, though. The wiring to my headlight switch and ignition switch had all the plastic coating melted off, so I'm having trouble figuring which wire goes where in both the plugs. I bought a newer year ignition switch, which has the bladed terminals vice the pin-type I used to have, but even the pigtail for the switch has wires that are all black so no help there. Would someone please post a picture of the ignition switch plug wiring and the headlight switch plug wiring so I can see the wire colors? The wiring kit came with a simple color conversion chart, take the black with green stripe wire and replace it with our X color wire. You can see my problem now.
Sarge, the place I bought the fiberglass sleeve from is called http://www.buyheatshrink.com, and you're looking for "saturated fiberglass sleeving." Again, it might be me, but after waiting nearly two weeks for delivery (with no email followup on shipping charges or times) I finally had to call them and ask why they took my money two weeks earlier back I didn't have my purchase. In all, it took 17 days to get the package delivered. Fair warning, don't be in a hurry if you order from them. The larger diameter you go, the more limited the colors they sell. I bought a spool of 0 gauge and one of 3/8". I paid $75 to my door. This sleeving is thin-walled, but makes running wires easier. I also bought some sleeving from a hardware store called Marshall's here in San Diego to use for running wire to the rear end and very near the motor. It's really heavy-duty, but is more difficult to get wires run through and only comes in black. The thinner stuff I'm using in the dash, to the front headlights, and the red I used to protect my positive battery cable. I'll use some of the black for the negative cables and to the starter as they are in very hot areas.
Going slow, taking my time, with an eye toward easy removal of the harness when it comes time for body-off work. Now that I've get the igntion wired up correctly, the last trouble areas will be the wiring for those two plugs. Turn signals I'll just have to do one wire at a time.
Take care,
Joe
Edit 4 has arrived. Got my truck started today, and the headlight wiring run. I temporarily spliced the small, old headlight harness to each headlight, but will go back and upgrade with ceramic headlight plugs and marker light wiring. Another critique I have is the 12 circuit harness is lacking in marker light wiring for the front and no wires are included to wire reverse lights into your NSS. I had to call the seller and ask where they thought some of their wires should go. Might be me, but I didn't feel like I was treated very well. Tech guy spoke condescendingly to me when all I asked was how to route the wires as mine is not the typical setup. Anyway, as he was of nearly no use, (he told me to leave some wires out that I need and make others I don't,) I just old-schooled it and wired the ignition up as it used to be. Worked great.
I do need some help, though. The wiring to my headlight switch and ignition switch had all the plastic coating melted off, so I'm having trouble figuring which wire goes where in both the plugs. I bought a newer year ignition switch, which has the bladed terminals vice the pin-type I used to have, but even the pigtail for the switch has wires that are all black so no help there. Would someone please post a picture of the ignition switch plug wiring and the headlight switch plug wiring so I can see the wire colors? The wiring kit came with a simple color conversion chart, take the black with green stripe wire and replace it with our X color wire. You can see my problem now.
Sarge, the place I bought the fiberglass sleeve from is called http://www.buyheatshrink.com, and you're looking for "saturated fiberglass sleeving." Again, it might be me, but after waiting nearly two weeks for delivery (with no email followup on shipping charges or times) I finally had to call them and ask why they took my money two weeks earlier back I didn't have my purchase. In all, it took 17 days to get the package delivered. Fair warning, don't be in a hurry if you order from them. The larger diameter you go, the more limited the colors they sell. I bought a spool of 0 gauge and one of 3/8". I paid $75 to my door. This sleeving is thin-walled, but makes running wires easier. I also bought some sleeving from a hardware store called Marshall's here in San Diego to use for running wire to the rear end and very near the motor. It's really heavy-duty, but is more difficult to get wires run through and only comes in black. The thinner stuff I'm using in the dash, to the front headlights, and the red I used to protect my positive battery cable. I'll use some of the black for the negative cables and to the starter as they are in very hot areas.
Going slow, taking my time, with an eye toward easy removal of the harness when it comes time for body-off work. Now that I've get the igntion wired up correctly, the last trouble areas will be the wiring for those two plugs. Turn signals I'll just have to do one wire at a time.
Take care,
Joe
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'68 F100 Flareside 460/C6
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sargentrs
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Re: Rewiring diary edit 1 09NOV13
Thanks for the link, Joe! That's a very cleaning looking install. Especially the battery cable termination. I'll have to dig out my old wiring harness and see if I can get a pic of the headlight switch. Don't know if it helps but this is what the back of my ignition switch looked like. Forget the blue splice connector, it's where I tapped in for my Duraspark. Full 12V in run position. Don't know about that missing wire there. I couldn't find anything loose and doesn't look like it'd been connected to anything.
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Randy
1970 F100 Sport Custom Limited LWB, 302cid, 3 on the tree. NO A/C, NO P/S, NO P/B. Currently in 1000 pcs while rebuilding. Project thread: http://www.fordification.com/forum/view ... 22&t=59995 Plan: 351w, C4, LSD, pwr front disc, p/s, a/c, bucket seats, new interior and paint.
