Best wiring solution 70 Blazer

[JimmyFloyd]

Ok, so I bought my blazer in a partially restored state. The motor runs, transmission works, will drive itself. Only thing is the wiring is cobbled up right now.

My factory harness is there, but the PO added an HEI distributor to it, and muddled up the rest of the wiring. Right now to run it, i have to attach the HEI power to the batter post, then the electric fuel pump, then turn it over with a timing trigger. Not ideal in the least.

I am looking at the possibility of just getting completely new wiring for it, and was wondering what would be the best place to look. I see the Painless kit isn't too bad, and someone else on here suggested M&H(?)

If I do re-wire it completely, I'd like it to be wired for the HEI. The electric fuel pump will be replaced by the mechanical one once the new gas tank and lines come in.

On the other hand, I may consider trying to work out the wiring, but unfortunately i don't have the wiring schematic to even know where to begin. I received a spare engine wiring harness with the truck, and I believe another dash harness or headlight harness.

And help in this area will be greatly appretiated. I'd like to get it running from the key to make it easier to move around.

[Classic Heartbeat]

I would go with the M&H, and not just because we sell them. I just finnished a complete wiring install on a 72 Blazer and the entire job went smooth as a babie's hiney. Nothng worked on the Blazer when it came in, but now everything works as it should and my customer won't have to worry about the wiring for 40 more years. WES

[jaros44sr]

Gotta agree with Wes, I just did my wiring with M&H, and everything was plug and play. They modified mine to run an HEI and electric choke, all connections were factory ones. The engine harness is about 100.00, but be careful when you take it apart at the firewall/fuseblock connection. You can break it, if you don't take it apart right...

The headlite harness is about 300.00, mine was modified with the high/low beam relays. Here again, everything was plug and play, with factory connections. Quality stuff, and the guys there will answer all your questions. If you go this route, check the locations of the wires between the old and new harness just to be sure that no mistakes were made.

[cparman]

times 3. used M&H in my 67 Chevelle. Hit the key and started right up. NEVER had a problem with the wiring in that car.

[JimmyFloyd]

I do like the ideas of not having to worry about will it work, my issue comes down to cost, seeing as my build is really a budget build (only being funded by stuff I already own that i sell.) I am really trying to figure out the best bang for my buck.

Obviously the cheapest route is to try and re-use the original harnesses all together. This is attractive cost wise, but increases time to finish. At the same time, if I could re-wire the whole thing, it would be better in the long run as I would not have to worry about anything.

I am currently looking to keep some old and some new as my best option. I would probably be replacing my engine, headlight and tail light harnesses, and keeping the dash harness.

Even with this solution, this brings up another question. The cost of doing just those three will put me near the $350-400 mark. In that same price range is the complete kit from Painless Wiring, which includes the dash stuff.

Just trying to figure out all my options. I have a second hacked up engine and headlight harness, and I believe a second tail light harness as well that I can look into. I also need to dee if my dash harness was hacked up at all still to make sure it can still be used.\

Thanks for all the help so far.

[jcfoote60]

I've used Painless 18 circuit kits and had no problems whatsoever, wires are labeled on the jacket what circuit your working on, quality was not a problem. I'd recommend Painless as well, comes down to a preference thing for me. I've never done an M&H kit but bet their as good as the other guys are saying.

[DANTES JIMMY]

I am budget minded
find a similar equipped truck or blazer /burb
and find out how much a junkyard find would be
take it apart yourself clean and sand all connections and grease up and work it out with out cobbled fried stuff
stock old could be done nicely depending on install
usually bad connections fry wiring
imho but if you can get the cash new would be the best
but pricey

[JimmyFloyd]

Yeah, i am exploring options. The company I work for makes their own harnesses for our projects, so I might be able to have a harness made up here if I can find the ends that I need.

Does anyone know where those could be found?

[woodymm3]

napa had boxes of them but none of the ones for tha control column.

[Skirkpat]

http://www.ezwiring.com/wiring_harness.html

This is what I am looking at? They are affiliated with Dolphin Guages, I have heard good things, and the mony is right, I put M&H in my SS Chevelle, but I spared no expense on that...Good but not cheap.

[mrein3]

Originally Posted by JimmyFloyd

Yeah, i am exploring options. The company I work for makes their own harnesses for our projects, so I might be able to have a harness made up here if I can find the ends that I need.

Does anyone know where those could be found?

Search NAPA for Part numbers 725147 (female) and 725145 (male) wire terminals. If the plastic they slide into is still good, all you need is a handful of each of the above, some new wire, and keep the $300 - $1000 you save on these full wiring kits for something a lot more fun than wiring.

[JimmyFloyd]

got a couple of the connectors from Napa. Also snagged some wiring harnesses out of a 66 impala and a 65 corvair for the connectors. Still no HEI connector, but I'm still looking.

['68OrangeSunshine]

Ron Francis Wire Works has a lot of obscure connectors.
www.wire-works.com
Summit [or was it Jeg's?] has an HEI pigtails kit.
I used a M&H harness on my '71 Jimmy. Fit perfect. Right connectors. Right lengths. Right colors. Cured several shorts and intermittents.

[woodymm3]

you can get hei connectors for like 2 bucks at napa as well they are pigtails so some soldering is required but easy enough.

[JimmyFloyd]

I tried when I was at napa, but they don't have a part number and couldn't find it. Do you know the part number for the power and tach connectors?

[Musclerodz]

http://musclerodzstore.com/index.asp...ROD&ProdID=689

The American Autowire Kit in the link above is the best on the market now, bar none. Cheaper than M&H by several hundred dollars, 69-72 chevy or gmc specific unlike the painless kit for the same money. ez-kit is a bare no nothing kit that you have to make a hundred trips to the auto parts store to get all the little crap you forgot on the last trip. Start counting fuel and wasted time, the cheap price does not seam that great anymore.

want hei, done, want internal reg alternator, done, want to use aftermarket guages, no problem, using vintage air, covered, modern radio, fuel injection, all are doable with what is included in the kit. Not to mention new ignition switch, headlight switch, and dimmer switch.

Couple things you do need to know. If you are using factory a/c, you will have to use the Factory Fit a/c harness as the kit only provides a power source just as the original dash harness does. Wanna run the kit in a 67-68? You will have to convert to 69 and later e-brake as the new fuse box interferes with the original ebrake cable firewall pass through. You would also need to hardwire the 67-68 park lights as no provisions for them since the kit is 69-72 only.