Quote:
Originally Posted by Funstuie
Hey all,
I've had my C10 for about 6 weeks and I am really enjoying driving it. But years of previous owners bodge jobs on the wiring has left it in a bit of mess.
So first up - the main functions work - it starts and drives without issue, the headlights and other exterior lights work.
Internally the dome light works, the floor light works occasionally, the cluster lights don't work. Someone has very crudely installed a JVC head unit (around 15 years ago) and although it works it can only pick up one station and has no connectivity options (Bluetooth, aux in, tape).
I finally got up under the dash and had a good look around. It's a rats nest. There are wires dangling everywhere, lots of ends not connected to anything. The original fuse box is still there with glass fuses and worryingly some wires just shoved in.
Also, there are two speakers behind the bench seat. they sound fine but the wires have just been run under the carpet.
So I would like to upgrade/clean up/replace the wiring in the cab (at least as a start). I have been looking at wiring harness' and it's a nightmare trying to work out what's what. Electrics are not really my thing. Also, I don't really have the option to take the truck off the road for an extended time. Would this be a project I could do over a weekend?
Finally in the current configuration (old fuse box etc) is there a way I could install a charge port so I can charge my phone?
I will post some pictures later of the current wiring for reference.
- 1976 C10, Stepside, shortbed, 5.7l V8, Auto.
|
1. I don't know how much you are looking to invest, but if you REALLY want to re-do your wiring, you might talk to GMACHINZ (
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/member.php?u=100343) here on the forum, he does impressive work at creating NEW 'new old stock' style harnesses in the correct colors and with the correct terminals and lengths. Pricing (I think) depends on what options you have installed and want to run.
2. The Dome light and under-the-dash courtesy light are pretty much independent of your gauge cluster. These lights are fed a constant positive from the battery (through the fuse box) and when you open your door, there is a little metal switch inside the door frame that extends out and gives your lights a ground and thus turning them on.
3. Your Head unit / CD Player is probably missing the Antenna wire. Look behind the deck and see if there is a wire going INTO the unit that looks like an all-metal RCA cable. It is more than likely going to come from the passenger side of behind the dash. You could have a front windshield antenna, in which case there is a little black piece that comes out where the dash meets the windshield right in the middle. If that black piece is not plugged into the window (I know it sounds odd) you wont get good reception. If you have an actual external antenna, then you might check that the wire is not clipped somewhere running from your head unit to the antenna. If it looks like it is, you can replace the antenna wire, or look at getting an aftermarket antenna setup.
4. "...and worryingly some wires just shoved in (to the fusebox)." This is the poor mans way of making a constant, or switched power supply to an add-on accessory. I suggest tracing these new wires from the fuse box to where they end. One will probably go towards your carburetor (assuming you have one with an electric choke) to tell the choke when to stop choking (lol). One, or more, will probably go to your CD player / Head Unit. If 2 go there, one is a constant and one is a switched. The constant keeps the head unit memory and clock running when you turn off your truck. The switched tells the head unit to turn on when you switch on your truck. One or more additional wires will go to various add-ons (battery voltage gauge, old CB radio installs, poorly added daytime running lights, etc.). Take it one wire at a time, figure out if the wire/accessory is needed anymore and remove it or terminate it correctly. If you have a lot of accessories, I suggest going to advance and getting a small fuse block, then running a wire directly from your battery to the new fuse block... or if it needs to be switched from the battery to a relay and then to the fuse block with the other terminal of the relay going to a switched position on the stock fuse block.
5. Speaker wire ran under the carpet is A-OK. If you really have an issue with it, just get some split loom and cover it up. Make sure you don't have any splices in between, just a continuous run from your head unit/amp directly to the speaker. When people splice 2 wires together it creates a lot of noise and issues.
6. For a charge port, go to advance and grab a cigarette lighter port and replace the one in your ash tray position... or mount it somewhere else if you want. Run a switched wire from your fuse panel to the back, and another wire from it to a ground. Easy install.
7. If some of your lights on your gauge cluster are not working, take out the cluster and clean the terminals, both on the cluster printed circuit and on the bulb sockets. The speedometer cable just clips on and there is a tab that you push back and the cable pops right out. If you have an oil pressure gauge, it might be manual and you have to unscrew it. The wires all plug in through a single connector. Take the cluster out, lay it face down on a towel (leave the plastic housing on the front)... take out each bulb holder by twisting counter-clockwise and then use some high grit sandpaper (800?) to sand down the terminals on the socket and bend them forward towards the bulb. Then do the same for the printed circuit on the back of the cluster. Be careful with the printed circuit as it is usually pretty brittle. I recommend going to eBay or Amazon and buying a cheap set of LED bulbs in size '168' to replace what is in your cluster well before you do this so you have them ready to install at the same time. When you do get the bulbs all back in, put the cluster back in its spot all connected, then take off the plastic front bezel and black bezel and turn your lights on with the switch to see if all the lights are working.... if you have idiot lights (just a light to say you have low oil pressure for instance instead of a gauge) then those particular lights are harder to test without triggering them and is much longer to detail.
Someone will come along shortly with the fuse diagram for your particular vehicle. It's posted somewhere on this forum, I can't seem to find it off hand.
What you will find in most cases is that someone didn't know what they were doing and just ran a new wire instead of using the wire that already existed and served its purpose has they just used it.
My main tip is to TAKE YOUR TIME. There is no reason to try to replace everything at once. Figure out what the previous owners have done, and have some paper ready to diagram where the wires are going and what they are there for (and whether they are constant, switched, accessory, etc.). Then, buy the right color of wire and replace them correctly. Terminate your ends with proper terminals (or as close as you can, some of these older terminals don't exist or are really expensive).