1987 F-150 XLT Lariat, 5.0/C6 auto.
1970 F100 Sport Custom Limited LWB, 302cid, 3 on the tree. NO A/C, NO P/S, NO P/B. Currently in 1000 pcs while rebuilding. Project thread: http://www.fordification.com/forum/view ... 22&t=59995 Plan: 351w, C4, LSD, pwr front disc, p/s, a/c, bucket seats, new interior and paint.
1987 F-150 XLT Lariat, 5.0/C6 auto.
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arbo
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Re: Rewiring diary edit 1 09NOV13
Looking good so far, and of much interest to me and I was thinking about rewiring mine… and many full harnesses I see are way out of my price range. I actually thought about sourcing a good fuse box and running all my own wires, but perhaps this kit at least would speed that up.
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tbone6
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Re: Rewiring diary edit 1 09NOV13
Hope these will help. keep up the great job!
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t6
1972 F100
1972 F100
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mnkeeking
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Re: Rewiring diary edit 1 09NOV13
Howdy!
Thanks to Sarge and Tbone for posting the pictures/diagrams, and all the encouragement and good wishes. Just what I needed, the pictures, that is. Arbo, it was Tbone hisself what told me about the difference in the wire harness kits, thanks again, Tbone. The EZ Wire harness I bought was less than $200 delivered, but if your rewire/electric skills are low then don't waste time or money with EZ. I looked at a nice fuse panel (only) at the hardware store this past weekend and it alone was $50, never mind the price of wire. But as my rewire was a necessity due to a small fusebox fire I went the cheaper route.
Another critique I forgot in last night's post is that although the wires are labeled and numbered every 6 inches or so, this should be for reference only. DO NOT depend on them staying imprinted. My careful install with fiberglass sleeving STILL rubbed the labeling off, and be very careful about stepping on or dragging the wires along the ground. Same story. You'll be missing several feet of labeling. End of rant.
Take care,
Joe
Thanks to Sarge and Tbone for posting the pictures/diagrams, and all the encouragement and good wishes. Just what I needed, the pictures, that is. Arbo, it was Tbone hisself what told me about the difference in the wire harness kits, thanks again, Tbone. The EZ Wire harness I bought was less than $200 delivered, but if your rewire/electric skills are low then don't waste time or money with EZ. I looked at a nice fuse panel (only) at the hardware store this past weekend and it alone was $50, never mind the price of wire. But as my rewire was a necessity due to a small fusebox fire I went the cheaper route.
Another critique I forgot in last night's post is that although the wires are labeled and numbered every 6 inches or so, this should be for reference only. DO NOT depend on them staying imprinted. My careful install with fiberglass sleeving STILL rubbed the labeling off, and be very careful about stepping on or dragging the wires along the ground. Same story. You'll be missing several feet of labeling. End of rant.
Take care,
Joe
'68 F100 Flareside 460/C6
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tbone6
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Re: Rewiring diary edit 1 09NOV13
Joe, one more free piece of advice, if the wires in the new switch are 16 ga. you may want to toss a relay or two in just to relieve some of the load through the switch. I will also add that the kwikwire labels stayed imprinted with no rubbing off. I treated them pretty harshly on occasion... 
t6
1972 F100
1972 F100
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mnkeeking
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Re: Rewiring diary Update 21NOV13
Howdy!
Rained today so didn't get much done. Ran around today trying to find the terminal connectors I need to rebuild the wiring blocks I'm reusing. Tough to find. Yesterday I got a bit done.
Take care,
Joe
Rained today so didn't get much done. Ran around today trying to find the terminal connectors I need to rebuild the wiring blocks I'm reusing. Tough to find. Yesterday I got a bit done.
Take care,
Joe
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'68 F100 Flareside 460/C6
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mnkeeking
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Re: Rewiring diary Update 21NOV13 cont.
Worked on running wiring for tail lights through yet more fiberglass sleeve, but at least my wires can't be cut or burned. I also plan on running my speedo cable through some fiberglass sleeve to keep it from being burned on the exhaust. I also plan on wiring some bullet-proof reverse light circuits so I'll finally have them too. The fiberglass is expensive, but I feel it's worth the expense for peace of mind. What's left is wiring the gauges, turn signals, radio, and heater. Mostly cab stuff, and then routing and mounting the harness under the dash.
Take care,
Joe
Another bit of advice. A right-angle drill is very helpful to get into the tight spaces like under the dash to screw in wire clamps or drill holes if needed. I bought a cheap HF model for $30 a while ago and it has really saved me on a few occasions.
Take care,
Joe
Another bit of advice. A right-angle drill is very helpful to get into the tight spaces like under the dash to screw in wire clamps or drill holes if needed. I bought a cheap HF model for $30 a while ago and it has really saved me on a few occasions.
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'68 F100 Flareside 460/C6